Inasmuch as the blessings and promises of the gospel come to us through Jesus Christ, we must turn our undivided attention to Him. To focus our attention, the Lord has given us rites, symbols, and covenants. The first of these rites is baptism. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1985) taught that “there is no salvation in repentance alone, and in the gospel sense, repentance dies aborning unless the repentant soul is baptized” (p. 217). This ceremony is calculated to emulate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And because it is coupled with covenants, baptism presupposes faith in, and reconciliation with, God and a willingness “to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days” (Mosiah 5:5). Importantly, this newness of life and purpose is calculated to imitate our mortal birth—an event wherein we become innocent again before God.
Confirming that our baptism is but an emulation of mortal birth and a return to a state of innocence, D&C 93:38 declares that “every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God” (emphasis added). The employment of the word “again” in this verse suggests that although we were, in the first place, innocent as spirit children, we nevertheless possessed the capacity to commit sin in our primeval life, even to a point beyond all hope if our sins were excessive. For those who had not transgressed so as to be deprived of mortality, sins committed there could be forgiven through the future sufferings of Jesus Christ. Elder Orson Pratt (2000) taught such concerning our primeval conduct:
[T]hose who altogether turned from the Lord, and were determined to maintain the cause of Satan, and who proceeded to the utmost extremities of wickedness, placed themselves without the reach of redemption; therefore, such were prohibited from entering into a second probationary state, and had no privilege of receiving bodies of flesh and bones . . . . Among the two-thirds who remained, it is highly probable, that there were many who were not valiant in the war, but whose sins were of such a nature that they could be forgiven through faith in the future sufferings of the Only Begotten of the Father, and through their sincere repentance and reformation. We see no impropriety in Jesus offering Himself as an acceptable offering and sacrifice before the Father to atone for the sins of His brethren committed, not only in the second, but also in the first estate (pp. 53-54).
Thus, our inauguration into this world, whereby we are “born . . . by water, blood, and the spirit . . . and so [become] of dust a living soul” (Moses 6:59) is a form of baptism wherein we are cleansed from our pre-mortal sins and become again, in our infant state, innocent before God. These first and second births—the birth of our spirit in heaven and the birth of our body here on earth—foreshadows our third and fourth births that must take also place if we are to be exalted—even the delivery of our spirit from hell and of our body from the grave.[1] However, as will be discussed below, our third birth, or admittance into the Lord’s family wherein we become of dust[2] a spiritually-living soul, is a process that occurs in degrees and, certainly, over time. Likewise, this initiation is attended by a cleansing from sin (see Moroni 8:25)[3] so that we may become innocent again before our Heavenly Father. Confirming this event of spiritual initiation, the Lord declared to Adam:
And inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit . . . and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten . . . .
For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified (Moses 6:59-60).[4]
Truly, baptism is being born again and, as these verses suggest, it is the first of many earthly ordinances wherein we emulate the Lord. Thus, both our birth and rebirth emulate specific aspects of the Savior’s life and, thereby, comprise meaningful worship and an exercising of our faith in Him. These verses also establish the basic rudiments of every ordinance to be performed thereafter, namely: 1) obedience to gospel law, 2) justification by the Holy Spirit, and 3) sanctification through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Initiation by baptism is an outward symbol, or confirmation, that an inward change has occurred. This initiation ordinance does not create the change of heart that at times is attributed to baptism. A change of heart and disposition to sin no longer should precede baptism and result from our faith and repentance. Thus, the Lord declares concerning the manner of baptism:
All those who humble themselves before God, and desire to be baptized, and come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and witness before the church that they have truly repented of all their sins, and are willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end, and truly manifest by their works that they have received [i.e., yielded to] of the Spirit of Christ [i.e., the Light of Christ] unto the remission of their sins, shall be received by baptism into his church (D&C 20:37).[5]
Even our fourth Article of Faith plainly confirms that faith in the Lord and repentance precede baptism and bring the change of heart necessary to worthily enter into the waters of baptism (see Helaman 15:7).
Baptism is also an ordinance confirming that we begun the journey towards the Tree of Life, have planted the seed of the Gospel in our heart, have accepted Jesus as our Savior, and have affirmatively chosen to follow Him by keeping His commandments (see 2 Nephi 31:10). Thus, “as is appropriate at the time of a new birth,” writes Elder Holland, “a name is given, and the name the redeemed take upon themselves is the ‘name of Christ,’ evidence that all such have entered into a covenant with God that they would be obedient to the gospel to the end of their lives.”[6] Thus, baptism is also an ordinance confirming our desire to come into the fold of God, to be called His people, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things and in all places, even until death (see Mosiah 18:8).
If there is a single characteristic that typifies the Savior’s whole life, it is that He bore the
burdens of others. Thus, we should not be surprised to discover that central to the baptismal ordinance and our decision to follow Him is our willingness to bear one another's burdens by mourning with those that mourn and comforting those that stand in need of comfort (see Mosiah 18:8-9). By so doing, we “fulfill the law of Christ” (see Galatians 6:2) even as Christ, by proxy, bore the burdens of many. During mortality, He bore our infirmities, sicknesses, and pains. In His final sufferings, He bore the penalty of our sins and the weight of our sorrows. And in His resurrection, He bore the sting of our death and opened the doors of salvation to us.
We most emulate Christ when we likewise bear the burdens of others and heal the wounds we did not inflict. This is what atonement is all about—an unfettered willingness to bear those burdens for which we are not personally responsible. Most of us eventually come to the conclusion that we probably deserve the burdens we cause and bring upon ourselves. But to take upon us the burdens of others which we don’t deserve is a divine work. This
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act of bearing another’s burdens is one of the reasons why temple work, wherein we perform vicarious ordinances for our progenitors, is akin to being “saviors on Mount Zion” (see Obadiah 1:21). Temple worship is a type and shadow of the Lord’s own atonement. It is an emulation of the Lord most important work. In temples, we perform a vicarious work that our progenitors cannot do and we carry a burden which they cannot remove and, by so doing, we participate in opening the doors of salvation to them. Thus, we have been continually reminded by our church leaders that temple worship is one of the most benevolent acts we can render in mortality.
