Let's start.. with an outline, to help.. explain myself:
According to Tad. R Callister, in the Infinite Atonement, before one can fully embrace the Atonement, he needs to fully comprehend the Fall, and its effects on man.
Q: How do you accept Satan as always being the father of lies, if he was given a chance to offer a plan as to how we would make it through the mortal life? If Satan’s plan was only rejected because the glory would go to him, who would satan have been protecting us from (If his plan was legit and he would protect us all and bring us all back), if he was always the father of lies? Not that this is the issue I’m having, it’s just a question that I don’t understand. Especially if ⅓ of the host of heaven, CHOSE to stay with him, and not have Faith in Christ’s plan... he must have had a lot of knowledge, a lot of influence to have such a following after him.
The Fall
1. All men will physically die, because of Adam’s transgression. There is NO escape from this consequence.
2. The 2nd inescapable consequence is the FIRST spiritual death. = Being born outside of God’s physical presence. This estrangement from God, was CAUSED by Adam.
Answer: The Atonement corrects this without ANY effort on our own, since we in no way caused it. In some cases, this restoration is temporarily accelerated. Due to the faith of the brother of Jared, the lord promised him, “Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall, therefore ye are brought back into my presence, therefore I show myself unto you.” (Ether 3:13) Whether we like it or not, ALL will return to God’s presence. Those who did not obey the Gospel will die a SECOND spiritual death, and again be shut out from God’s presence.
3. There is a 2nd spiritual death, resulting in a permanent separation from God, caused only by OUR individual sins.
Answer: The Atonement corrects this, only when we repent of our individual sins, before the judgement day.
Hence the Atonement provides UNCONDITIONAL redemption from “Original Sin”
But CONDITIONAL redemption from Individual Sin.
The Atonement
Relating to the Fall, the atonement offers 3 solutions.
1. Overcome physical death. (free to all)
2. Overcome the first spiritual death. (free to all)
3. Overcome the second spiritual death, sin caused, (free to those willing to repent)
AFTER the atonement has fulfilled these things, in relation to the fall, we can be exalted. Which adds:
1. Unlimited knowledge of good and evil (John 14:26)
2. Children forever (D&C 132:19)
Being Saved
Salvation means a man’s being placed beyond the power of all his enemies.
1. All men (including the sons of perdition) will be-Resurrected. Thus saved from physical death.
2. All men (excluding the sons of perdition) will be-Resurrected with a Glorified body, AND be assigned to a kingdom of glory.
3. Will not be banished from the Father’s presence.
4. In the fullest sense means to be Exalted. Saved from every form of Damnation, in simple terms, nothing can stop my progress. The Atonement not only saves us from the effects of the fall, in addition, endows us with those powers necessary to save us from every weakness, ignorance, and obstacle that might otherwise hinder or prevent our progress in some way. This, exaltation, is the crowning aim of the Atonement.
Total Dependance on the Lord
A good question. What might have been- even for the righteous, if there had been no Atoning Sacrifice?
1. No resurrection. We would die, to rise no more
2. We would become subject to the Devil
3. We would be shut out from the presence of God.
4. We would endure a never ending torment
5. We would be without hope. “if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain... If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:14,19)
“If there had been no Atonement, the rising of every sun would be a reminder that for us it would one day rise no more, that for each of us death would claim its victory, and the grave would have its sting... A cathedral without windows, a face without eyes, a field without flowers, an alphabet without vowels, a continent without rivers, a night without stars and a sky without a sun. These would not be so sad as a... soul without Christ.
The Blessing of Freedom
Nephi spoke of yet another consequence, another blessing, that flows from the seemingly endless spring of the atoning well: “Because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever” (2 Nephi 2:26).
The power to become like God, the crowning blessing of the Atonement, is integrally related to the power to be free, for in truth, the freest of all beings, is God himself. David O Mckay said: “God could not make men like himself, without making them free.” He then quoted Dr. Iverach, a Scottish Philosopher, who shared this additional insight: “It is a greater manifestation of divine power to make beings that can make themselves than to make beings that cannot, for the former are men and the latter are puppets, and puppets after all are only things.
