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JON - If both man and wife have a temple recommend and one spouse lives a life worthy enough to inherit the celestial kingdom, and the other does not, will the one in the celestial kingdom be given to another worthy celestial kingdom person as a spouse and the unworthy one be in one of the other kingdoms without a spouse? How does that work when one is worthy of the Celestial and one is not. To get into the Celestial Kingdom both spouses have to be worthy right?
JOEL - It depends on whether or not their marriage has been sealed by the holy spirit of promise and their calling and election has been made sure. Like all other gospel ordinances, that of eternal marriage must be sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise before it is accepted of God. In regards to marriage the Holy Ghost does this in two ways.
First, He may ratify and approve the sealing between a man and woman, and as long as they are faithful and endure to the end they will remain sealed forever.
Because the covenant they make contains contingency clauses—statements that it is made according to their faithfulness—the ratifying action conforms to those stipulations in the contract. As long as the partners remain true to the covenant and repent of any sins in this life, its promises are in force, but permanent
departure from their commitments breaks the covenant and the couple will not share eternal life with each other. In this case it is assumed that the innocent spouse will have the opportunity to choose another eternal companion. But of course only God can judge just how unworthy a person has to be before he losses the blessings of the sealing. I am counting on His mercy and the righteousness of my own wife to help get me in :-)
Secondly, if a couple's marriage has been sealed by the holy spirit of promise in that their calling and election has been made sure, the following conditions will apply:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man marry a wife according to my word, and they are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, according to mine appointment, and he or she shall commit any sin or transgression of the new and everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder wherein they shed innocent blood, yet they shall come forth in the first resurrection, and enter
into their exaltation; but they shall be destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered unto the buffetings of Satan unto the day of redemption, saith the Lord God." (D&C 132: 26)
In other words unrepented sins comitted by those whose calling and election has been made sure would require the suffering for those sins both in this life and the next. But because their calling and election was made sure, at the end of their suffering they would still inherit the Celestial Kingdom with their spouse, provided they have not committed the unpardonable sin.
Many have misinterpreted the above scripture to mean that any couple sealed in the temple are guaranteed eternal life together regardless of what they do, but that is incorrect. They must also have had their calling and election made sure.
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