Baptism is also our personal witness—our signature—before God that we have covenanted with Him to serve Him and keep His commandments (see Mosiah 18:10). It is an ordinance wherein we take upon ourselves the name of Christ (see Moroni 6:3) that, thereby, we may be distinguished above all other people by a “name that never shall be blotted out, except it be through transgression” (see Mosiah 1:11-12). It is an ordinance wherein we not only take upon us the name of Christ, but we also covenant to be “willing” to do so (D&C 20:77) in subsequent priesthood and temple ordinances, thereby, confirming that taking upon us the name of Christ is a process that extends into all ordinances and over a lifetime, rather than demonstrated in a single event.[7]
For worthily and correctly entering into this ordinance and covenant with God, we are cleansed and sanctified by the power of the Holy Ghost (see Moroni 6:4)[8] and are promised to have this Spirit more abundantly upon us (see Mosiah 18:10).[9] We are also initiated into the family of Christ and kingdom of God and become free in Christ:
And now, because of the covenant which ye have made, ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.
And under this head (i.e., the Father of our spiritual rebirth) ye are made free (Mosiah 5:7-8).
Baptism is also the ordinance and covenant whereby we begin the transition of looking like our Lord by cloaking ourselves with His countenance and being changed into His image. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ,” wrote the apostle Paul, “have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Finally, at baptism, we are further given the assurance that, while in mortality, we will be numbered among the people of the church of Christ that we might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God to keep us in the right way and “continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who [is] the author [by adoption] and the finisher [by divine approbation] of [our] faith” (Moroni 6:4).
The scriptures are clear that at baptism we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. But who we are when we take His name at baptism is a question seldom entertained. Are we His child, or are we His bride? Or are we a personality altogether different from these two? To draw out an answer to this question, the following observations might be of interest. First, a child does not have the capacity to take the name of another person. He lacks understanding, volition, and faculty sufficient to enjoin a taking. Quite to the contrary, a name is “put” upon a child by a parent, for only a parent knows the name by which their child is to be called. Thus, the very fact that we take the name of Christ upon us at baptism suggests that we are not doing so in our capacity as His child. In short, baptism is not the “taking of His name” that we ultimately seek. Elder Dallin H. Oaks (2002) confirms that “more mature members of the Church should understand and ponder other, deeper meanings as they partake of the sacrament. It is significant that when we partake of the sacrament we do not witness that we take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. We witness that we are willing to do so (D&C 20:77). The fact that we only witness to our willingness suggests that something else must happen before we actually take that sacred name upon us in the most important sense” (p. 81). Second, although a bride takes upon herself the name of her husband, baptism occurs far too early in our spiritual journey to be considered the feast wherein more mature members of the Church take upon them the name of their Husband.
If we are neither His child nor His bride when we enter into the covenant of baptism, who are we? The answer is found in the verses that reference the taking of His name in connection with baptism. In Moroni 6:3, we learn that “none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end”. Identical language is included in D&C 20:37, which likewise asserts that those who desire to be baptized in the latter days must be “willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end”. From these verses, it is plain that a taking of the name of Jesus Christ at baptism is coupled with a commitment to serve him to the end. It is this emphasis on a life of servitude that sheds light on the nature of our relationship with Christ when we are received into baptism. It suggests that we become servants to a Lord and Master, for neither children nor brides enter into vows of servitude.
Within Israel, servitude was tolerated within revealed limits. To the congregation, the Lord said: “If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing” (Exodus 21:2). When the servant went out, however, all property acquired through the grace of his master remained in the master’s custody. Thus, going out of the master’s house was not always preferred by a servant, as it meant leaving behind any wife, children, and property acquired during those six years. Furthermore, some masters are simply worthwhile serving—even for a lifetime. Surely, in those instances where the relationship between the master and his servant was shaped by persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness and meekness, love unfeigned, kindness, pure knowledge, and without guile or compulsion, the servant would be heartened to remain (see D&C 121:41-46).
Owing to these potential hardships created by leaving his master’s house, the law favored the servant and permitted him to remain with his master through a ceremonial showing that he would continue as a faithful servant. Thus, when the servant plainly said, “I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,” then the master brought him to the judges, and also to his door post, and bore his ear through with an awl (see JST Exodus 21:2-6). In this rite, the servant made a vow to “hear and obey” the word of his lord, and took upon him his lord’s name. Such is our induction by baptism—we are brought to the door of our Lord’s house and there covenant to hear and obey His word and take upon ourselves His name, that we might be numbered among His people (see Moroni 6:4). And if we do nothing more than remain faithful to this initiatory rite, we are permitted to remain in our Lord’s employ forever and ever (see D&C 132:16), to follow His every command. Such is the status of a servant; such is the circumstance of an agent.
Agents Unto Ourselves
Every Sabbath we unite as a body of saints to partake of the sacrament. As we partake, we remember Christ and renew our willingness to take upon ourselves His name and to diligently act in the office in which He appoints us (see D&C 107:99). Thus, it is not a small thing that, in the performance of the sacrament rite, we also renew our covenants, for they represent the office in which we have the right to act.
Acting in the office in which He appoints us denotes that we are agents—servants with His name upon us and entrusted with His concerns. Much has been said and written concerning agency. Even so, the doctrine remains clouded in the minds of many. Indeed, in the Saturday evening session of a local stake conference held in May 2009, Elder David A. Bednar (2009) suggested it was the most misunderstood doctrine today. Thus, looking at it again may prove useful. For this, I believe the scriptures are the most practical resource we have. They affirm that we have been given an agency[10] and that securing this agency was a central issue in the primeval councils. For this alone, it is a topic worth contemplating over and over. However, prior to examining the doctrine, I believe it is appropriate to lay at rest two commonly-held myths regarding agency:
Myth 1 – Lucifer intended to deprive us of agency by compelling us into a state of abject obedience and, thereby, forcing salvation upon all; and
Myth 2 – The war in heaven continues and, in mortality, we must fight to retain our agency.
Each of these is addressed below.
