Chapter 22

The Blessing of Freedom

What Is Freedom?

Nephi spoke of yet another consequence, another blessing, that flows from the seemingly endless spring of the atoning well: "Because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever" (2 Nephi 2:26). Elder James E. Talmage understood that without the Atonement, there could be no freedom: "We proclaim the atonement wrought by Jesus Christ . . . is to all people; it is the message of deliverance from sin and its sorrow, the decree of liberty, the charter of freedom."¹ As with each of the other blessings of the Atonement, this one does not stand alone. It complements, supplements, and overlaps others.

The power to become like God, the crowning blessing of the Atonement, is integrally related to the power to be free, for in truth, the freest of all beings is God himself. President David O. McKay noted that "God could not make men like himself without making them free." He then quoted Dr. Iverach, a Scottish philosopher, who shared this additional insight: "It is a greater manifestation of divine power to make beings that can make themselves than to make beings that cannot, for the former are men and the latter are puppets, and puppets after all are only things."²

If the Atonement makes us free, we might appropriately ask, "What does it mean to be free?" To be free is to be like God. Gods are the freest of all beings because "all things are subject unto them . . . [and] they have all power" (D&C 132:20). They "act for themselves" rather than being "acted upon" (2 Nephi 2:26). That is what Alma was trying to tell us about Adam and Eve, that in some things they became "as gods." Why? Because they knew "good from evil" and were "placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures" (Alma 12:31).

The lives of gods are driven internally, rather than externally. Their freedom springs from their power to act according to their will without restraint from an outside source. There is no external force that controls their destiny, no spiritual or physical limitation that restricts their desired expression. If they desire to travel at the speed of thought, it seems they can. If they want to comprehend every thought of every living creature, they may (perhaps they automatically do). Gods act, rather than being acted upon. They control every element in every sphere. They are not subject to disease or inclement weather. To the contrary, all forms of life, even the elements themselves, yield in homage to the gods. The scriptures reveal that "all things are subject unto them" and, therefore, they are "above all" (D&C 132:20). Gods do not live oblivious of laws, but through obedience have mastered the laws so that they might use them to accomplish their purposes.

Freedom is achieved through a step-by-step process of obedient compliance to God's will. Consequently the more we become like God, the freer we become. Freedom and godhood are parallel paths; in fact they are the same road.

God Makes Men Free

Man could never enjoy the full powers of agency without the intervention of God. Samuel told the people of Zarahemla, "Ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves," and then he added, "He [God] hath made you free" (Helaman 14:30). The latter phrase is one utilized by the prophets on both hemispheres throughout the ages. King Benjamin taught, "Under this head [Christ] ye are made free." He then makes it clear that there is no alternative source of freedom: "And there is no other head whereby ye can be made free" (Mosiah 5:8). The Savior taught that true freedom comes "if the Son . . . shall make you free" (John 8:36). Paul urged the saints of Galatia to retain their "liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Galatians 5:1). And in the latter days the Lord has declared without equivocation, "I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed" (D&C 98:8; see also D&C 88:86). John Donne envisioned this relationship between Christ and freedom:

Take me to you [Christ], imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free.³

Freedom is described as the power or agency to act for oneself. Repeatedly the Lord revealed the source of such agency. Lehi taught, "The Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself" (2 Nephi 2:16). In latter days similar scriptural language was used: "I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself" (D&C 29:35; see also Moses 4:3).

The Four Components of Freedom

But how does God endow us with agency, and what part does the Atonement play in making us free? This is best understood by dissecting freedom into its four principal components, namely the need for an intelligent being, a knowledge of good and evil, the availability of choices, and the power to execute or carry out such choices.

First is the need for an intelligent being. If freedom is being able to act for ourselves and "not to be acted upon" (2 Nephi 2:26), as suggested by Lehi, then at some point we must have the innate capacity to make decisions upon which our actions are predicated. Simply stated, there can be no freedom without a decision maker, an intelligent being. Man is a conscious, thinking entity, thus fulfilling the first requirement for freedom.

