=1. Man's Free Agency.=--The Church holds and teaches as a strictly
scriptural doctrine, that man has inherited among the inalienable
rights conferred upon him by his divine Father, absolute freedom to
choose the good or the evil in life as he may elect. This right cannot
be guarded with more jealous care than is bestowed upon it by God
Himself; for in all His dealings with man, He has left the mortal
creature free to choose and to act, with no semblance of compulsion or
restraint, beyond the influences of paternal counsel and loving
direction.[119] True, He has given commandments, and has established
statutes, with promises of blessings for compliance and dire penalties
for infraction; but in the choice of these, God's children are
untrammeled. In this respect, man is no less free than are the angels
and the Gods, except as he has fettered himself with the bonds of sin,
and forfeited his power of will and force of soul. The individual has
as full a measure of liberty to violate the laws of health, the
requirements of nature, and the commandments of God in matters both
temporal and spiritual, as he has to obey all such; in the one case he
brings upon himself the sure penalties that belong to the broken law;
as in the other he inherits the specific blessings and the added
freedom that attend a law-abiding life. Obedience to law is the habit
of the free man; 'tis the transgressor who fears the law, for he
brings upon himself deprivation and restraint, not because of the law,
which would have protected him in his freedom, but because of his
antagonism to law.
[119] See Note 1.
=2.= The predominant attribute of justice, recognized as part of the
Divine nature, forbids the thought that man should receive promises of
reward for righteousness, and threats of punishment for evil deeds, if
he possessed no power of independent action. It is no more a part of
God's plan to compel men to work righteousness, than it is His purpose
to permit evil powers to force His children into sin. In the days of
Eden, the first man had placed before him commandment and law,[120]
with an explanation of the penalty which would follow a violation of
that law. No law could have been given him in righteousness had he not
been free to act for himself. "Nevertheless thou mayest choose for
thyself, for it is given unto thee, but remember that I forbid
it,"[121] said the Lord God to Adam. Concerning His dealings with the
first patriarch of the race, God has declared in this day, "Behold, I
gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself."[122]
[120] Genesis ii, 17; Pearl of Great Price, Moses ii, 27-29; iii,
15-17.
[121] Pearl of Great Price, Moses iii, 17.
[122] Doctrine and Covenants, xxix, 35.
=3.= When the brothers Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices before
the Lord, the elder one became angry because his offering was
rejected; then the Lord reasoned with Cain, and endeavored to teach
him that he must expect results of his actions to follow in kind, good
or evil, as he might elect:--"If thou doest well, shalt thou not be
accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door."[123]
[123] Genesis iv, 7.
=4.= A knowledge of good and evil is essential to the advancement
which God has made possible for His children to achieve; this
knowledge can be best gained by actual experience, with the contrasts
of good and its opposite before the eyes; therefore has man been
placed upon the earth subject to the influence of good and wicked
powers, with a knowledge of the conditions surrounding him, and the
heaven-born right to choose for himself. The words of the prophet,
Lehi, are particularly explicit: "Wherefore, 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.... Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all
things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free
to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great mediation of all
men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and
power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable
like unto himself."[124]
[124] II Nephi ii, 16 and 27; x, 23. See also Alma iii, 26; xii,
31; xxix, 4, 5; xxx, 9; Hel. xiv, 30.
=5.= Alma, another Nephite prophet, in speaking of those who had died,
said they had gone "that they might reap their rewards, according to
their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap
eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which
they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one; For
every man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to obey, and this
according to the words of the spirit of prophecy."[125]
[125] Alma iii, 26-27.
=6.= Samuel, the converted Lamanite, upon whom the spirit of the
prophets had fallen, admonished his wayward fellows in this wise: "And
now remember, remember my brethren, that whosoever perisheth,
perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto
himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for
yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge, and He
hath made you free; He hath given unto you that ye might know good
from evil, and He hath given unto you that ye might choose life or
death."[126]
[126] Helaman xiv, 30-31.
=7.= When the plans for creating and peopling the earth were under
discussion in heaven, Satan sought to destroy the free agency of man,
by obtaining power to force the human family to do his will, promising
the Father that by such means he would redeem all mankind, and that
not one of them should be lost.[127] This proposition was rejected,
while the original purpose of the Father,--to use persuasive
influences of wholesome precept and sacrificing example with the
inhabitants of the earth, then to leave them free to choose for
themselves, was agreed upon, and the Only Begotten Son was chosen as
the chief instrument in carrying that purpose into effect.
[127] Moses iv. 1; see also Abraham iii, 27-28; and "Jesus the
Christ," ch. ii.
