October 2 — Today I watched a video of a Christian podcaster who wore a t-shirt that said, “Think Biblically.” It made me think of Russel M. Nelson’s famous quote, “Think Celestial.” What does it really mean, and how does it contrast with the other quote I mentioned to “Think Biblically”?
I think both phrases show how Christians and Mormons view the world. Christians tend to look at things through what God has said in His Word, while Mormons tend to look at what their leaders have said.
During the October 2023 General Conference, Russell M. Nelson gave this quote as part of his talk “Think Celestial” –
“Today, to assist you to qualify for the rich blessings Heavenly Father has for you, I invite you to adopt the practice of ‘”thinking celestial”! Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded.”
This quote brings this question to my mind: How do they know when they’ve done enough to “qualify” for blessings from their god?
The Celestial Kingdom is the highest level of the Mormon heaven. It’s where the Mormons believe the best of the best of them will go in the next life. Mormons are expected to not only live by God’s commands but also by what their religion commands them to do. Strict obedience to all the commands they have been given is the only way they will be found worthy to enter into the Celestial Kingdom.
For a Mormon, to “think Celestial” means they have to be thinking about whether or not they are doing enough to “qualify” for the Celestial Kingdom. This is also what it means for them to be “spiritually minded”.
Being biblically minded means we as Christians also think about things from an eternal perspective. For us, it’s all about what Jesus has done and the grace He has given us. We don’t have to worry if we’ve done enough to qualify for eternal life with Him because he has already paid the price for our salvation.
I pray Mormons learn about what He did for us. There’s no checklist of things we must do, because Jesus has already checked all the boxes.
In Christ,
Melissa Grimes
Reference:
[…] How Should We Think – Melissa Grimes […]
Let me guess is it pastor Mike Winger?
Yep! I saw one of his recent videos and he was wearing that t-shirt. 🙂
I love his voice I could listen to him all day. Oh and I love his cat Moxie, she sometimes sits in the background. He’s a pastor here in Southern California.