The Myth of Forced Salvation
The scriptures teach that, in the primeval life, Lucifer rebelled and sought to destroy the agency of man (see Moses 4:3). But this does not imply that he sought to save all men by compulsion. Quite to the contrary, destroying agency is a far cry from seizing it to compel obedience. Brother Joseph Fielding McConkie (2004, pp. 54-55) has rightly observed that the notion that Lucifer was going to force us to obey is neither logical nor supported in scripture. To reinforce this supposition, it is worthy to note that Elder Orson Pratt (Young, 1854-1886, p. 288) taught that those who hearkened to Lucifer’s proposals in the primeval council “thought it would be a very great and important thing to destroy the agency of man in the future creation that was about to be made.” This observation suggests that Lucifer proposed amendments to God’s plan which would have created conditions in mortality whereby men could be theoretically “saved” but that such conditions would result in agency being destroyed. It is not surprising that in counsel to his son Corianton, Alma set forth an interesting sequence that produces this very result (see Alma 42:13-26). In dialogue with his son, Jacob, Lehi likewise underscored this sequence, but more precisely illustrated how it destroys agency (see 2 Nephi 2:11-13). Concerning opposition that must be present in all things, Lehi wrote: “if ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon” (2 Nephi 2:13).
The opposition that exists between happiness that results from obedience to gospel law and misery that attends the punishment for disobedience is imperative to the existence of all things—both things to act and to be acted upon—and eliminating either happiness or punishment destroys that opposition. Happiness cannot exist without punishment—the foil on which happiness produces itself and becomes known. Thus, punishment is a necessary antithesis to happiness and essential to the realization of agency. As we consider these opposites in relation to Lucifer’s aim to destroy the agency of man, it would be silly to think that he proposed to eliminate happiness—such a proposal wouldn’t pass muster with even the most boorish of God’s children.
Although Lucifer sought the Kingdom of our God and His Christ (see D&C 76:28), it is clear that he was not prepared to comply with the terms of obtaining the crown (see Isaiah 14:12-21). His solution was to offer another way with sufficiently alluring elements as to incite serious deliberation among God’s children. In connection therewith, Brother Robert Matthews (Top, 1988, p. 123) makes this worthy observation:
When we talk about our relationship to the Savior and our redemption, we must begin with the pre-mortal life. I think we often miss the real issue of the contention in the spirit world that eventually led to the War in Heaven. We talk about it as though Lucifer were going to force everybody to obey. Most people don’t want to be forced. As I see it, the real issue is that Lucifer would guarantee their salvation. He promised salvation without effort, without excellence, without hard work, without individual responsibility. That’s the lie that he promulgated in the pre-earth councils. That so-called shortcut to salvation captivated many gullible and lazy spirits. They wanted something for nothing . . . . On that basis Lucifer led away many spirits (emphasis added).
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In my judgment, “salvation in sin” was the incentive package whereby Lucifer persuaded many to follow. What he presented was redemption without effort, without excellence, without hard work, and without individual responsibility. Supporting this notion, the prophet Joseph Smith (1844) affirmed that Lucifer set forth a counter-proposal in the heavenly council that was designed “to save men in their sins” (p. 758). Elder Orson Pratt (1854-1886) also settled on the idea that Lucifer proposed to “redeem them all in their sins” (p. 288), and President Brigham Young (1954) likewise concluded that “if you undertake to save all [as was Lucifer’s claim], you must save them in unrighteousness and corruption” (p. 54).[11]
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We should not be surprised, then, to discover that the philosophy of nearly every antichrist noted in the Book of Mormon validates the logic of President Young’s conclusion—that in unrighteousness and corruption is the only means whereby all can be saved. Nehor, for example, taught “that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and in the end, all men should have eternal life” (Alma 1:4). The Amalekites likewise echoed the words of Nehor: “We believe that God will save all men” (Alma 21:6). To Jacob, Zeezrom declared the satanic means whereby such salvation was proposed—that God shall “save his people in their sins,” (Alma 11:34)[12] and Korihor whistled the same tune declaring that “whatsoever man did was no crime” (Alma 30:17).
From these naive assertions, I believe we catch a whiff of Lucifer’s proposal made to the heavenly council. It is the model of secularism and moral relativism adhered to today—it is the model of the world. In each case, these antichrists suggested that there would be no lasting punishment, that all men would be saved “in their sins” and “not one of them would be lost” (compare Moses 4:1). Confirming this conclusion—that the message of these antichrists was the primeval message of Satan, Elder Oaks (1988) makes the following comments:
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An episode recorded in the Book of Mormon shows the importance of knowing what we worship. The Zoramites worshipped a god who was a spirit and would be a spirit forever, who had made known to them that there would be no Christ, and who had "elected" them that they all would be saved (see Alma 31:15-17). From this description it appears that the Zoramites were, knowingly or unknowingly, worshipping the person and plan of Satan (p. 126).
What Satan presented in the primeval council was a system of redemption void of justice—of unconditional love and universal amnesty for crime.
The Myth that the War Rages On
A byproduct of the confusion that exists concerning the doctrine of moral agency is the excessive zeal displayed by some in defending agency. This passion, gone awry, stems from thinking that the primeval war continues and that we must again secure our agency, even at life’s peril. Concerning this exhibition of zeal without knowledge, Elder Dallin H. Oaks (2002, pp. 181, 183) provides us with this clear reminder:
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To secure our agency in mortality we fought a mighty contest the book of Revelation calls a ‘war in heaven.’ This premortal contest ended with the devil and his angels being cast out of heaven and being denied the opportunity of having a body in mortal life (Revelation 12:7-9).
But our war to secure agency was won. The test in this post-war mortal estate is not to secure choice but to use it—to choose good instead of evil so that we can achieve our eternal goals. In mortality, choice is a method, not a goal.
We are accountable for our choices and only righteous choices will move us toward our eternal goals.
The battlefield to secure moral agency has not shifted from a primeval realm to this mortal dimension. Too often, this misconception is taught across our pulpits. Rather, the primeval war ended and agency was won. They who sought the kingdom of our God and His Christ were cast out from among us. And we no longer have it as our primary goal to secure agency. Rather, the battle in mortality is whether we will exercise that agency consistent with our present goal of eternal life.
Having addressed these two common myths, I now turn to consider the fundamental principles of moral agency.
Principles of Moral Agency
President Marion G. Romney, in my judgment, was a sleeping giant. No—I take back my comment. He wasn’t sleeping . . . we were! When he taught, many literally slept as the balding, short man in the horn-rimmed, coke-bottled glasses talked on. I have since learned, however, that he was a prophet before his time and it has been my blessing to read many of his discourses. Some profound gospel truths were brought to light by him. This is also true concerning agency—he planted seeds that only now are beginning to take root. Of such, he taught that “the doctrine of agency is based on the truth that the basic essence of man is comprised of spirit matter, or intelligence, which by its very nature is independent ‘in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself’” (Romney M. G., 1981, p. 3).
