Exodus 40:12–14; Psalm 51:2; Ezekiel 36:25–27; Isaiah 61:10; Matthew 22:11–14; Revelation 19:7–8; Luke 4:18–19; Acts 10:38

Why were temple ordinances given anciently and in our day? How do the temple ordinances testify of Jesus Christ?

"12 And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

13 And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

14 And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:" (Exodus 40:12–14)

"2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin" (Psalm 51:2)

"25 ¶ Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.

26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." (Ezekiel 36:25–27)

"10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." (Isaiah 61:10)

"11 ¶ And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

14 For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:11–14)

"7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." (Revelation 19:7–8)

"18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4:18–19)

"38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." (Acts 10:38)

And here's the commentary entitled: "Temple ordinances were given anciently." :

"Exodus 40:12–14 refers to ancient ordinances that are also administered in our day in the house of the Lord. Here are some additional verses that can help you learn about how these ordinances testify of Jesus Christ:

• Washing: Psalm 51:2; Ezekiel 36:25–27

• Clothing in holy garments: Isaiah 61:10; Matthew 22:11–14; Revelation 19:7–8

• Anointing: Luke 4:18–19; Acts 10:38"

Even after we get baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, we still have the tendency to make mistakes and commit sin. It just makes sense that the Lord provided a way for us to be washed from our iniquities and be cleansed from our sins, even after we get baptized. This is true both anciently and in our day. And just as we would wear white clothing for our baptism, the clothing for the temple ordinances is also white to signify our cleanliness and worthiness to enter God's kingdom. Just as anciently, we also receive special blessings through the temple ordinances. These blessings strengthen us and cause us to keep the covenants we have entered into with the Lord. All these blessings became available for us because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.