If the Atonement makes us free, what does it mean to be free? To be free is to be like God. Gods are the freest of all beings because “all things are subject unto them...and they have all power” (D&C 132:20
They act for themselves, rather than be acted upon. (2 Nephi 2:26)
The lives of Gods are driven internally, rather than externally. Their freedom springs from their power to act according to their will without restraint from an outside source. There is no external force that controls their destiny, no spiritual or physical limitation that restricts their desired expression. If they desire to travel at the speed of thought, it seems they can. If they want to comprehend every thought of every living creature, they may. (perhaps they automatically do). Gods act, rather than being acted upon. They control every element, in every sphere. They are not subject to disease or inclement weather. To the contrary. All forms of life, even the elements themselves, yield in homage to the Gods. The scriptures reveal that “all things are subject unto them” and, therefore, they are “above all” (D&C 132:20) Gods do not live oblivious of laws, but through obedience have mastered the laws, so that they might use them to accomplish their purposes.
Freedom is achieved through a step-by-step process of obedient compliance to God’s WILL. Consequently the more we become like God, the freer we become. Freedom and Godhood are parallel paths; in fact, they are the same road.
Freedom is described as the power or agency to act for oneself. Repeatedly the Lord revealed the source of such agency. Lehi taught, “The Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself” (2 Nephi 2:16)
The Four Components of Freedom
And how does one Act for himself, yet follow god’s will????????????????
1. The need for an intelligent being. If freedom is being able to act for ourselves and “not to be acted upon” then at some point we must have the innate capacity to make decisions upon which our actions are predicated. Simply stated, there can be no freedom without a decision maker, an intelligent being. Man IS a conscious, thinking entity, thus fulfilling the first requirement for freedom.
2. A knowledge of good and evil. This is an indispensable element of freedom. President Joseph F smith wrote: “No man is or can be made free without possessing a knowledge of the truth and obeying the same.” Mans initial knowledge of good and evil was triggered at the time of the Fall. The Lord said: “ Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil” (Genesis 3:22)
3. The availability of choices. As God intended man to become as he, it was necessary that He should first make him free. Were it not for the atonement, there would have been no choice between eternal life, and eternal damnation. The fall would have opened the gate to one road and one road only. Without the Atonement everyone would be compelled to participate in this NO OPTION program.
Lehi taught that because men “are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever,...free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death” (2 Nephi 2:26-27)
4. The power to execute or carry out those choices. We may have knowledge of good and evil; we may even have choices placed before us; but unless we have power to execute, the power to fulfill, then our freedom is but a facade. We are somewhat like an astronomer who with his naked eye looks into the starry sky with the intent of spotting neptune. However long he scans the heavens, however intent his gaze may be, he will look in vain. Now give him a telescope and what vision he beholds! The issue is not knowledge, for he knows with precision the celestial sitting. The issue is not choice, for he has the option to look or not to look without obstruction. The issue is simply power-The power to see.
All men have some power from God. “Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves” (D&C 58-27-28) History has long confirmed that knowledge is the precursor of power.
Obedience-A Key to Freedom
How then, does the Lord propose to make us free? Brigham young said: “In rendering...strict obedience, are we made slaves? No, it is the only way on the face of the earth for you and me to become free.”
Obedience is not the antithesis of freedom, but the foundation of it. Charles Kingsley distinguished between the world’s view of freedom and the Lord’s: “There are two freedoms, the false where one is free to do what he likes and the true where he is free to do what he ought.”
Jacob told his people, “Ye are free to act for yourselves” (2 Nephi 10:23) Then he taught them the means, not only for maintaining their freedom, but enhancing it; “Reconcile yourselves to the will of God.” (2 Nephi 10:24) The lord announced that he had made Adam “an agent unto himself” and then shared the divine sequel to maintaining and developing such agency: “And I gave unto him commandments” (D&C 29:35). In other words, if there were no commandments and no obedience to them, man would soon see his newly acquired agency in irreversible
decline.
“Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father”
NEAL A. MAXWELL
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Whenever Church members speak of consecration, it should be done reverently while acknowledging that each of us “come short of the glory of God,” some of us far short (Rom. 3:23). Even the conscientious have not arrived, but they sense the shortfall and are genuinely striving. Consolingly, God’s grace flows not only to those “who love [Him] and keep all [His] commandments,” but likewise to those “that [seek] so to do” (D&C 46:9).
A second group of members are “honorable” but not “valiant.” They are not really aware of the gap nor of the importance of closing it (see D&C 76:75, 79). These “honorable” individuals are certainly not miserable nor wicked, nor are they unrighteous and unhappy. It is not what they have done but what they have left undone that is amiss. For example, if valiant, they could touch others deeply instead of merely being remembered pleasantly.
In a third group are those who are grossly entangled with the “ungodliness” of the world, reminding us all, as Peter wrote, that if “[we are] overcome” by something worldly, “[we are] brought in bondage” (2 Pet. 2:19).
If one “mind the things of the flesh” (Rom. 8:5), he cannot “have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16) because his thought patterns are “far from” Jesus, as are the desires or the “intents of his heart” (Mosiah 5:13). Ironically, if the Master is a stranger to us, then we will merely end up serving other masters. The sovereignty of these other masters is real, even if it sometimes is subtle, for they do call their cadence. Actually, “we are all enlisted” (Hymns, 1985, no. 250), if only in the ranks of the indifferent.
To the extent that we are not willing to be led by the Lord, we will be driven by our appetites, or we will be greatly preoccupied with the lesser things of the day. The remedy is implicit in the marvelous lamentation of King Benjamin: “For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13). For many moderns, sad to say, the query “What think ye of Christ?” (Matt. 22:42) would be answered, “I really don’t think of Him at all!”
Consider three examples of how honorable people in the Church keep back a portion and thus prevent greater consecration (see Acts 5:1–4).
A sister gives commendable, visible civic service. Yet even with her good image in the community, she remains a comparative stranger to Jesus’ holy temples and His holy scriptures, two vital dimensions of discipleship. But she could have Christ’s image in her countenance (seeAlma 5:14).
An honorable father, dutifully involved in the cares of his family, is less than kind and gentle with individual family members. Though a comparative stranger to Jesus’ gentleness and kindness, which we are instructed to emulate, a little more effort by this father would make such a large difference.
Consider the returned missionary, skills polished while serving an honorable mission, striving earnestly for success in his career. Busy, he ends up in a posture of some accommodation with the world. Thus he forgoes building up the kingdom first and instead builds up himself. A small course correction now would make a large, even destinational, difference for him later on.
These deficiencies just illustrated are those of omission. Once the telestial sins are left behind and henceforth avoided, the focus falls ever more on the sins of omission. These omissions signify a lack of qualifying fully for the celestial kingdom. Only greater consecration can correct these omissions, which have consequences just as real as do the sins of commission. Many of us thus have sufficient faith to avoid the major sins of commission, but not enough faith to sacrifice our distracting obsessions or to focus on our omissions.
Most omissions occur because we fail to get outside ourselves. We are so busy checking on our own temperatures, we do not notice the burning fevers of others even when we can offer them some of the needed remedies, such as encouragement, kindness, and commendation. The hands which hang down and most need to be lifted up belong to those too discouraged even to reach out anymore.
Actually, everything depends—initially and finally—on our desires. These shape our thought patterns. Our desires thus precede our deeds and lie at the very cores of our souls, tilting us toward or away from God (see D&C 4:3). God can “educate our desires” (see Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine,5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 297). Others seek to manipulate our desires. But it is we who form the desires, the “thoughts and intents of [our] hearts” (Mosiah 5:13).
The end rule is “according to [our] desires … shall it be done unto [us]” (D&C 11:17), “for I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts” (D&C 137:9; see also Alma 41:5;D&C 6:20, 27). One’s individual will thus remains uniquely his. God will not override it nor overwhelm it. Hence we’d better want the consequences of what we want!
Another cosmic fact: only by aligning our wills with God’s is full happiness to be found. Anything less results in a lesser portion (see Alma 12:10–11). The Lord will work with us even if, at first, we “can no more than desire” but are willing to “give place for a portion of [His] words” (Alma 32:27). A small foothold is all He needs! But we must desire and provide it.