Second is the need for a knowledge of good and evil. This is an indispensable element of freedom. President Joseph F. Smith wrote: "No man is or can be made free without possessing a knowledge of the truth and obeying the same."⁴ Moses recorded, "It is given unto them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves" (Moses 6:56). The causal relationship between freedom on one hand and a knowledge of good and evil on the other is a common theme addressed by many of the ancient prophets. One such prophet, Samuel the Lamanite, declared that the people were free because God "hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil" (Helaman 14:31; see also 2 Nephi 2:18, 23; Alma 12:31–32).

Man's initial knowledge of good and evil was triggered at the time of the Fall. The Lord said, "Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil" (Genesis 3:22). Eve spoke that truth when she said, "Were it not for our transgression we . . . never should have known good and evil" (Moses 5:11). Absent that grant of knowledge, Adam and Eve would have been confined to a state of innocence.

At first glance, one might be led to believe that the Fall, independent of Christ's atonement, was the deliverer of that knowledge sufficient to make man free. In truth, it was a vital link, but it was only the beginning—the gateway to knowledge. The Fall opened doors that had previously been sealed and eyes that had previously been shut. As to Adam and Eve, the scriptures reveal that "the eyes of them both were opened" (Genesis 3:7). This was essential, but it was only the commencement, not the end of the road. With increased knowledge comes the opportunity for increased freedom. This was the Savior's testimony to the scribes and Pharisees: "Know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Once again these hypocrites failed to grasp his message. They retorted, "We . . . were never in bondage to any man" (John 8:33). How wrong they were. They had secular knowledge, but not the spiritual truth that makes a man free. They were masters at missing the point. Once again they were tuned to the wrong channel, and so the Savior spoke with unmistakable clarity, "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). That is the essence of freedom, to know the Savior and obey his truths. As we do so, we become free from prejudice, falsehood, sin, contention, and every other injurious practice or evil nature known to man.

While the Fall opened the gate to the road of knowledge, it was the Atonement that provided the vehicle to proceed. Through the Atonement we are cleansed in the waters of baptism, making us eligible for the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is such a gift that "will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). As we come to know the Savior and his truths we enlarge our capacity for freedom. This is so because knowledge is power; and power, in its consummate expression is godhood; and godhood is the quintessence of freedom.

The third element of freedom is the availability of choices. President David O. McKay observed: "Only to the human being did the Creator say: ' . . . thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee . . . ' (Moses 3:17). As God intended man to become as he, it was necessary that He should first make him free."⁵ Were it not for the Atonement, there would have been no choice between eternal life and eternal damnation. The Fall would have opened the gate to one road and one road only. Our "flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more. . . . Our spirits must become subject to . . . the devil, to rise no more" (2 Nephi 9:7–8)—a bleak picture, to say the least. Without the Atonement everyone would be compelled to participate in this no-option program. The Fall, without the Atonement, would lead us to a downhill plunge from which there was no escape. Jacob explained this troubling prospect and then rejoiced, "O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit" (2 Nephi 9:10). Jacob went on to say that "because of the way of deliverance of our God" that "hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies" (2 Nephi 9:11–12).

The Atonement is the means of deliverance, the means of freeing our bodies from the grave and our spirits from hell, of offering another road, another choice, another option. Elder McConkie recorded in verse that same truth:

I believe in Christ; he ransoms me.
From Satan's grasp he sets me free.⁶

Lehi taught that because men "are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, . . . free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death" (2 Nephi 2:26–27). Lehi then pled with his sons to "look to the great Mediator . . . and choose eternal life"; otherwise, he warned, the devil will have "power to captivate" you and "reign over you" in his kingdom (2 Nephi 2:28, 29).

