Elder Robert D. Hales: 'Agency: essential to the plan of life'

Agency is the ability and privilege God gives His children to choose and to "act for ourselves and not to be acted upon," declared Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve.

"Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions," he said Saturday afternoon. "Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. With it, we are 'free 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).

Agency — the ability to choose and act for oneself — was an essential element of Heavenly Father's plan of salvation. "Without agency, we would be unable to make right choices and progress. Yet, with agency we could make wrong choices, commit sin and lose the opportunity to be with Heavenly Father again. For this reason, a Savior would be provided to suffer for our sins and redeem us, if we would repent. By His infinite Atonement, He brought 'about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice'" (Alma 42:15).

Lucifer proposed a plan that would redeem all mankind — but at the cost of agency. Heavenly Father rejected that plan and instead chose the plan offered by Christ, who exercised His agency, saying, "Father, thy will be done and the glory be thine forever." Jesus would be the Savior of the World.

"Because of Lucifer's rebellion, a great spiritual conflict ensued," said Elder Hales. "Each of Heavenly Father's children had the opportunity to exercise the agency Heavenly Father had given them. We chose to have faith in Jesus Christ — to come unto Him, follow Him, and accept the plan Heavenly Father presented for our sakes."

A third of Heavenly Father's children followed Lucifer and, in doing so, lost their agency. Those who followed Christ were allowed to come to earth. "By making the same choice to follow the Savior now, here on earth, we will obtain even greater blessings in the eternities," he said. "But, let it be known: we must continue to choose to follow the Savior. Eternity is at stake, and our wise use of agency and actions are essential that we might have eternal life."

The Savior's mortal life, he added, offers a perfect example of how one should use his or her agency. "[Christ] taught us that when we choose to do the will of our Heavenly Father, our agency is preserved, our opportunities increase and we progress."

When members choose to take on Christ's name and follow His servants, they progress along the path to eternal life. The opposite is also true. When one breaks the commandments and ignores the promptings of the Holy Ghost, opportunities are lost and progress is diminished.

"When we disobey, we spiritually paint ourselves into a corner and are captive to our choices," said Elder Hales. Fortunately, through Christ, there is always a way back.

"As we understand the challenge of repenting, we appreciate the blessings of the Holy Ghost to guide our agency, and Heavenly Father who gives us commandments, and strengthens and sustains us in keeping them. We also understand how obedience to the commandments ultimately protects our agency."

When faithful people exercise agency in righteousness, they come to know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They prepare for that day when "every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess" that Jesus is the Savior.

— Jason Swensen