Temple recommend questions
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Today Collette and I met with our Bishop at church to talk about some answers to prayers we have been seeking the last few years, just regarding a few things we have been striving for as a couple to really kick our discipleship to Christ up a notch. During our discussion we got on the subject of temple recommends and he brought up something I had never considered before and it honestly impressed me quite a bit.
For those who are not familiar, in our church, a temple recommend is literally a little slip of paper with the signatures of two church leaders and our own which signifies that we are living Christian standards according to God's commandments; striving to faithfully do so consistently in our daily habits. The very short interview to get one of these temple recommends - symbolic of being "recommended" to the Lord as worthy to enter these most sacred edifices, places of worship - includes a series of questions that ask simple things. For example, our having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer, keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, keeping our homes and relationships with our families in line with the teachings of Jesus Christ, treating our bodies as temples, sacred creations of God, etc.
If anyone wants to know the full list of questions: https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/.../october-2019...
Anyways, what he brought up in our discussion today had to do with what we believe about Paul's teachings in the New Testament about the three heavenly degrees of glory God has prepared for His children, based on which laws we choose to live by the end of our lives (1 Cor 15:40-42). Right now we believe that we are living in an imperfect version of a Telestial world and that there are different spiritual laws that govern the lives of those will choose to live in a world with Telestial glory, Terrestrial glory or Celestial glory (which is what the Father and the Son live).
Our Bishop reminded us that the questions on the temple recommend are Terrestrial questions, meaning, as I interpret that, that they are meant to invite us to elevate our standard of living to comply with Terrestrial law. This is in preparation (in the long run) to live Celestial law, the highest of all the laws created by God. They are meant to help us think about more ways we can live a differently than the wicked ways of this telestial society and elevate our choices to reflect a higher, terrestrial way of living.
He then mentioned that the questions that reflect a higher, more Celestial way of living aren't included in this interview. We are not asked if we are perfect or to be perfect in this life. We are asked if we strive for moral cleanliness in our thoughts and behavior and are faithful to our spouses, not if we never have a single lustful thought enter our minds. We are asked if we sustain our prophet, a special witness of Christ, as a prophet, seer, and revelator and as the only person on the earth authorized to exercise all priesthood keys, not if we personally agree with every single thing they ever say in public. We are asked if we strive to be honest in all that we do, not if we have never told a lie or otherwise been dishonest in our entire lives.
But this got me thinking, if there was a Celestial version of this temple recommend interview, what questions would be on there?
I mean, the goal of discipleship to Christ in our church is to become people who are both capable and desirous to actually live a Celestial life and be with our families with Christ and our Heavenly Father forever. If the current temple recommend were updated to Celestial format, here is what I believe that might look like.
"1. Do you have a sure knowledge of God, the Eternal Father; His Son, Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost?
2. Are unquestionably certain of the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and of His role as your Savior and Redeemer?
3. Do you know that this is the dispensation of the fullness of times and that The Church of Jesus Christ in it's original from has returned?
4. Have you aligned your life in every way with the counsel of Christ's ordained Apostles and Prophets and unequivocally respect the authority Jesus has given them to be ordained judges in Israel?
5. Do you serve fully and joyfully in every way your local leaders have asked you without complaint?
6. Do you live with complete moral cleanliness with every fiber of your soul?
7. Do you obey the law of chastity without hesitation?
8. Do you follow the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ completely in your private and public behavior with members of your family and others?
9. Do you support or promote any teachings, practices, or doctrine contrary to those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or internally sympathize with them in any way whatsoever?
10. Do you keep the Sabbath day holy, both at home and at church; attend your meetings; prepare for and worthily partake of the sacrament; and live your life in total harmony with the laws and commandments of the gospel?
11. Are you honest in all that you do?
12. Do you live the law of consecration with full purpose of heart?
13. Do you completely abstain from partaking of any food, drink or substance that alters your ability to be a vessel of the Holy Ghost in any way?
14. Are you completely free of debts or the need to resolve legal offenses with any other person or entity anywhere?
15. Do you keep the covenants that you made in the temple, including wearing the temple garment as instructed in the endowment?
16. Are there any sins in your life for which you are unrepentant and don't want to change?
17. Do you consider yourself worthy to enter the Lord’s Celestial house and participate in those temple ordinances?"
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Now I don't know of course if this will ever happen like this, and of course, our prophets today have taught us that this kind of perfection is not something we will attain (or expected to) in this life.
However, it got me thinking that maybe some of the more "Celestial" recommend questions if the Savior were to ask them might also look something like this:
"Do you always love your neighbor, even if they are hard to love?
Do you pray with all energy of heart to have the gift of Charity?
Do you love a father or mother or son or daughter more than Me?
Do you consistently hunger and thirst after righteousness?
Are you a peacemaker in all you do?
Do you rejoice in any sort of iniquity or do you rejoice in the truth?
Do you envy or are you easily provoked?
Do you ever look upon a woman to last after her?
Do you ever swear or is your communication "yea, yea; nay, nay;"?
Do you use vain repetitions in your prayers or use My name or the Father's casually or disrespectfully?
Do you love me more than all these mortal treasures?"
__________________
Obviously the list could go on, but you get the idea. As I read this to Collette she also mentioned that many of the questions in Alma 5 could very well be a part of this type of interview.
After this conversation today I have determined that, in addition to my oft repeated mantra of "Stop asking how good you HAVE to be and start asking how good you CAN possibly be?" I'm going to start asking myself more Celestial type "recommend questions" that will lead me to a way of life that allows me to, as The Ancient One said in Doctor Strange "live above" my enemies in the world, to not let any of the ways of the world affect my commitment to Christ and living so that at least me and my family will be ready to live and enjoy celestial law at judgement day. I hope others will join me.
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