So many of us are kept from eventual consecration because we mistakenly think that, somehow, by letting our will be swallowed up in the will of God, we lose our individuality (see Mosiah 15:7). What we are really worried about, of course, is not giving up self, but selfish things—like our roles, our time, our preeminence, and our possessions. No wonder we are instructed by the Savior to lose ourselves (see Luke 9:24). He is only asking us to lose the old self in order to find the new self. It is not a question of one’s losing identity but of finding his true identity! Ironically, so many people already lose themselves anyway in their consuming hobbies and preoccupations but with far, far lesser things.
Ever observant, in both the first and second estates, consecrated Jesus always knew in which direction He faced: He consistently emulated His Father: “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John 5:19), for “I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning” (3 Ne. 11:11).
As one’s will is increasingly submissive to the will of God, he can receive inspiration and revelation so much needed to help meet the trials of life. In the trying and very defining Isaac episode, faithful Abraham “staggered not … through unbelief” (Rom. 4:20). Of that episode John Taylor observed that “nothing but the spirit of revelation could have given him this confidence, and … sustained him under these peculiar circumstances” (inJournal of Discourses, 14:361). Will we too trust the Lord amid a perplexing trial for which we have no easy explanation? Do we understand—really comprehend—that Jesus knows and understands when we are stressed and perplexed? The complete consecration which effected the Atonement ensured Jesus’ perfect empathy; He felt our very pains and afflictions before we did and knows how to succor us (see Alma 7:11–12;2 Ne. 9:21). Since the Most Innocent suffered the most, our own cries of “Why?” cannot match His. But we can utter the same submissive word “nevertheless …” (Matt. 26:39).
Progression toward submission confers another blessing: an enhanced capacity for joy. Counseled President Brigham Young, “If you want to enjoy exquisitely, become a Latter-day Saint, and then live the doctrine of Jesus Christ” (in Journal of Discourses, 18:247).
Thus, brothers and sisters, consecration is not resignation or a mindless caving in. Rather, it is a deliberate expanding outward, making us more honest when we sing, “More used would I be” (“More Holiness Give Me,”1985, Hymns, no. 131). Consecration, likewise, is not shoulder-shrugging acceptance, but, instead, shoulder-squaring to better bear the yoke.
Consecration involves pressing forward “with a steadfastness in Christ” with a “brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men … [while] feasting upon the word of Christ” (2 Ne. 31:20). Jesus pressed forward sublimely. He did not shrink, such as by going only 60 percent of the distance toward the full atonement. Instead, He “finished [His] preparations” for all mankind, bringing a universal resurrection—not one in which 40 percent of us would have been left out (see D&C 19:18–19).
Each of us might well ask, “In what ways am I shrinking or holding back?” Meek introspection may yield some bold insights! For example, we can tell much by what we have already willingly discarded along the pathway of discipleship. It is the only pathway where littering is permissible, even encouraged. In the early stages, the debris left behind includes the grosser sins of commission. Later debris differs; things begin to be discarded which have caused the misuse or underuse of our time and talent.
Along this pathway leading to consecration, stern and unsought challenges sometimes hasten this jettisoning, which is needed to achieve increased consecration (see Hel. 12:3). If we have grown soft, hard times may be necessary. If we are too contented, a dose of divine discontent may come. A relevant insight may be contained in reproof. A new calling beckons us away from comfortable routines wherein the needed competencies have already been developed. One may be stripped of accustomed luxury so that the malignant mole of materialism may be removed. One may be scorched by humiliation so pride can be melted away. Whatever we lack will get attention, one way or another.
John Taylor indicated that the Lord may even choose to wrench our very heartstrings (see Journal of Discourses, 14:360). If our hearts are set too much upon the things of this world, they may need to be wrenched, or broken, or undergo a mighty change (see Alma 5:12).
Consecration is thus both a principle and a process, and it is not tied to a single moment. Instead, it is freely given, drop by drop, until the cup of consecration brims and finally runs over.
