You can watch Elder Andersen’s talk here.

Elder Andersen teaches that eternal marriage is not simply an event (like a wedding or sealing) but a lifelong—and eternal—process of becoming more like Jesus Christ. Marriage is a sacred covenant designed to refine individuals through love, sacrifice, repentance, and forgiveness.

He emphasises that as couples draw closer to the Saviour, their love for each other deepens. Despite challenges such as illness, hardship, or uncertainty, God provides strength to endure and grow together. Eternal marriage is ultimately part of God’s plan to help His children become like Him and remain united beyond mortality.

Key quotes:

‘ The sacred sealing power has been restored to the earth and is found today in His dedicated temples.’ (Paragraph 3)

’Like our own discipleship, our eternal marriage is not a short-term experiment but a journey, an eternal journey of becoming who God desires us to become.’ (Paragraph 8)

‘In the gospel of Jesus Christ, we proclaim that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.” We believe in eternal marriage, we teach of eternal marriage, and we seek an eternal marriage.’ (Paragraph 9)

‘While embracing the happiness and sorrows of life’s experiences, we etch our covenants indelibly upon our souls, and we keep our eyes focused heavenward, toward the glorious destination awaiting us.’ (Paragraph 12)

‘With your hope and faith in Christ, allow the Lord to expand your spiritual gifts of understanding and patience.’ (Paragraph 16)

‘…every true disciple of Jesus Christ, if it is his or her desire, will be eternally sealed to a righteous companion of his or her choosing throughout eternity, whether in this life or the next.’ (Paragraph 18)

Questions to discuss or ponder:

What blessings have you received through the sacred sealing power? (Paragraph 3)

How does eternal marriage fit into God’s plan for His children? (Paragraph 6)

What Christlike attributes do I most need to develop in my relationships? (Paragraph 7)

How does drawing closer to the Saviour improve our marriage? (Paragraph 8)

What does it mean to think of marriage as a journey rather than a destination? Or an experiment? (Paragraph 8)

How can we strengthen our commitment to eternal marriage in a world where views on marriage are changing? (Paragraph 9)

What does it mean to ’etch our covenants indelibly upon our souls’? (Paragraph 12)

How can difficulties strengthen an eternal marriage? (Paragraphs 20-29)

How do we find the strength to hold tightly to our spouse? (Paragraph 31)

Invitations and application:

‘Keep your hope in each other and in Jesus Christ. His promises can see us through the obstacles and distractions.’ (Paragraph 14)

Elder Andersen’s core message is that strong eternal marriages are built intentionally, day by day, through small, Christ-centred choices—not just grand gestures.

Additional Thoughts:

“The marriage sanctioned by God provides men and women with the opportunity to fulfill their divine potentials. ‘Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord’ (1 Cor. 11:11). Husbands and wives are unique in some ways and free to develop their eternal gifts, yet as coequals in the sight of their heavenly parents they are one in the divine goals they pursue, in their devotion to eternal principles and ordinances, in their obedience to the Lord, and in their divine love for each other. When a man and woman who have been sealed together in a temple are united spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically, taking full responsibility for nurturing each other, they are truly married. Together they strive to emulate the prototype of the heavenly home from which they came. The Church teaches them to complement, support, and enrich one another. . . . If a husband and wife are faithful to their temple marriage, they will continue as co-creators in God’s celestial kingdom through the eternities.” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., Daniel H. Ludlow, ed. [New York: Macmillan, 1992], 2:487.)

‘In the United States we are suffering from a deterioration in marriage and childbearing. For nearly a hundred years the proportion of households headed by married couples has declined, and so has the birthrate. The marriages and birthrates of our Church members are much more positive, but they have also declined significantly. It is vital that Latter-day Saints do not lose their understanding of the purpose of marriage and the value of children. That is the future for which we strive. “Exaltation is a family affair,” President Nelson has taught us. “Only through the saving ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ can families be exalted.”’ (Elder Dallin H Oaks, General Conference, October 2025)

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