President Romney’s comment is altogether based upon the rather simple statement, taken from the rather complex revelation given on May 6, 1833, stating that “all truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence” (D&C 93:30).[13] In the verse that follows, the Lord affirmed: “Behold, here is the agency of man.” Profound and thought-provoking! And intriguing is the impression that when one moves into this sphere of which God speaks, he will discover that the inside is larger than the outside; a statement made by C.S. Lewis when describing what it was like to leave the domain of the witch and come into the kingdom of Narnia where law and order existed. I hope what I mean by this conclusion will become more evident as I continue.
While studying this verse, I recently stumbled across a talk given by President Spencer W. Kimball titled "Absolute Truth." Therein, he mentions a little about this passage of scripture saying, "We learn about these absolute truths by being taught by the Spirit. These truths are 'independent' in their spiritual sphere and are to be discovered spiritually, though they may be confirmed by experience and intellect." From this, I understand the sphere to be a place we can individually choose to discover. We can confirm it by experience and intellect, but it is only discovered by the Spirit. Truth comes by the Spirit, but it is through the exercise of choice that we receive or ignore it.
The sphere in which God has placed all truth to act for itself is that same sphere identified by the prophet Joseph as that “great whole into which all truth can be circumscribed” (Nibley, Semester 4, 1993, p. 74). This sphere, symbolized by a compass that points the way we should go (see Alma 37:38-42),[14] is the word of God—the embodiment and totality of which is the Word of God. All truth acts within and is defined by this sphere, for the word and Word of the Lord is truth (see D&C 84:45). This sphere is quick and powerful (see D&C 6:2) and uniquely swells within our heart and expands within our mind (see Alma 32:28, 34) line upon line—or diminishes in like fashion—according to the heed and diligence which we give unto it (see Alma 12:9-11). The prophet Joseph Smith (1948-1950, pp. 134-135) plainly taught this pattern whereby all things are known—that “we cannot keep all the commandments without first knowing them, and we cannot expect to know all, or more than we now know unless we comply with or keep those we have already received.” Such is the pattern of heaven (see 2 Nephi 28:30).
I reiterate that when we are true and faithful within this sphere, both the sphere and our agency together grow, for the reward of our obedience is blessings from above, commandments not a few, and revelations in their time (see D&C 59:4). Thus, every act of conformity within the sphere that we presently reside operates to incrementally increase the sphere in which we can thereafter act (see D&C 130:18-21). Like a balloon being filled with the rains and dews from heaven (see Deuteronomy 32:2), this sphere will continue to expand within our individual lives, and the area in which we can act for ourselves will thereby increase, even to that point of perfect sovereignty wherein we comprehend God (see D&C 128:19), being quickened in him and by him (see D&C 88:49), and having all things subject unto us (see D&C 50:27; compare D&C 132:20).
Importantly, the judgments of God press in upon the sphere. Thus, remaining in the “bubble” in which we have been placed to act is our only sure defense, for if we break through the boundary that holds the water and act contrary to the will and word of God, both the sphere and the area in which we can act for ourselves shrink as the waters escape the appointed realm and the judgments of God pour in upon us (see Exodus 14:22, 27-28; compare Isaiah 30:13-14). And if we persist in such behavior long enough, or fail to repair the breach caused by our rebellion against the sphere, both the sphere and the area in which we can act for ourselves will disappear, even to their vanishing point (see Alma 12:11). President Marion G. Romney (1981, pp. 43-44) noted:
Every wrong decision one makes restricts the area in which he can thereafter exercise his agency. The further one goes in the making of wrong decisions in the exercise of . . . agency, the more difficult it is for him to recover the lost ground. One can, by persisting long enough, reach the point of no return. He then becomes an abject slave. By the exercise of his . . . agency, he has decreased the area in which he can act, almost to the vanishing point.
Then are we taken captive by that great chain[15] that veils the whole face of the earth in darkness (see Moses 7:26)!
Fortunately, when the law of obedience is breached, there is an appointed means whereby the breach can be mended to halt the flow of water and avert the judgments of God from pouring in upon us. The appointed means is the law of sacrifice, which requires us to make an offering sufficient to authorize God’s Chosen to stand in the breach (see Psalms 106:23; compare 2 Nephi 4:32) and become the tempered mortar with which the gap is daubed, covered, and mended (see Ezekiel 13:5, 10-15). Notwithstanding this covering[16]of immense strength, as cited by President Ezra Taft Benson (1986, p. 45), President Kimball taught that “the man who resists temptation and lives without sin is far better off than the man who has fallen, no matter how repentant the latter may be.” Repairing a breach in the sphere does not occur without some sacrifice on our part, and it certainly cannot occur without the full offering of the Lord.
Turning back the clock and applying these principles to our first parents is instructive. Acting for every spirit not cast out for rebellion, Adam was placed in the Garden of God. It was there that the Lord enabled and defined his agency (see Moses 7:32) by instituting a law (the sphere), providing a choice, imposing a punishment upon submission to one of those choices (see Moses 3:17), and by allowing Lucifer to tempt (see D&C 29:39) and entice him (see 2 Nephi 2:16; compare Moroni 7:12-15) that he might learn by his own experience to distinguish good from evil.[17] Notwithstanding the microscopic dimensions of that sphere, for as long as Adam continued to act within it, he would remain “spiritual” (see Moses 3:9)[18] and independent.
As the story goes, through a path of deception (see 1 Timothy 2:1) and choice, Adam yielded to temptation, partook of the forbidden fruit, and thereby breached the sphere in which he had been placed to act. As a consequence, the judgments of God were meted out—Adam experienced temporal and spiritual death and became subject to the will of the devil (see D&C 29:40-41). If he was to be brought back into that sphere from which he fell and the breach to be mended, Adam would need to depend and be acted upon by another.