The message is clear. We can accept the Atonement, a choice that leads to eternal life (the ultimate in freedom); or we can choose the way of the Evil One, a choice that leads to destruction, chains, and captivity (the ultimate in bondage). As we choose the Lord, he gives us more rope; as we choose Satan, he tightens the noose until we are in his grasp. Charles Dickens vividly illustrated this truth. In Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Scrooge, seeing his ghost-like partner bound with chains, inquired, "You are fettered. . . . Tell me why?" Jacob Marley's answer was sobering: "I wear the chain I forged in life. . . . I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it."⁷

The prophet Jacob concluded his beautiful discourse on the Atonement by encouraging his people to "cheer up." After all, he explained, "Ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life" (2 Nephi 10:23). That freedom of choice comes through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. That is what Lehi taught: "The Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other" (2 Nephi 2:16).

One element is yet lacking for a fulness of freedom. It is the power to execute or to carry out the choices before us. We may have knowledge of good and evil; we may even have choices placed before us; but unless we have power to execute, the power to fulfill, then our freedom is but a facade. We are somewhat like an astronomer who with his naked eye looks into the starry sky with the intent of spotting Neptune. However long he scans the heavens, however intent his gaze may be, he will look in vain. Now give him a telescope and what vision he beholds! The issue is not knowledge, for he knows with precision the celestial siting. The issue is not choice, for he has the option to look or not to look without obstruction. The issue is simply power—the power to see. God has a vast inventory of spiritual telescopes, hearing aids, time capsules, and power-enhancing tools to enrich our lives and make us free to see and hear and do without restraint.

All men have some power from God. The Lord declared, "Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness; for the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves" (D&C 58:27–28). How can we enhance this power? History has long confirmed that knowledge is the precursor of power. It is knowledge that has expanded space, conquered disease, hastened the speed of travel, and revolutionized our means of communication. God does not belittle these powers acquired from secular learning; he encourages such pursuits. He invites our mastery "of things both in heaven and in the earth" (D&C 88:79) and our study "out of the best books" (D&C 88:118). He offers inspiration to assist us in these pursuits.

While God is certainly a proponent of earthly knowledge, he also wants us to know that powers of a higher source flow from the acquisition of spiritual truths. It is this spiritual power that parted the Red Sea, that caused the sun to "stand still," rivers to change their course, and mountains to flee (Exodus 14:21–29; Joshua 10:12–14; Moses 7:13). This unseen force has calmed the angry sea, quelled the reckless storm, compelled the drought-stricken skies to disgorge their hidden pearls of dew, and, in short, controlled, directed, and governed every native element of the universe (Matthew 8:23–27; 1 Kings 18:41–46; Moses 7:13–14). Where science has faltered, even fallen short, this divine power has taken up the slack and, when it was God's will, healed those who could find no temporal relief. This power is of such magnitude that it has penetrated and softened even the hearts of those who were known to be "a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people" (Alma 17:14).

Both earthly and spiritual power (which ultimately are but one power) constitute the power of godhood, for gods "have all power" (D&C 132:20; emphasis added). With each new power acquired, we develop greater control not only of the elements but of our destiny. In this way, we become the driver, not the driven—the cause rather than the effect. We act for ourselves rather than being "acted upon" (2 Nephi 2:26); and in this manner we become free.

While knowledge is essential to the acquisition of power, there is yet another ingredient, often ignored, and sometimes even ridiculed, that is a prerequisite to receiving the "higher" powers—those powers necessary to enjoy a fulness of freedom. It is obedience.

