Temple Garments

A private, daily reminder of covenants with God — and part of an ancient pattern of sacred clothing.

What the Garment Is

Members who have received the temple endowment wear a simple white undergarment beneath their everyday clothing. It is worn day and night, as a private and personal reminder of the covenants they made with God in the temple. It is not a costume and not ceremonial dress; the ceremonial clothing of the temple is worn only inside the temple, while the garment is worn throughout ordinary life.

The First Presidency has described the garment as an outward expression of an inward commitment to follow the Savior. That is its meaning in a sentence: it is a covenant made visible to the one who wears it, keeping the promises of the temple close through every ordinary day.

An Ancient Pattern

Sacred clothing given by God to His covenant people is not a modern invention. It runs through the whole of scripture. The first act God performed for Adam and Eve after the Fall was to clothe them.

Genesis 3:21

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”

Under the law of Moses, the Lord commanded holy garments for those who officiated in the sanctuary — clothing set apart for glory and for beauty, worn in the service of God.

Exodus 28:2–4

“And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother for glory and for beauty. … that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.”

The temple garment stands in that same tradition. Sacred clothing tied to covenant and to the service of God is exactly what the scriptures show God giving His people in every dispensation.

What It Means to the Wearer

For the member who wears it, the garment does several things at once. It is a constant reminder of the covenants made in the temple and of the Savior those covenants point to. It encourages modesty and moral integrity in a natural, unforced way. And it is connected to the promises of protection and blessing that God extends to the faithful — a physical token of a spiritual relationship.

Because it is sacred, members treat the garment with respect and do not put it on public display or discuss its details casually. This is the same reverence the scriptures attach to all holy things, and it is why the subject is often misunderstood by those outside the faith: what looks like secrecy from the outside is, from the inside, simply care for something sacred.

Key References