Fortunately, all things are done in the wisdom of Him who knoweth all things (2 Nephi 2:24)—the fall was not to be the final end. Rather, it marked a beginning— for, far as the curse was found, the blessings of God would flow. Therefore, after the fall, Adam was promised a Redeemer—that through the seed of the woman would come power to bruise the head of the serpent (see Moses 4:21) to redeem all mankind from temporal death and all from a never-ending spiritual death on the conditions of the law of sacrifice (see 2 Nephi 2:7). This was a foretelling of Christ—the very sphere, or word of God, by which all truth is circumscribed, and the Truth, or Word of God, who acts independently in that sphere[19]—truly He is the Sovereign God.[20]
As inheritors of Adam’s nature, we are subject to the curse and are, thereby, dependent upon Christ to be brought back into that sphere from which we fell. Faith in Christ, repentance through His atonement, and obedience to His every word, are the means by which He brings us back into that sphere so that we may again act independently for ourselves according to the laws of the Kingdom of our God and His Christ.[21] In short, our agency finds its genesis in two ideas: first, that we have been bought with a price and are, therefore, servants of a Master, and second, that this agency relationship which exists by virtue of the purchase is preserved, perfected, and sanctified when governed by law (see D&C 88:34). And from what were we purchased? That “awful monster,” declared Jacob, “yea, that monster, death and hell, which [we] call the death of the body and also the death of the spirit” (2 Nephi 9:10).
Concerning this idea of redemption and how it fits neatly into the concept of agency, the apostle Paul wrote: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Indeed, if our body and our spirit are God’s, then we are simply stewards over a house of God (see D&C 104:54-57; compare D&C 93:35). Elaborating further, President Joseph Fielding Smith (1957-1966, p. 63) appropriately noted: “The fact remains that every soul upon the face of the earth was bought with a price—Jew and Gentile, the heathen, the atheist. No matter where a man lives or what he believes or the circumstances under which he lives, he was bought and paid for with a price, a price that was paid by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” We were bought without money (Isaiah 52:3) and without price! Indeed, we are unprofitable servants (see Mosiah 2:20-25) with no entitlement to the Principal’s grace and nothing but debt to exchange for his mercy (JST Romans 4:4).[22]
In my opinion, Lehi’s teachings are most insightful in bringing to light this point, connecting it to our God-given agency, and outlining the demands are placed on those who are purchased. I suggest he gave us a link—a vital connection between the fall of man, the redemption of man, and our agency. In his concluding discourse concerning the fall and redemption of man, Lehi wrote:
And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given (2 Nephi 2:26; emphasis added).[23]
From this verse, the two foregoing ideas emerge. First, Lehi pointed out that we have been redeemed from the fall with the blood of Christ and, because of this redemption, we have become free forever to act for ourselves. In other words, our privilege to act for ourselves according to the commandments which God has given exists only by virtue of the fact that we are purchased with a price. Without redemption there could be neither faith nor repentance and without faith and repentance there could be no means to return to that sphere from which we fell. Without repentance, there would be neither happiness nor peace, neither safety nor amnesty from transgression and from death. Appropriately, Elder Boyd K. Packer (1988) noted that “had agency come to man without the Atonement, it would have been a fatal gift” (p. 69).
Second, Lehi observed that we are not free to act for ourselves without consideration for the Principal who redeemed us. Rather, we are agents charged with the concerns of our Redeemer and are free to act for ourselves only insofar as we act according to the commandments He has given. And because we are free to act for ourselves in this sphere into which the Lord has reclaimed us, we are held accountable for failure to act according to His commandments (see D&C 101:78) and will be acted upon by the punishment of the law at the great and last day for sins committed in the flesh.[24]
This second point upon which Lehi comments is, in my judgment, one of the most misunderstood rudiments of agency. When asked what agency is, many would maintain that “it is the right to choose as we please.” However, this is not what Lehi taught. He, as well as Paul, taught that we are agents of a Redeemer—we are free to act for ourselves only insofar as our actions are according to His will. Acting according to His will “is an insignificant price we are asked to pay,” noted President Smith (1957-1966, p. 63), “and we should be willing to pay it in the spirit of thanksgiving, love, and obedience to every divine command.”
Acting contrary to His command is not an exercise of agency—it is a violation of covenants, or the sphere in which we have been placed to act. Consistent with this thought, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith (1967, pp. 120-121) taught:
I have heard people say, and members of the Church too, ‘I have a right to do just as I please.’ My answer is: No, you do not. You haven't any right at all to do just as you please. There is only one right that you have, and that is to . . . keep the commandments of Jesus Christ. He has a perfect right to tell us so. We have no right to refuse. I do not care who the man is; I do not care where he lives, or what he is—when the gospel of Jesus Christ is presented to him, he has no right to refuse to receive it. He has the privilege [i.e., the capacity to reject the gospel]. He is not compelled to receive it, because our Father in heaven has given to everyone of us . . . the gift of . . . agency. That . . . agency gives us the privilege to accept and be loyal to our Lord's commandments, but it has never given us the right to reject them (emphasis added).
 |
| The Sphere in which we have been placed to act for ourselves! |
Reducing the concepts presented in the foregoing pages into a comparison between a legal and a moral agency may prove useful. However, defining certain terms is needed before doing so:
- Principal: one who enlists and empowers an Agent to look after his Concerns.
- Agency: the capacity and power of independent action in that sphere established by the Principal.
- Agent: one empowered and capable of exercising Agency.
- Act: a specific performance, influence, or work resulting from an Agent exercising Agency.
- Concerns: matters that relate and are important to the Principal.
- Laws: the parameters or sphere within which an Agent can authoritatively Act for the Concerns of the Principal.
Applying these terms using lawyers’ chatter, an Agent is hired by and entrusted with the Concerns of a Principal and, in such capacity, is empowered and constrained to Act within limits prescribed by the Principal. These limits establish legal boundaries or Laws within which the Agent can and must authoritatively Act for the Concerns of the Principal. We call this capacity of the Agent to authoritatively Act for himself within those Laws established by the Principal an Agency. Aside from these Laws, an Agent is morally obligated at all times to Act in the best interests of the Principal and, if he does so, he is justly compensated. Alternatively, failure of the Agent to Act within the Laws set forth by the Principal gives the Principal grounds to terminate the Agent and seek recompense for damages sustained.
The most precise example of agency is when Jesus Christ declared: “I am come in my Father’s name” (John 5:43; compare John 10:25). An agent represents a principal and, indeed, even comes in the name of a principal. Thus, his authority and acts constitute the authority and acts of the principal. Confirming this profound example of Christ coming in the name of His Father through a divine investiture of authority, President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors (Clark J. R., 1971) issued the 1916 doctrinal exposition title “The Father and the Son” wherein is written:
He declared . . . “I am come in my Father’s name.”. . . Thus the Father placed His name upon the Son; and Jesus Christ spoke and ministered in and through the Father’s name; and so far as power, authority, and Godship are concerned His words and acts were and are those of the Father (p. 32).