Obedience—A Key to Freedom

Some might contend that freedom comes when there are no laws or restraints. They contend that freedom in its purest form is the right to do anything, anytime, anywhere, without consequence. About twenty-five hundred years ago Nephi prophesied of those misguided souls who would teach, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us" (2 Nephi 28:7; see also Mormon 8:31). Does it not seem ironic that such a philosophy is authored by the master slave himself? It was he who was cast out of heaven, who was deprived of a body, who will be bound a thousand years, and who will ultimately be banished to outer darkness. The freedom he promises is illusory; it is a mirage on the desert; it is the very condition that has always eluded his grasp. It was the same lie promulgated by Cain after he slew his brother Abel: "I am free," he said (Moses 5:33). In truth, he was never in more bondage. He was the servant, even the slave of sin. The scriptures describe again and again the true state of those who adopt this worldly philosophy. They, too, become the slaves of sin, bound with everlasting chains and subject to captivity, death, and hell, hardly a blissful state of freedom (2 Nephi 1:13; Alma 12:11).

How then does the Lord propose to make us free? The answer is obedience. In fact, Brigham Young indicated there is no other way: "In rendering . . . strict obedience, are we made slaves? No, it is the only way on the face of the earth for you and me to become free."⁸

Contrary to the belief of many, obedience is not the antithesis of freedom, but the foundation of it. Charles Kingsley distinguished between the world's view of freedom and the Lord's: "There are two freedoms, the false where one is free to do what he likes, and the true where he is free to do what he ought."⁹ Lehi was speaking of the latter when counseling his sons, Laman and Lemuel: "Hearken unto his great commandments" (2 Nephi 2:28), he said—and if you do, the devil will have no power to "reign over you" (2 Nephi 2:29). The Doctrine and Covenants tells us the same thing: "The law [or it might have said, the commandments] also maketh you free" (D&C 98:8). Jacob told his people, "Ye are free to act for yourselves" (2 Nephi 10:23). Then he taught them the means, not only for maintaining their freedom, but enhancing it: "Reconcile yourselves to the will of God" (2 Nephi 10:24). The Lord announced that he had made Adam "an agent unto himself" and then shared the divine sequel to maintaining and developing such agency: "And I gave unto him commandment[s]" (D&C 29:35). In other words, if there were no commandments and no obedience to them, man would soon see his newly acquired agency in irreversible decline.

Commandments are no more restrictive to the spiritual man than street signs are to the motorist. Neither prohibits our progress; to the contrary, they enhance it by serving as guideposts or directional signs to help us find and reach our destination. The Lord spoke to the Prophet Joseph of "a new commandment," and then added, "Or, in other words, I give unto you directions how you may act before me, that it may turn to you for your salvation" (D&C 82:8–9; emphasis added). The great movie producer, Cecil B. De Mille, famous for The Ten Commandments, understood the relationship between law and freedom:

"We are too inclined to think of law as something merely restrictive . . . something hemming us in. We sometimes think of law as the opposite of liberty. But that is a false conception. . . . God does not contradict himself. He did not create man and then, as an afterthought, impose upon him a set of arbitrary, irritating, restrictive rules. He made man free—and then gave him the commandments to keep him free. We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them—or else, by keeping them, rise through them to the fulness of freedom under God."¹⁰

There are a number of spiritual truths that must seem like irreconcilable ironies to the secular world—humility breeds strength, faith nurtures vision, and obedience brings freedom. There is a simple test, however, by which we can learn the veracity of these spiritual precepts for ourselves. The Lord revealed it. "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself" (John 7:17). Simply put, if we are obedient to God's will, we will experience newfound freedoms in our life; if we are disobedient, freedom will be the star we can never reach.

As discussed, freedom requires a knowledge of good and evil, the availability of choices, and the power to execute or carry them out. Each of these is enhanced by obedience to God's will.

As we obey God's laws we receive increased knowledge of God's plan, and with increased knowledge comes increased capacity for freedom. Isaiah taught that as we hearken unto the Lord we receive "precept upon precept; line upon line" (Isaiah 28:10). The promise made to those who obey the Word of Wisdom is that they "shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge" (D&C 89:19). The Lord made it clear that the acquisition of knowledge was not solely an intellectual pursuit, for he said, "He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things" (D&C 93:28; see also D&C 93:39). Obedience brings that kind of knowledge that is indispensable for godly freedom. That is why the Lord promised that "if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come" (D&C 130:19). Obedience unlocks the doors of knowledge; knowledge is a prerequisite of godhood; and godhood is the apogee of freedom.