=8. Man's Responsibility= for his individual acts is as complete as is
his agency to elect for himself. The natural result of good deeds is
happiness; the consequence of evil is misery; these follow in every
man's life by inviolable laws. There is a plan of judgment[128]
divinely fore-ordained, by which every man will be called to answer
for his deeds; and not for deeds alone but for his words also, and
even for the thoughts of his heart. "But I say unto you, that every
idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the
day of judgment."[129] These are the words of the Savior Himself. "And
let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and
love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith the
Lord."[130] John the Revelator was permitted to learn in vision
something of the scenes connected with the last judgment; he says:
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books
were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life;
and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which
were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in
them: and they were judged every man according to their works."[131]
[128] Matt. x, 15; xi, 22; II Peter ii, 9; iii, 7; I John iv, 17.
[129] Matt. xii, 36.
[130] Zech. viii, 17.
[131] Rev. xx, 12, 13.
=9.= The judgment of God is not always made to follow immediately the
acts of men; good deeds may not be at once rewarded, evil is rarely
peremptorily punished; and this is according to Divine wisdom; were it
appointed otherwise, the test of individual nature, and the trial of
human faith, for which purposes this mortal probation was primarily
ordained, would be greatly lessened; for the certainty of immediate
pleasure or pain would almost universally determine human acts to
secure the one and to avoid the other. Judgment, therefore, is
postponed, that every one may fully prove his nature, the good man
increasing in righteousness, and the evil doer possessing opportunity
of repentance and reparation before the great and terrible day. On
rare occasions, speedy judgment of a temporal nature has been
executed, the physical results of worldly blessing for good,[132] and
calamity for evil deeds[133] following swiftly upon the acts. Whether
such retribution entirely satisfies the claims of justice, or a
further visitation of judgment is to take place beyond this world,
matters not. Such acts are exceptional in the Divine administration.
[132] Job xlii, 10-17.
[133] Numbers xii, 1-2; 10-15; xv, 32-36; xvi; xxi, 4-6; I Sam.
vi, 19; II Sam. vi, 6-7; Acts v, 1-11.
=10.= It is the prerogative of Jesus Christ[134] to judge the
children of men, and He will do it as His own purposes, which are
likewise the purposes of His Father, may be best served. John records
the words of Christ: "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men should honor the Son
even as they honor the Father."[135] And Peter, while expounding the
gospel to the devout Gentile, Cornelius, declared concerning Jesus
Christ, that "it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of
quick and dead."[136] Of the dread fate of the wicked reserved for the
judgment day, many prophets have borne record[137] and the presiding
Judge of that awful tribunal has given in His own words
descriptions[138] so vivid and forceful, as to leave no shadow of
doubt that every living soul will be called to acknowledge the record,
and to accept the results of his acts. The Lord's words and those of
His prophets are unequivocal, that He is no respecter of persons,[139]
and that any species of favor foreign to justice is unknown to Him.
This judgment none but the unrepentant wicked need fear; to the
righteous it is a time of triumph.[140]
[134] John v, 22-27; Acts x, 42; xvii, 31; Rom. ii, 16; II Cor. v,
10; II Tim. iv, 1, 8; Doc. and Cov. cxxxiii, 2.
[135] John v, 22.
[136] Acts x, 42.
[137] Dan. vii, 9; II Thess. i, 7, 8; III Nephi xxvi, 3-5; Doc.
and Cov. lxxvi, 31-49; 103-106.
[138] Matt. xxv, 31-46; Doc. and Cov. i, 9-12.
[139] Acts x, 34, 35; Rom. ii, 11; Eph. vi, 9; Colos. iii, 25.
[140] II Tim. iv, 8.
=11. Sin.=--What is the nature of sin? To this question the Apostle
John replies, "Sin is the transgression of the law."[141] In the
original language of the Bible records, many words occur for which our
single term sin is used, all however conveying the common idea of
opposition to the Divine will.[142] As God is the embodiment of purity
and perfection, such opposition is a rebellion against the principles
of advancement, and an acceptance of the practices that lead to
degradation. Sin is any condition, whether consisting in omission of
things required, or in commission of acts forbidden, which tends to
prevent or hinder the development of the human soul. As a righteous
course leads to eternal life, so sin tends toward the darkness of the
second death. Sin was introduced to the world by the arch-fiend
Satan;[143] yet it is by Divine permission that mankind is brought in
contact with sin, the contrast between evil and good thus being
learned.
[141] I John iii, 4.
[142] See Note 2.
[143] Pearl of Great Price: Moses iv, 4; Genesis iii.
=12.= According to the technical definition of sin, it consists in the
violation of law, and in this strict sense sin may be committed
inadvertently or in ignorance. It is plain, however, from the
scriptural doctrine of human responsibility, and the unerring justice
of God, that in his transgressions as in his righteous deeds, man will
be judged according to his ability to comprehend law. To him who has
never been made acquainted with a higher law, the requirements of that
law do not apply in their fulness. For sins committed without
knowledge,--that is, for laws violated in ignorance, a propitiation
has been provided in the atonement wrought through the sacrifice of
the Savior; and sinners of this class do not stand condemned.