Our agency with God is a moral Agency (see D&C 101:78) and differs from the foregoing only with respect to who is designated as our Principal. The injunction given to Adam following the fall was “thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son” (Moses 5:8). That name is His authority, His gospel, His person, His attributes, and His work. In short, that name is “THE WORD OF GOD,” or the sphere in which we have been placed to act. Thus, just as Christ came in His Father’s name to do the will of His Father, we are commanded to come in the name of the Son to do His business according to His will (see D&C 64:29). The Concerns of our Principal is bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (see Moses 1:39). He has given the law of Christ (see D&C 88:21) as the sphere, or Law, within which we are authorized to Act for ourselves to accomplish this work. We have the right to Act within these prescribed limits, but do not possess the right to supplant or Act outside them. Thus, our work, or Act, is “to keep [His] commandments with all [our] might, mind and strength” (D&C 11:20; compare Ecclesiastes 12:13) and to do His works and follow Him (3 Nephi 27:21). In doing so, our Principal will not stand in our way.
A careful comparison of the foregoing concepts will show that a moral agency operates much like a legal agency. However, a moral Agency differs from a legal agency in three significant respects. First, as moral agents, we are purchased—we are “servants” rather than “hirelings” (John 10:12-13). Second, contrary to legal agents who are often granted the right to act for their principal, moral agents can act only for themselves according to the Principal’s Laws—acting for God is reserved to those who have His name, power, and authority put upon them which, in due course can come to all who are true and faithful.[25] Third, moral agents do not possess the rights of a legal agent to be enlisted by more than one principal. Under our moral agency, Christ is the only Principal—one cannot, although Solomon tried, serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24; compare Moroni 7:11). We cannot drink the cup of the Lord and, at the same time, sip from the goblet of devils; we cannot partake of the Lord’s table and, at the same time, eat the crumbs which fall from the cupboards of Beelzebub (see 1 Corinthians 10:21). Where knowledge exists, there is no neutral ground.[26] Every act we perform demonstrates, in some measure, our allegiance[27] to one of these principals, for “to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness” (Romans 6:16).
Moving beyond the foregoing examples, “law,” writes Rodney Turner (see Nyman & Tate, The Book of Mormon: Jacob Through Words of Mormon, To Learn With Joy, 1990, p. 273), “serves to define the parameters of appropriate behavior. It is not meant to ensure conformity.” Accordingly, even though we are purchased and are obligated, thereby, to act for ourselves according to God’s laws, we possess the capacity to reject our Principal or, as the prophet Isaiah described, to “sell ourselves to another for naught” (Isaiah 52:3; compare 3 Nephi 20:38). We are “free according to the flesh to choose liberty and eternal life through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil” (2 Nephi 2:27). However, by acting outside the prescribed limits of God’s law, we become outlaws and an enemy to the law. Justly, outlaws are punished and, as was the case with Lucifer and his following, are “cast out” so that “thereby the Lord God might preserve his people, that they might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction” (Alma 3:8; compare 3 Nephi 18:31).
Referring to individuals who act outside the law and become a “law unto themselves” (see D&C 88:35) and an enemy to all righteousness, King Benjamin declared:
And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things [i.e., after we come to know the prescribed limits, or sphere, set forth by our Principal], if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken [i.e., if we should act outside that sphere], that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom's paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved—
I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God [i.e., against our Principal]; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit [i.e., we sell ourselves to another principal, Satan], and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples [i.e., temples once purchased with Christ’s blood but which have now been desecrated and made an unholy dwelling].
Therefore if that man repenteth not [i.e., if we do not come back into the sphere, repair the breach, and return to acting according to the laws of our Principal with full energy of heart], and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.
And now I say unto you, that mercy [i.e., the reward for acting according to the law of our Principal] hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a never-ending torment [i.e., the penalty for acting outside the sphere of our Principal] (Mosiah 2:36-39; parenthetical comments added).
By legal right, Christ is every man’s Principal—there are no exceptions. Whether we come to know His laws therefore is a matter of utmost importance. Only by possessing such knowledge can we act accordingly. And as King Benjamin illustrated, once we have come to the knowledge of God’s laws by study and by faith, we have fully exhausted any right we have to act contrary to those laws. To act outside God’s laws will damn us just as certain as obedience to His laws will preserve, perfect, and sanctify us. The following highlight from a baccalaureate address of Horace Mann (1859) illustrates this point:
You are in the kingdom of a Divine Majesty who governs his realms according to law. By his laws, it is no more certain that fire will consume, or that water will drown, than that sin will damn. Nor is it more sure that flame will mount, or the magnetic needle point to the pole, than it is that a righteous man will ascend along a path of honor to glory and beatitude. These laws of God pervade all things and they operate with omnipotent force. Our free agency consists merely in the choice we make to put ourselves under the action of one or another of these laws. Then the law seizes us and sweeps us upward or downward with resistless power . . . . If you seek suicide from a precipice, you have only to lose your balance over its edge, and gravitation takes care of the rest. So you only have to set your head right by knowledge, and your heart right by obedience, and forces stronger than streams or winds or gravitation will bear you up to celestial blessedness, Elijah-like, by means as visible and palpable as though they were horses . . . and chariots of fire. Take heed to this, therefore, that the law of God is supreme law.
In conclusion, there are several ideas that are worth emphasizing. First, since Lehi taught that moral agency is “the right to act for ourselves according to the commandments which God hath given,” then we must conclude that moral agency exists only insofar as we operate within the parameters of appropriate behavior established by the Lord. The moment we act contrary to God’s commandments, we are no longer acting according to the moral agency God has given and our moral agency, by definition, begins to self-destruct.
Thus, moral agency is not an absolute, indestructible gift. In fact, thanks to the political crowds cheering tolerance of personal sin and moral relativism, these last days will eventually be looked upon as an era wherein all our liberties die. What I mean to say is that, in general, society has successfully argued to eliminate nearly every punishment for personal sin. Vox Populi vox Dei—“The voice of the people is the voice of God,” is the law that rules the world. Thus, abortion, gambling, homosexuality, drug use, and sexual liberalism are all sins that maintain popularity under the mask of tolerance. Most apparent, the punishments that once attended such violations of moral law have been obliterated by accommodating politicians, morally-bankrupt judges, and inattentive citizens. Ironically, “right of personal choice” has been the basis of society’s argument to endorse and tolerate such aberrant behavior. Little do we realize that our “freewill argument” is the very thing that will captivate us; for although agency is good and God-given, every wrong decision we make restricts the area in which we can thereafter exercise our agency, and by pursuing a path of permissiveness we will overcome every liberty we have ever enjoyed!
