Christ is the Reason

I. Note no where in the scriptures does the term “free agency” appear. D&C 101:78 (Moral agency).

II. Define: “Ability and Freedom to choose good or evil.” What does that mean?

III. Moses 4:1-4 Satan “sought to destroy the agency of man.” How do you destroy agency?

a. Take away consequences. It does not say anywhere that Satan’s plan was to make everyone do the right thing. All it says is “I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost.”

b. Nehor Doctrine:

i. Korihor: “whatsoever a man did was no crime.” Alma 30:17

ii. People of Ammonihah “did not believe in the repentance of their sins.” Alma 15:15

iii. Tradition of Lamoni: “they supposed that whatsoever they did was right.”

c. Had we already made choices before the war in heaven? “many…received their first lessons in the world of spirits…” D&C 138:56

d. Story of children not going to seminary because parents didn’t want to ‘destroy their free agency.’ When you tell a child that there is no consequence to not going to seminary or church, or breaking rules, then is agency destroyed because the consequence is being taken away.

IV. “many…received their first lessons in the world of spirits…” D&C 138:56

a. Abe 3:22- What does it mean that Abe was chosen before he was born?

b. Alma 13:3 “prepared before the foundation of the world.”

c. The consequences of your actions in the first estate/ “the first place” is that you were chosen to be ordained to do what?

i. Helaman 8

1. Why was Moses ordained? Hel 8:14-16 “should look upon the Son of God with faith…even unto that life which is eternal.”

2. What were all the holy prophets ordained to? (Hel 8:16)

3. What was Abraham ordained to? Hel 8:18 “it should be shown unto this people…that even redemption should come unto them.”

4. Zenock, Esias, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Nephi were all ordained to the same purpose.

ii. Alma 13:2 “And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption.”

iii. This is a heavy burden you bear. We share it with you. But it’s not our burden alone, it’s Christ with whom we labor. As we continue to choose to follow him (remember that is the choice you continually made in the pre-existence), he will make this yoke easy and this burden light. Matt 11.