Obedience also broadens the list of our choices. If we are not obedient we have no option to be baptized, no option to receive the priesthood, no option to be endowed or sealed in the temple, all of which are necessary in our transformation into the freest of all beings, namely, gods.

But obedience does even more. It also generates power, another vital link to freedom. A number of years ago at a youth conference I called a young man forward and invited him to sit on the piano bench. I took from my wallet a number of crisp twenty dollar bills and offered them to him if he would play any song in the hymn book he desired. As he looked at the crisp twenty dollar bills and then the piano, he became frustrated. "I can't play," he said. "Why not?" I responded. "You have the music, the piano, the fingers, seemingly all the ingredients necessary to play." "But I don't know how!" he answered. He had everything he needed except for one thing—the power to execute, which is an indispensable element of freedom. Power comes by obedience. We gain power to play the piano as we obey the law of practicing. We gain mastery over a language as we learn and follow the rules of linguistics. We gain power over the elements as we obey the laws of God. That is why the Lord said to the obedient, "Then shall they be gods, because they have all power." Then he divulged the secret to that achievement, "Except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory" (D&C 132:20, 21). Obedience is one of the prime keys that unlock the power of godhood, bringing freedom in its fullest and grandest measure. Obedience is not an enemy of freedom; to the contrary, it is freedom's best friend.

The Lord so observed: "Hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people" (D&C 38:22). The Prophet Joseph identified the link between the Atonement, godhood, and obedience in the third article of faith: "We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel" (see also D&C 138:4).

The end product of an obedient life is power, not the scepter-swaying power of the dictator, not the emotionally charged power of the demagogue, not the irreverent, decadent power of the charlatan, but the pure, benevolent power of a god. Ironically, if we want that power we must follow the commandments with exactness. As to the disobedient, the Lord prophesied of their predicament: "Where I am they cannot come, for they have no power" (D&C 29:29; emphasis added).

Obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel brings increased knowledge, a multiplicity of choices, and an enhanced power to execute, all of which result in added freedom. It is the Atonement, however, that gives substance and meaning to those laws and ordinances. Of what vitality would the principles of faith and repentance be without the Savior's mission? What cleansing power would the baptismal waters bestow if there were no Atonement? What healing powers would the sacrament have if there were no redemption? What would the longevity of the sealing powers be if the Savior had never condescended? Obedience to these ordinances and laws without the Atonement would be an empty gesture.

The Atonement of Jesus Christ opened the floodgates of spiritual knowledge through baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. It provides a range of choices from captivity and the devil on one hand, to eternal life and godhood on the other. It unleashes power upon power to those humble saints who keep the laws and ordinances of the gospel, each of which finds its sustaining strength in the atoning sacrifice. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the nurturing force for each of those elements that fosters freedom.

Brigham Young taught, "The difference between the righteous and the sinner, eternal life or death, happiness or misery, is this, to those who are exalted there are no bounds or limits to their privileges."¹¹ Now that is freedom! Lehi understood this glorious truth. He declared that, because of Christ's redemption, men would "become free forever" (2 Nephi 2:26).

Notes

^1. Talmage, Essential James E. Talmage, 89.

^2. McKay, "Whither Shall We Go?", 3.

^3. Donne, "Batter My Heart," in Untermeyer, Treasury of Great Poems, 367.

^4. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 211.

^5. Conference Report, Oct. 1963, 5.

^6. McConkie, "I Believe in Christ," in Hymns, no. 134.

^7. Dickens, Christmas Stories, 28.

^8. Journal of Discourses, 18:246; emphasis added.

^9. In Wallis, Treasure Chest, 47.

^10. Quoted by Richard L. Evans, Conference Report, Oct. 1959, 127; emphasis added.

^11. Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, 63.