Second, freewill, or the right to choose according to the flesh, is an inalienable right extended by God to mortals. He will neither seize this privilege nor hinder our use of it. Through various ways, He may influence us to correct our wayward thinking, but He will never force us into the arms of His mercy. As the hymn appropriately reminds: “He’ll call, persuade, direct aright, and bless with wisdom, love, and light, in nameless ways be good and kind, but never force the human mind” (Anonymous, 1985, p. 240).
Finally, I think it is well to note that the righteous use of our freewill and moral agency will not necessarily secure our personal freedom in mortality. Personal freedom is not an inalienable right guaranteed by righteous living. The adage that “a man reaps that which he sows” simply does not hold up when it comes to temporal things. Choosing wisely and acting for ourselves in accordance with God’s command can sometimes result in losing every temporal blessing. The accounts of Job, Abinadi, Joseph Smith, and the Lord Himself teach us this important lesson—that bondage, tribulation, and death are suffered by those who act in all things according to the commandments of God. Malachi even suggested that some in Israel may curse and complain that devotion to God does not reap a just reward: “It is vain to serve God, and what doth it profit that we have kept his ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts” (3 Nephi 24:14)?
On the other hand, acting contrary to God’s commandments can sometimes result in the most undeserved temporal reward and can even lead to a synthetic feeling of freedom. The account of Cain, who murdered to obtain the flocks of his brother, is a cold reminder that the things of this world can be obtained by violating the laws of God. And following such awful deeds for personal gain, one might even hastily exclaim, as did Cain, “I am free” (Moses 5:33). Again, Malachi’s words reminds us of this seeming paradox: “And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered” (3 Nephi 24:15). The greatest blessings, those of eternal life, are often delayed and those who are slain for the testimony of Jesus may have to spend some time under the altar crying long and loud for the Lord to come and avenge their blood (see Revelation 6:9-11). But, it is certain that in the day that the Lord tallies the books, He will bring in remembrance those that feared Him and take vengeance upon the wicked (see 3 Nephi 24:16-18).
True and enduring freedom is the product of choosing Christ as our Principal. It rests only in the souls of those who act for themselves according to God’s laws and who are anxiously engaged in His cause to bring to pass much righteousness (see D&C 58:26-28). It is found in perfect worship or emulation of the One who invites us to follow Him. It was discovered by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in doing “none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods” (D&C 132:37).
I suggest we must discover freedom this same way.
WORKS CITED
Anonymous. (1985). Know This, That Every Soul is Free. Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-dy Saints.
Bednar, D. A. (2009, May 25). The Agency of Man. Saturday Evening Session. (K. L. Packard, Interviewer) Rexburg Idaho East Stake. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Rexburg.
Benson, E. T. (1986, May). To the "Youth of the Noble Birthright". Ensign, pp. 43-45.
Clark, J. R. (1971). Messages of the first presidency (Vol. 5). Salt Lake City: Bookcraft.
Mann, H. (1859). Baccalaureate Address of 1859.
McConkie, B. R. (1985). A New Witness for the Articles of Faith. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company.
McConkie, J. F. (2004). Understanding the Power God Gives Us: What Agency Really Means. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company.
Nibley, H. W. (1993). Teachings of the Book of Mormon--Semester 4: Transcripts of Lectures Presented to a Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University. Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies.
Nyman, M. S., & Tate, J. C. (Eds.). (1990). The Book of Mormon: Jacob Through Words of Mormon, To Learn With Joy (Vol. 4). Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center.
Oaks, D. H. (1988). Pure in Heart. Salt Lake City: Bookcraft.
Oaks, D. H. (2002). With Full Purpose of Heart. Salt Lake City, UT, United States: Deseret Book Company.
Packer, B. K. (1988, May). Atonement Agency Accountability. Ensign, p. 69.
Pratt, O. (2000). The Seer. Salt Lake City: EBorn Books.
Romney, M. G. (1981, April). Principles of Temporal Salvation. Ensign, pp. 3-7.
Romney, M. G. (1981, November). The Perfect Law of Liberty. Ensign, pp. 43-44.
Smith, J. (1844, December 25). Times and Seasons, V.
Smith, J. (1948-1950). History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, V. 5 (Vol. 5). (G. A. Smith, Ed.) Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company.
Smith, J. F. (1957-1966). Answers to Gospel Questions (Vol. 4). Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company.
Smith, J. F. (1967, April 9). Conference Report, pp. 120-121.
Top, B. L. (1988). The Life Before. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft.
Young, B. (1854-1886). Journal of Discourses (Vol. 21). Liverpool, London, England: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot.
Young, B. (1954). Discourses of Brigham Young. (J. A. Widtsoe, Ed.) Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company.
ENDNOTES
[1] These births that follow our mortal births will be discussed in due course.
[2] Man is created in the image of God when the Lord takes the natural dust of the earth, conforms it into a living soul, and places it in that sphere in which it is to act for itself according to God’s command. Similarly, man is born again when the Lord takes a natural man of the earth, places him back into that sphere from whence he fell, and conforms him back into the true image of God—a spiritual-living soul.
[3] Compare Moroni 6:4.
[4] Compare 1 John 5:6-8.
[5] Compare Moroni 6:1-3.
[6] Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, 102-103.
[7] See Oaks, With Full Purpose of Heart, 81-83.
[8] Compare 3 Nephi 9:20.
[9] Compare D&C 20:77, 79.
[10] See D&C 93:31; compare D&C 101:78; D&C 29:36-39; Moses 4:3; and Moses 7:32.
[11] Inasmuch as Lucifer intended to “save men in sin,” it is entirely consistent to suppose that Lucifer’s proposal accorded men capacity to act contrary to law, for how could one be “saved in sin” if his capacity to commit sin was annihilated. And given that sin is the transgression of law (see 1 John 3:4), it is likewise consistent to conclude that law also existed under Lucifer’s plan. In other words, his plan was not an endorsement for complete anarchy. The one element that I believe was missing from Lucifer’s proposal was the punishment for sin and anarchy. Adam’s agency resulted from the opposition that prevailed between the happiness and punishment that attended the choices accorded to him, and the absence of this opposition would have destroyed his agency—the right to act in the sphere in which he was placed. Again, it is neither logical nor scriptural to teach that Lucifer was going to take away agency and compel us to obey gospel law.