Long before that, however, as Jesus declared, we must “settle this in [our] hearts” that we will do what He asks of us (JST, Luke 14:28). President Young further counseled us “to submit to the hand of the Lord, … and acknowledge his hand in all things, … then you will be exactly right; and until you come to that point, you cannot be entirely right. That is what we have to come to” (in Journal of Discourses, 5:352).
Thus, acknowledging God’s hand includes, in the words of the Prophet Joseph, trusting that God has made “ample provision” beforehand to achieve all His purposes, including His purposes in our lives (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 220). Sometimes He clearly directs; other times it seems He merely permits some things to happen. Therefore, we will not always understand the role of God’s hand, but we know enough of his heart and mind to be submissive. Thus when we are perplexed and stressed, explanatory help is not always immediately forthcoming, but compensatory help will be. Thus our process of cognition gives way to our personal submission, as we experience those moments when we learn to “be still, and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).
Then, the more one’s will is thus “swallowed up,” the more his afflictions, rather than necessarily being removed, will be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ” (Alma 31:38).
Seventy years ago, Lord Moulton coined a perceptive phrase, “obedience to the unenforceable,” describing “the obedience of a man to that which he cannot be forced to obey” (“Law And Manners,” Atlantic Monthly, July 1924, p. 1). God’s blessings, including those associated with consecration, come by unforced obedience to the laws upon which they are predicated (see D&C 130:20–21). Thus our deepest desires determine our degree of “obedience to the unenforceable.” God seeks to have us become more consecrated by giving everything. Then, when we come home to Him, He will generously give us “all that [He] hath” (D&C 84:38).
In conclusion, the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!
Consecration thus constitutes the only unconditional surrender which is also a total victory!
May we deeply desire that victory, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Joseph Smith Lectures on Faith
Lecture Six
2. It is essential for any person to have an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to the will of God to enable him to have that confidence in God without which no person can obtain eternal life.
4. Such was and always will be the situation of the Saints of God. Unless they have an actual knowledge that the course they are pursuing is according to the will of God, they will grow weary in their minds and faint.
7. Let us here observe that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. For from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It is through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life. And it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God.
12. But those who have not made this sacrifice to God do not know that the course which they pursue is well pleasing in his sight. For whatever may be their belief or their opinion, it is a matter of doubt and uncertainty in their mind; and where doubt and uncertainty are, there faith is not, nor can it be. For doubt and faith do not exist in the same person at the same time. So persons whose minds are under doubts and fears cannot have unshaken confidence, and where unshaken confidence is not, there faith is weak. And where faith is weak, the persons will not be able to contend against all the opposition, tribulations, and afflictions which they will have to encounter in order to be heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ Jesus. But they will grow weary in their minds, and the adversary will have power over them and destroy them.
I have a fear of giving my will to god. Therefore, according to JS, I have no actual knowledge that the course of life which I am pursuing is according to the will of god. I don’t know how to sacrifice all that I have, when the sun rises and I have to LIVE in a material world. Because I have not made this sacrifice to God, I DO NOT KNOW that the course I am pursuing is pleasing in his sight. It is very much a matter of doubt and uncertainty in my mind, and because of that, FAITH is not, NOR can it be.
Elder Cox once taught that, it’s false to think that in order to live spiritualy focused that all you would do would be go to church, do all church things, and sacrifice your temporal life. He taught that living in the material world was part of the plan. That in order to live spiritual focused in the temporal world, you see, think, feel and do as he would do.
You see yourself as a steward of all of his things. They are HIS children you are raising. HIS house that we live in. HIS cars that we drive to work. HIS food that we feed ourselves. HIS money that we earn and therefore HIS opinion is needed on where it goes and what we spend it on. This is why we must pray always, to always have the spirit as our guide.
So just like Maxwell said: In conclusion, the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!
In this “SUBMISSION” of our will, are we essentially relying on god for everything? If we receive something, it’s because god gave it to us? If we don’t have something, it’s because god didn’t give it to us?
I once asked a Bishop this question; “if a man fails to gain a job, is it his fault, or god’s?” He replied, well god’s of course.
By submitting your will to god, you are subject only to what he gives you? not of what you can achieve and create on your own?
