|
| |
Telestial, Terrestrial,
Celestial Commandment Keeping Compared
Three levels of keeping the commandments: (1) rote
obedience, (2) inspired obedience, (3) embodied observance. The setting in
order of the spirit and the law.
Tom,
I'm glad you have decided to stay with us here at David's Outcasts. I too
believe we have a major paradigm shift to understand and implement as the
Lord's remnant people when it comes to the feasts and the Sabbath.
Also, your zeal for keeping the commandments has been good for me personally
as I think about what this means.
I think you will find that the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants have
some great treasures when it comes to understanding what this is about.
I would propose that there are essentially three levels of commandment
keeping. Telestial, Terrestrial, and Celestial.
The telestial level (glory of the stars), is a rote observance of outward
commandments such as what the Jews were given in the Law of Moses. The command
of what to do and what not to do is given by someone else, who is a
representative for God. It is letter-of-the-law with no cognizance of
the spirit of the law.
Next is the terrestrial level (glory of the moon), in which thanks to the
grace of God, the law becomes written in the heart and flows spontaneously as
a gift of God. On this level, keeping the commandments is far more than just
thinking about the "thou shalt nots" of the ten commandments among
other commands that have been given by God to man in scripture.
On this level, keeping God's commandments is a living, breathing following of
the Holy Ghost, seeking divine direction in all our words and actions. In
other words, being led by the Spirit minute by minute is synonymous with
keeping the commandments of God. We delight in the word of the Lord, and the
Lord, through his Spirit, directly guides us in all things we should do.
II Nephi 31:3 expresses this best:
"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the
words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ;
for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should
do."
This path, in my experience, is far more rigorous and fulfilling than a rote
keeping of outward commandments such as what the Jews did. This way we can
truly become the servants of God on earth, carrying out his will, serving as
his hands and his heart in extending his love and his great and marvelous work
to the children of men.
That, to me, is the essence of keeping the commandments of God.
Then comes the Celestial level (glory of the Sun) of commandment keeping. On
this level, the core desire and undying effort to serve God has been
thoroughly proven and a person's calling and election has been made sure. Now
in addition to the Holy Ghost, they commingle with the church of the Firstborn
(those men and women who have overcome all things, both here and on the other
side of the veil), and walk even with God while yet in the flesh. They become
saviors on mount Zion, kings and queens, priests and priestesses to the most
High God. They are adults in the Lord, doing much good of their own free will
and choice, and laboring alongside others who are likewise of that same order.
Thus will be the 144,000 who are called and sent forth at Adam Ondi Ahman when
the kingdom of God on earth is fully established (including a government
aspect) after the saints have been tried and the house of God (church and
state) has been set in order. At that point, a person doesn't "keep"
the commandments, they embody them. It is the full manifestation of the spirit
of the law, which often has little resemblance to the letter of the law.
The remnant who will redeem Zion sit on the edge of this next level, awaiting
anxiously its arrival. Some have already pierced that veil. But because of the
condemnation under which we are laboring as a people for having treated
lightly the things which we have been given (a collective curse), at this
point in history that veil is extremely difficult to pierce.
But the time is coming soon when that condemnation will be lifted and the
manifestations of heaven will come showering down upon the people of the Lord
in infinite abundance. Meanwhile we look forward with great expectation and
live true to that light and knowledge that is imparted to us, e.g. keep the
commandments.
That's my take anyway.
Sincerely,
Sterling D. Allan
Manti,
Utah; August 9, 2000
Feedback
From: "Jeff Head" <jeffhead@bigplanet.com>
To: "Sterling D. Allan" <sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2000 10:52 AM
Subject: Re: keeping the commandments
To know, to do and to be.
From: [name withheld]
To: "Sterling D. Allan" <sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2000 12:44 PM
Subject: RE: keeping the commandments
Stir,
That was quite a wonderful definition.
I would just have one thing to add which has only been made known to me by the
passage of time, my experiential involvement in the process, and the spirit.
As Christ said, "In my Father's house are many mansions". Even so, I
feel there are many paths and levels, or progressive stations, from one level
to the next. One moves from one experience to the next, to the next, to the
next, based on our willingness, agency, and desire to do so, or in other
words, from grace to grace to grace, each one laced with a choice to turn to
God and accept him and his grace, or retreat and choose life without him and
his spirit. Little by little, choice by choice, line upon line, grace to grace
we move into further communion with the spirit, with Christ, and with God,
repenting, forgiving, praising God for his endless mercy and gifts and
operating in fuller and fuller measure until we are liberated into a fullness.
May we all stand as a liason, encouraging, uplifting, and shedding forth hope
and witness to and for each other.
From: "hawkiye" <hawkiye@uswest.net>
To: <davids_outcasts@egroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2000 12:48 PM
Subject: Re: [888] keeping the commandments
Sterling,
Very good piece the Spirit testifies to its truth it touched me, thanks.
Blayne
From: "David Skousen" <davids@formula4success.com>
To: "Sterling D. Allan" <sterlingda@greaterthings.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2000 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: keeping the commandments
Seeing 3 levels of keeping the commandments is a choice insight. Thanks
for sharing it!
I think they match the 3 degrees of glory perfectly. In this sense, there
are different levels of being "saved."
--David
| |
|
