Gospel Principles Ch 4 Freedom To Choose

8/8/2019 Gospel Principles Ch 4 Freedom To Choose

1/5

17

Freedom to Choose

C h a p t e r 4

Agency Is an Eternal Principle

Ifsomeoneaskedyouwhyitisimportanttohaveagency,whatwouldyousay?

Thou mayest choose or thysel, or it is given unto thee (Moses3:17)

God has told us through His prophets that we are ree to choosebetween good and evil We may choose liberty and eternal lie byollowing Jesus Christ We are also ree to choose captivity anddeath by ollowing Satan (See 2 Nephi 2:27) The right to choosebetween good and evil and to act or ourselves is called agency

In our premortal lie we had moral agency One purpose o earthlie is to show what choices we will make (see 2 Nephi 2:1516) I

we were orced to choose the right, we would not be able to showwhat we would choose or ourselves Also, we are happier doingthings when we have made our own choices

Agency was one o the principal issues to arise in the premortalCouncil in Heaven It was one o the main causes o the confict

between the ollowers o Christ and the ollowers o Satan Satansaid, Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I willredeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I willdo it; whereore give me thine honor (Moses 4:1) In saying this, herebelled against [God] and sought to destroy the agency o man(Moses 4:3) His oer was rejected, and he was cast out o heaven

with his ollowers (see D&C 29:3637)

Agency Is a Necessary Part of the Plan of Salvation

Agency makes our lie on earth a period o testing When plan-ning the mortal creation o His children, God said, We will prove


2/5


3/5

19

C h a p t e r 4

[test] them herewith, to see i they will do all things whatsoever theLord their God shall command them (Abraham 3:25) Without thegit o agency, we would have been unable to show our Heavenly

Father whether we would do all that He commanded us Becausewe are able to choose, we are responsible or our actions (seeHelaman 14:3031)

When we choose to live according to Gods plan or us, our agencyis strengthened Right choices increase our power to make moreright choices

As we obey each o our Fathers commandments, we grow in wis-

dom and strength o character Our aith increases We nd it easierto make right choices

We began to make choices as spirit children in our HeavenlyFathers presence Our choices there made us worthy to cometo earth Our Heavenly Father wants us to grow in aith, power,knowledge, wisdom, and all other good things I we keep His com-mandments and make right choices, we will learn and understand

We will become like Him (See D&C 93:28)Howdoesmakingrightchoiceshelpusmakemorerightchoices?

Agency Requires That There Be a Choice

Whyisoppositionnecessary?

We cannot choose righteousness unless the opposites o good andevil are placed beore us Lehi, a great Book o Mormon prophet,

told his son Jacob that in order to bring about the eternal purposeso God, there must be an opposition in all things I not so, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness,neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad (2 Nephi 2:11)

God allows Satan to oppose the good God said o Satan:

I caused that he should be cast down;

And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the ather o all lies, todeceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, evenas many as would not hearken unto my voice (Moses 4:34)


4/5

20

C h a p t e r 4

Satan does all he can to destroy Gods work He seeks the miseryo all mankind He seeketh that all men might be miserable likeunto himsel (2 Nephi 2:18, 27) He does not love us He does not

want any good thing or us (see Moroni 7:17) He does not want usto be happy He wants to make us his slaves He uses many dis-guises to enslave us

When we ollow the temptations o Satan, we limit our choicesThe ollowing example suggests how this works Imagine seeinga sign on the seashore that reads: Dangerwhirlpool No swim-mingallowedhere.Wemightthinkthatisarestriction.Butisit?

We still have many choices We are ree to swim somewhere elseWe are ree to walk along the beach and pick up seashells We areree to watch the sunset We are ree to go home We are also reeto ignore the sign and swim in the dangerous place But once the

whirlpool has us in its grasp and we are pulled under, we have veryew choices We can try to escape, or we can call or help, but wemay drown

Even though we are ree to choose our course o action, we are notree to choose the consequences o our actions The consequences,whether good or bad, ollow as a natural result o any choice wemake (see Galatians 6:7; Revelation 22:12)

Heavenly Father has told us how to escape the captivity o SatanWe must watch and pray always, asking God to help us withstandthe temptations o Satan (see 3 Nephi 18:15) Our Heavenly Father

will not allow us to be tempted beyond our power to resist (see1 Corinthians 10:13; Alma 13:28)

Gods commandments direct us away rom danger and towardeternal lie By choosing wisely, we will gain exaltation, progresseternally, and enjoy perect happiness (see 2 Nephi 2:2728)

Whataresomeexamplesofactionsthatlimitourchoices?Whataresomeexamplesofactionsthatgiveusmorefreedom?

For teachers: A simple picture can help learners focus their attention. If you discuss theanalogy of a warning sign as it is presented in this chapter, you may want to draw a pictureof such a sign on the board or on a large piece of paper.


5/5

21

C h a p t e r 4

Additional Scriptures

Moses7:32(freedomofchoice)

Abraham3:2425(earthlifeatest)Alma41:3;Moroni7:56(worksjudged)

2Nephi2:1116(oppositionisnecessary)

Moroni7:1217(choosinggoodandevil)

2Peter2:19;John8:34(sinisbondage)

2Nephi2:2829;Alma40:1213(rewardaccordingtoworks)

Documents

Gospel Principles Ch 4 Freedom To Choose