=13.= Nephi, prophesying to the ancient inhabitants of the western
continent, taught them this doctrine:--"Where there is no law given,
there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment, there is no
condemnation; and where there is no condemnation, the mercies of the
Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for
they are delivered by the power of him; For the atonement satisfieth
the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given
to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and
hell and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone which is
endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them
breath, which is the Holy One of Israel."[144] And then, in contrast
with the lot of those who are thus pardonable, the prophet adds:--"But
wo unto him that has the law given; yea, that has all the commandments
of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth
the days of his probation, for awful is his state!"[145] This is in
strict agreement with the teachings of Paul to the Romans, "For as
many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as
many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law."[146] And
the word of modern scripture is to the same effect, for we are told
through recent revelation to the Church, that among those who are to
receive the blessings of redemption are "they who died without
law."[147] These will include the heathen nations, whose redemption is
promised, with the added declaration that "they that knew no law shall
have part in the first resurrection."[148]
[144] II Nephi ix, 25-26.
[145] The same, paragraph 27.
[146] Rom. ii, 12.
[147] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 72.
[148] Doc. and Cov. xiv, 54. See p. 404, Note 4.
==14. Punishment for Sin.--As rewards for righteous deeds are
proportionate to deserving acts, so the punishment prescribed for sin
is made adequate to the offence.[149] Punishment is inflicted upon the
sinner, for disciplinary and reformatory purposes, and in support of
justice. There is nothing of vindictiveness or of desire to cause
suffering in the Divine nature; on the contrary, our Father is
cognizant of every pang, and permits such to afflict for beneficent
purposes only. God's mercy is declared in the retributive pains which
He allows, as in the blessings of peace which issue from His hand. It
is scarcely profitable to speculate as to the exact nature of the
spiritual suffering imposed as punishment for sin. Comparison with
physical pain,[150] such as the tortures of fire, in a sulphurous
lake, serve to show that the human mind is incapable of comprehending
the depth of these dread penalties. The sufferings entailed by the
awful fate of condemnation are more to be feared than are any possible
inflictions of purely physical torture; the mind, the spirit, the
whole soul is doomed to suffer, and the extent of the torment no man
knoweth.
[149] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 82-85; lxxxii, 21; civ, 9; lxiii, 17;
II Nephi i, 13; ix, 27; xxviii, 23.
[150] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 36, 44; Jacob vi, 10; Alma xii, 16-17;
III Nephi xxvii, 11-12.
=15.= Consider the word of the Lord regarding those whose sin is the
unpardonable one, whose transgression has carried them beyond the
present horizon of possible redemption; those who have sunk so low in
their wickedness as to have lost the power and even the desire to
attempt reformation.[151] "Sons of Perdition" is the terrible
designation by which they are known. These are they who, having
learned the power of God, afterward renounce it; those who sin
wilfully, in the light of knowledge; those who open their hearts to
the Holy Spirit, and then put the Lord to a mockery and a shame by
denying Him; and those who commit murder, wherein they shed innocent
blood;[152] these are they of whom the Savior has declared that it
would be better for them had they never been born.[153] These are to
share the punishment of the devil and his angels--punishment so
terrible that the knowledge is withheld from all except those who are
consigned to this dread doom, though a momentary glance at the awful
picture is permitted to some.[154] These sinners are the only ones
over whom the second death hath power, "Yea, verily, the only ones
who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord."[155]
[151] See Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 26, 32, 43.
[152] Doc. and Cov. cxxxii, 27.
[153] John xvii, 12; II Thess. ii, 3; Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 32.
[154] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 45-48.
[155] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 38-39.
=16. The Duration of Punishment.=--As to the duration of such
punishment, we may take assurance that it will be graded according to
the sin; and that the popular interpretation of scriptural passages to
the effect that every sentence for misdeeds is interminable, is
entirely false.[156] Great as is the effect of this life upon the
hereafter, and terrible as is the responsibility of opportunities lost
for repentance, God holds the power to pardon beyond the grave. And
yet the scriptures speak of eternal and endless punishment. Any
punishment ordained of God is eternal, for He is eternal.[157] His is
a system of endless punishment, for it will always exist as a place or
condition prepared for disobedient spirits; yet the infliction of the
penalty will have an end in every case of willing repentance and
attempted reparation. And repentance is not impossible in the spirit
world.[158] Yet, as seen, there are some sins so terrible that their
consequent punishments are not made known to man;[159] these extreme
penalties are reserved for the "Sons of Perdition."
[156] Doc. and Cov. xix, 6-12; lxxvi, 36, 44.
[157] Doc. and Cov. xix, 10-12.
[158] I Peter iii, 18-20; iv, 6; Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 73. See p.
119.
[159] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 44.
