AGENCY

We are responsible to use our agency in a world of choices. It will not do to pretend that our agency has been taken away when we are not free to exercise it without unwelcome consequences (Dallin H. Oaks, “Weightier Matters” 9 Feb. 1999, BYU 1998–99 Speeches (Provo: BYU, 1999), 148).

Contrary to the world’s secular teaching, the scriptures teach us that we do have agency, and our righteous exercise of agency always makes a difference in the opportunities we have and our ability to act upon them and progress eternally  (Robert D. Hales, “Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life”, General Conference, Oct. 2010).

That precious privilege of choice—man’s agency—was decreed before the world was created. (See D&C 93:29–31.) It is a moral agency. (See D&C 101:78.) Thus, it was opposed by Satan (see Moses 4:3), but affirmed by the Lord (see Moses 4:2) and reaffirmed through prophets in ancient and in modern times  (see D&C 58:26–28; Moses 6:56; Moses 7:32). (Russell M. Nelson,“Choices”, Oct. 1990).

The old saying “The Lord is voting for me, and Lucifer is voting against me, but it is my vote that counts”, describes a doctrinal certainty that our agency is more powerful than the adversary’s will. Agency is precious. We can foolishly, blindly give it away, but it cannot be forcibly taken from us  (Boyd K. Packer, “Cleansing the Inner Vessel”, General Conference, Oct. 2010).

Agency is one of the great gifts of God to His children. It allows all men and women the right to choose for themselves and to earn their own individual salvation. Also declared is our belief in secular governments and “in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law” of the land  (A of F 1:12). (L. Tom Perry, “The Articles of Faith”, General Conference, Apr. 1998).

In the grand division of all of God’s creations, there are “things to act and things to be acted upon” (2 Nephi 2:14). As children of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity and power of independent action. Endowed with agency, we are agents, and we primarily are to act and not merely be acted upon—especially as we “seek learning … by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118)   (David A. Bednar, “Watching with all Perserverance”, General Conference Apr. 2010).

The fundamental purposes for the gift of agency were to love one another and to choose God. Thus we become God’s chosen and invite His tender mercies as we use our agency to choose God (David A. Bednar, “The Tender Mercies of the Lord”, General Conference Apr. 2005).

The essential doctrine of agency requires that a testimony of the restored gospel be based on faith rather than just external or scientific proof.”(Quentin L. Cook, “In Tune with the Music of Faith”, Liahona, May 2012).

I mention first the right of choice. I am so grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for His gift of agency, or the right to choose. President David O. McKay, ninth President of the Church, said, “Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God’s greatest gift to man.1

We know that we had our agency before this world was and that Lucifer attempted to take it from us. He had no confidence in the principle of agency or in us and argued for imposed salvation. He insisted that with his plan none would be lost, but he seemed not to recognize—or perhaps not to care—that in addition, none would be any wiser, any stronger, any more compassionate, or any more grateful if his plan were followed (Thomas S. Monson, “The Three ‘R’s of Choice, General Conference, October 2010).

Clearly, one primary purpose of our existence upon the earth is to obtain a body of flesh and bones. We have also been given the gift of agency. In a thousand ways we are privileged to choose for ourselves. Here we learn from the hard taskmaster of experience. We discern between good and evil. We differentiate as to the bitter and the sweet. We discover that there are consequences attached to our actions (Thomas S. Monson, “The Race of Life”, General Conference, April 2012).

Let us pause and note that freedom of choice is the freedom to obey or disobey existing laws—not the freedom to alter their consequences. Law, as mentioned earlier, exists as a foundational element of moral agency with fixed outcomes that do not vary according to our opinions or preferences (D. Todd Christofferson, “Moral Agency” BYU Speeches, 31 Jan. 2006, http://speeches.byu.edu/ reader/reader.php?id=10871).