Do we still need Mormon Temples?

One of the most notable differences between Mormonism and Christianity is the way we view temples. Latter-day Saints often wonder why Christians don’t participate in Mormon temple practices today. The Bible addresses this exact issue. So what does the Bible teach us about our need for Mormon temples today?

First: God instructed his people to build a sanctuary that He…“may dwell in their midst” (Exodus 25:8).

But because of their sin, God’s people were prohibited from entering into His presence. So God commanded that the sanctuary be divided by a floor-to-ceiling curtain which served as a physical reminder of the spiritual separation between us and God.

Second: God also intended that the Temple would serve as the center of the Old TestamenT sacrificial system.

Forgiveness of sins was dependent upon regular sacrifices being offered there. The Bible says that,

“…under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). 

It was impossible for a man to be seen as right before God apart from these regular blood sacrifices. The presence of a Temple epitomized our separation from God, and our need for continual sacrifice.

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Christ’s death changed everything! 

The entire OT Temple System was designed to point us to our need for Jesus! The Bible tells us that

“…in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins…But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:3-14).

When Jesus went to the cross, He was offering himself up as our ultimate, fully-sufficient sacrifice. When Christ died, the Bible tells us,

“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51).

In His crucifixion, Christ not only fulfilled our need for sacrifice, but also provided a way for us to have access to God. The Bible tells us that we can now, 

“…have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh” (Hebrews 10:19-20).

This is why Christians do not engage in Temple worship any longer.

Instead we celebrate how Jesus replaced the Old Covenant (with its temple practices) with a New and better one!

“In speaking of a new covenant he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13).

The Bible teaches that we no longer need a physical Temple because the  purpose of the Temple is now fully and finally satisfied in Jesus.