=17.= The false doctrine that the punishment to be visited upon the
erring souls is endless, that every sentence for sin is of
interminable duration, must be regarded as one of the most pernicious
results of unenlightened sectarianism. It is but a dogma of
unauthorized and erring churches, at once unscriptural, unreasonable,
and revolting to one who loves mercy and honors justice. True, the
scriptures speak of everlasting burnings, eternal damnation, and the
vengeance of eternal fire,[160] as characteristics of the judgment
provided for the wicked; yet in no instance is there justification for
the inference that the individual sinner will have to suffer the wrath
of offended justice forever and ever. The punishment in any case is
sufficiently severe without the added and supreme horror of unending
continuation. Justice must have her due; but when "the uttermost
farthing" is paid, the prison doors shall open and the captive be
free. But the prison remains, and the law prescribing punishment for
offences will not be repealed.
[160] Matt. xviii, 8; xxv, 41, 46; II Thess. i, 9; Mark iii, 29;
Jude 7.
=18.= So general were the ill-effects of the commonly-accepted
doctrine, unscriptural and untrue though it was, regarding the endless
torment awaiting every sinner, that even before the Church had been
formally organized in the present dispensation, God gave a revelation
through the Prophet Joseph Smith, touching this matter, in which we
read:--"And surely every man must repent or suffer; for I, God, am
endless: wherefore I revoke not the judgments which I shall pass, but
woes shall go forth, weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, yea to
those who are found on my left hand; nevertheless it is not written
that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless
torment. Again it is written eternal damnation ... for behold, I am
endless, and the punishment which is given from my hand, is endless
punishment, for Endless is my name; wherefore, eternal punishment is
God's punishment. Endless punishment is God's punishment.[161]"
[161] Revelation given March, 1830; Doc. and Cov. xix, 4-12.
=19. Satan.=--We have had occasion to refer frequently to the author
of evil among men. This is Satan,[162] the adversary or opponent of
the Lord, the chief of all evil spirits, called also the Devil,[163]
Beelzebub,[164] or the Prince of Devils, Perdition,[165] and
Belial.[166] The figurative appellations Dragon and Serpent are
applied to Satan, when reference is made to his fall.[167] We learn
from the revealed word[168] that Satan was once an angel of light; he
was then known as Lucifer, a Son of the Morning, but his uncontrolled
ambition prompted him to aspire to the glory and power of the Father,
to secure which he made the unjust proposition to redeem the human
family by compulsion; failing in this purpose, he headed an open
rebellion against the Father and the Son, drawing a third of the hosts
of heaven into his impious league.[169] These rebellious spirits were
expelled from heaven, and have since followed the impulses of their
wicked natures by seeking to lead human souls to their own condition
of darkness. They are the Devil and his angels. The right of free
agency, maintained and vindicated by the fateful strife in heaven,
prevents the possibility of compulsion being employed in this fiendish
work of degradation; but the powers of these malignant spirits to
tempt and persuade are used to their utmost limits. Satan tempted Eve
to transgress the law of God;[170] it was he who imparted the secret
of murder to the fratricide, Cain.[171]
[162] Job i, 6-22; ii, 1-7; Zech. iii, 1-2.
[163] Matt. iv, 5, 8, 11; I Peter v, 8.
[164] Matt. xii, 24.
[165] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 26.
[166] II Cor. vi, 15.
[167] Rev. xii, 9; xx, 2.
[168] Doc. and Cov. lxxvi, 25-27.
[169] Doc. and Cov. xxix, 36-37; see also Pearl of Great Price:
Moses iv, 3-7; Abraham iii, 27-28; "Jesus the Christ," pp. 8, 9.
[170] Genesis iii, 4-5, and Pearl of Great Price: Moses iv, 6-11.
[171] Pearl of Great Price: Moses v, 29-33.
=20.= Satan exerts a mastery over the spirits that have been corrupted
by his practices; he is the foremost of the angels who were thrust
down, and the instigator of the ruin of those who fall in this life;
he seeks to molest and hinder mankind in good efforts, by tempting to
sin; it may be by imposing sickness,[172] or possibly death. Yet in
all these malignant doings, he can go no farther than the
transgressions of the victim may enable him, or the wisdom of God may
permit him to go, and he may at any time be checked by the superior
power. Indeed, even the operations of his utmost malice may be turned
to the accomplishment of Divine purposes. The scriptures prove to us
that the days of Satan's power are already numbered,[173] his doom has
been pronounced, and in the Lord's own time he will be completely
overcome. He is to be bound during the millennial reign,[174] and
after that thousand years of blessed peace, he will be loosed for a
little season; then his defeat will be made complete, and his power
over the children of God will be entirely destroyed.
[172] Luke xiii, 16; Job i.
[173] John xii, 31; xvi, 11.
[174] Rev. xx, 1-10.