I study a lot of successful people from the TEMPORAL world. This is from “KILLING SACRED COWS” By Garrett Gunderson
(A sacred cow is an individual, organization, institution, teaching, or belief often considered EXEMPT from criticism or questioning. IN the FINANCIAL world, sacred cows are the myths and traditions that distort our thinking about money, wealth, success and prosperity.)
“Believing that financial success is a product of genius or secret strategies is a recipe for irresponsibility and inaction. Those who believe this tend to think that their lack of success is a result of market and societal forces BEYOND THEIR CONTROL. This group FAILS to realize that universal principles of wealth creation are available to all of us equally. These people don’t realize their full potentials because they believe-consciously or subconsciously-that SUCCESS COMES FROM SOURCES OUTSIDE OF THEMSELVES, and that if they aren’t lucky enough to have been born into the circles of the wealthy who KNOW the “secrets”, then the quest for wealth is a futile search.
Financial success is the product of finding and applying universal principles. It is available to every one of us. It is achievable. It is integral to our progress and development as creative beings with infinite potential. If we can train ourselves to question and attack the myths that are limiting our potentials, we can be infinitely prosperous.
“There are risks and costs to a program of action. BUT they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” -John F. Kennedy
Let’s talk about prosperity directly. A few months ago, as I sat in elders quorum, A man who shall not be named
Said, I accepted many years ago that having money is not in the cards for me. God has instead given me children and I have barely scraped by with barely enough. I’ve always wished god would allow me to have more money.. but it’s just, not his will for me. After the class filled with laughter and sympathy and more acceptance and agreeance, I got up and walked out.I don’t agree with this attitude at all. I’ve heard it in church my entire life, along with other things like: People claiming that they can’t have any more children because they don’t make enough money get chastised that they don’t have enough FAITH in god. Do what god wants you to do and you will always have enough.
I received a blessing once from a bishop living in scarcity who told me, I would always have “enough” nothing more. Just enough to live and fulfill god’s purposes.
My confusion here might be more summed up by explaining the definitions in the Locus of Control.
The extent to which people believe they have power over events in their lives. A person with an internal locus of control believes that he or she can influence events and their outcomes, while someone with an external locus of control blames outside forces for everything.
I’m confused, really bad. Because, when reading all of the above definitions of freedom, and all the things that god will give you FOR submitting your will to him, I don’t understand what is truly required of me? If I GIVE my will to god, than I move completely into a world of EXTERNAL control. Members of the church don’t outright BLAME god for everything, but they do. God gives them, everything they have and don’t have. Opportunities, experiences, trials, SUCCESSES, failures.. It’s all god. It’s his will, it’s total submissive inaction on your own part. Just do what god wants to be done.. what OUGHT to be done.
From infinite atonement above:Obedience-A Key to Freedom
How then, does the Lord propose to make us free? Brigham young said: “In rendering...strict obedience, are we made slaves? No, it is the only way on the face of the earth for you and me to become free.”
WHAT IS THE ONLY WAY???
Moving to external? Wouldn’t you think the way would be the INTERNAL? Where you can use your agency and influence events and outcomes in your life?
If I chose to implement principles of action in my life, I receive results based on the LAWS of following those steps of action. (Just like ALL the successful people in the world teach and write books about… Napoleon Hill... As a man thinketh…. so many more..
Teach me how you render STRICT obedience to god’s will, where an INTERNAL view of action is on the SAME side of this plan, not opposite. My fear is HERE. I will not be bound. I will not be a slave. I will not be subject to what someone else wants of me and the results of my life. I am a being that creates, and thinks and plans and executes.
From infinite atonement: If the Atonement makes us free, what does it mean to be free? To be free is to be like God. Gods are the freest of all beings because “all things are subject unto them...and they have all power” (D&C 132:20
They act for themselves, rather than be acted upon. (2 Nephi 2:26)
ACT for themselves right? wouldn’t that be INTERNAL locus of control?? Rather than be acted upon?? How do you see SUBMITTING your will to god’s will and see that you are free to act for yourself? How? It sure seems to me, that to submit my will to god, it is nothing but being acted upon.
What then, is required? How are you free? if you're giving, the only thing we have, our will, to god?
And that is my confusion.