[12] Compare Helaman 5:10.
[13] Compare Alma 12:31; 2 Nephi 2:13-16, 26-28 and 2 Nephi 10:24.
[14] The Liahona is but a type of the compass to which I refer (see D&C 3:15; compare Galatians 6:17).
[15] This great chain is also referred to as an iron yoke, a strong band, and “the very handcuff, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell.” This great chain is the damning hand of murder, tyranny, and oppression supported and urged on and upheld by that spirit which has so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers upon the hearts of the children (see D&C 123:7-8).
[16] The Hebrew word for atonement is kaphar, which means “to cover.”
[17] Without a choice or punishment, no law existed which, if broken, would introduce sin into the world; for only upon these conditions could Lucifer then entice Adam to act disagreeable to God. The scriptures teach that acting for oneself is predicated upon the existence of opposing forces or opportunities—that “man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:15-16). From modern revelation, we further learn that for evil to exist as an opposing force to good and for man to be enticed by one or the other, “it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves” (D&C 29:39). In other words, there must be One who promotes the cause of good and another who promotes the cause of evil among God’s children if good and evil are to operate as opposing forces. Accountable for all that is good is God and culpable for all that is evil is the devil for “all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil” (Moroni 7:12; compare Alma 5:40).
[18] When God breathed into Adam the breath of life, he became a “living soul.” According to Jacob, a “living soul” is a soul (i.e., body and spirit united – D&C 88:15) that is immortal and incorruptible (2 Nephi 9:13; compare D&C 138:43). In other words, a “living soul” is a “spiritual being” (Moses 3:5, 7, 9). Such was the first state of Adam prior to the fall, and such will be the last state of Adam following the resurrection (D&C 88:27; compare D&C 29:30-32).
[19] That sphere in which Christ grew “grace for grace” comprised a fulness of God’s commandments (D&C 93:16-17, 27). By obedience to such, he received a fullness of God’s powers and knowledge.
[20] In other words, Christ’s salvation was not vested in another mortal being. Rather, by the truth and grace extended to Him from His Father, He was given power to save Himself (Isaiah 59:16; compare Isaiah 63:5), as well as all those who believe on His name.
[21] Thus, it is the law that makes us free or capable of independent action (D&C 98:8). In the ultimate sense, moral agency can only be fully expressed within the laws of the kingdom of our God and His Christ. Anything less than this would be a diminished expression of our moral agency. Therefore, “lets us become subject unto [Zion’s] laws” (D&C 105:32).
[22] To demonstrate His sincerity and commitment to ultimately redeem those who “he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28), the Lord promises an “earnest” to each who qualifies, even “the holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession” (Ephesians 1:14).
[23] Compare 2 Nephi 2:21.
[24] Samuel, the Lamanite, taught that “whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given you a knowledge and he hath made you free” (Helaman 14:30).
[25] And even then, I suggest that acting for God comes in stages and degrees; from Aaronic to Melchizedek, from deacon to teacher, from teacher to priest, from priest to elder, and so forth until we come to those in the holy apostleship on whom rests the name, power, and authority to act for God here on earth. More so, we should be mindful that the rights, or blessings, of the priesthood are further predicated upon principles of righteousness.
[26] Accordingly, “here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning [i.e., ‘the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world’ (D&C 93:2, 7-9, 21)] is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light” (D&C 93:31).
[27] Although the concept of “free agency” has no basis in scripture, I suppose we could classify a “free-agent” as one who has yet to declare his allegiance to any particular principal, as may have been the case with some in the primeval war before the battle lines were so clearly drawn as to affirmatively establish the loyalties of all involved. However, since the primeval war is over and our choice to follow Christ irrevocably made, the scriptures are clear as to what the Lord will do with such luke-warm individuals who partition their allegiance here on earth (Revelation 3:15-16).-16).
It is easy to read the scriptures from the perspective that God means every verse to be personally applied. But some verses were meant to be exclusively applied to the one receiving the revelation. To extend such revelations to ourselves may lead to unintended results. One such revelation given to a limited audience that has been taken for universal application is found in D&C 59:
FIRST, this day is characterized by going to the house of prayer. Although temple worship is often extended to our weekly houses of worship [such as in the case of administering the Sacrament (see Exodus 29:31-33)], the temple is most definitively the house of prayer. Concerning strangers "that join themselves to the Lord . . . and every one that . . . taketh hold of my covenant", the LORD declared:.jpg)
The temple is termed "the house of prayer" because of the golden altar situated within the Holy Place thereof. Before it, the High Priest stood daily to burn incense (see (Exodus 30:1-10). According to the Bible Dictionary, "the attitude of prayer ordinarily was standing (1 Samuel 1:26; Nehemiah 9:2, 4; Matthew 6:5; Luke 18:11, 13)" and the smoke of the incense that ascended up before God was in token of the prayers of the saints that likewise ascended up to God (see Revelation 8:3-4). It was this smoke of the incense that formed the cloud in which the Lord appeared to Aaron upon the mercy seat, or footstool of God (see 1 Chronicles 28:2, Psalms 132:7), on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16:2). 
For us, all of this activity lends important definition as to what it means to "stand in holy places" (see 2 Chronicles 35:5, 10, Psalms 24:3-6, Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:12, D&C 45:32, D&C 87:8, D&C 101:22) and for the Lord to appear "in a cloud" (D&C 34:7, Luke 21:27, D&C 45:44-45, JST Revelation 1:7, Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:36) upon his footstool (see D&C 38:17). Importantly, verse 14 of the revelation given to Joseph Smith references the prayer that was to be offered in the house of prayer on this, the Lord's day.
Of this group who thereafter lived, the Lord promised that they would inherit the earth. Of those who died, the Lord declared that they would "rest from all their labors." Inasmuch as dying was made synonymous with "resting from labors", the injunction given that the Lord's Day of D&C 59 was "a day appointed unto you to rest from all your labors" carried important definition for the prophet Joseph Smith if the pronouns used in that verse were directed at him. If so, this revelation contains one of the earliest foretelling of his martyrdom.
