Freedom is the opportunity and ability to do something. It is always specific. Because I am free to do one thing, say fly a kite, does not mean that I am free to do another thing, such as walk on water. Should one ask, “Are you free?” I must answer, “Free to do what?”
The greatest, most fundamental freedom is spiritual freedom. A person who is spiritually free is able to grow in intelligence, to overcome his natural habits and limitations, to become like our Savior. This is freedom indeed! No one has this naturally, for it is a gift from God. The natural man is in spiritual bondage, and will be forever unless he accepts the divine gift. Having received it, he must treasure the gift and keep it:
“Abide in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes.” (D&C 88:86)
The knowledge as to how to obtain this freedom is the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
An explanation as to how we may become spiritually free begins with the story of the Fall of Adam. Herein we learn of the nature of our human being and of the bondage that came upon us. Only as we understand our captivity can we appreciate the opportunity to be set free.
We must define what it means to be a agent. There must first be an intelligent being, one who can make choices. Secondly, that intelligent being must have knowledge of alternatives, of choices to make. Thirdly, such a one must have power to carry out the choices made. These three then make one free: ability to choose, choices to make, power to do what is chosen.
If a person has the ability to choose, his agency is limited by his knowledge and his power. If he has little knowledge of the choices open to him, he is in just as much bondage as if he were bound hand and foot, unable to do what he might choose. Since knowledge and power are had by different persons in various degrees, even so they have agency in varying degrees.
Our Lord and Master, the Savior, has all knowledge and power. He then is fully an agent. We mortals have but a smattering of His knowledge, and but a beginning of His power. We then have but a beginning of agency. That agency is sufficient, if used wisely, to bring us to greater agency, even to full agency as we obey our Lord and Master.
When Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, he was given his agency by the Father and the Son. We do not know just how much power he had, but we do know that the only meaningful choice he had was whether or not to partake of the forbidden fruit. Adam was an agent because he could choose. But he had only one important choice to make, plus the power to do whichever he chose. Thus he had but the bare beginning of agency. To grow in agency he would have to know many choices of good and evil, then to be able to carry out his choice in each case.
With the help of Satan, Adam used his agency to choose and do evil. By partaking of the forbidden fruit he transgressed the commandment of God. His reward was as promised: he suffered spiritual death, became subject to the temptations of Satan, and eventually suffered mortal death. In this transgression, Adam fulfilled the Father’s plan, for now Adam could know many evil things to do, being subject to the adversary, Satan.
But knowing evil does not of itself set man free. The knowledge of evil is part of the bondage from which man must be set free. Thus it was that the Father sent angels to tell Adam the good things he could do, how he could put his trust in the Savior and do all things at the Savior’s direction and in His name. Knowing both many evil things to do and many good things to do, Adam was beginning to have great opportunity to choose. Now he must gain more power to act to become more free.
As a fallen man, Adam had the physical power we know to be common to mankind. This gave him ability to do many things in obedience to the instructions which the angels brought him. But to obey God in all things, as he wished to do, called for emotional, intellectual, and spiritual abilities he did not have. So he made a covenant in baptism to take upon himself the name of Christ, to remember Him always and to obey all of the commandments which the Savior would give him. The Savior accepted that promise and bestowed upon Adam the gift of the Holy Ghost and then the Holy Priesthood. Those two great gifts then enabled Adam to have the power to do any and every good thing the Savior commanded him to do.
We see from this that knowledge of good and power to do good are interrelated, for Adam and for all mankind, his posterity and heirs. If we receive instruction from God and do with our human power all we can to carry out that instruction, then God gives us more instruction and more power. Each builds on the other, line upon line, faith upon faith, power upon power. For obedience leads to greater power, which leads to greater instruction, which makes possible further obedience, going on and on until one may receive a fullness of all that the Savior himself has received.
A fully empowered agent is then one who knows all the evil things that could be done, but chooses to do only that which is good, having power to do anything that could be done, but doing only that which blesses all others as much as is possible. What limitations are there upon such a being? Only the bounds of existence itself. For His love reaches to the outermost place of heaven, to the loneliest abyss of hell. There is no hurt or suffering which is unknown to one fully free. Whatever can be done and should be done to help those hurts and to assuage that suffering is done by the full agent:
He that is ordained of God and sent forth, the same is appointed to be the greatest, notwithstanding he is the least and the servant of all.
Wherefore, he is possessor of all things; for all things are subject unto him, both in heaven and on the earth, the life and the light, the Spirit and the power, sent forth by the will of the Father through Jesus Christ, his Son.
But no man is possessor of all things except he be purified and cleansed from all sin.
And if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be done. (D&C 50:26–29)
But what about people who do not desire to do what is right? It is obvious that they have some knowledge and some power. In fact, they sometimes overpower and destroy those who serve God. How can this be if faithfulness leads to all power?
The answer is two-fold. First, when the people of God are sufficiently righteous, their enemies do not overpower them. The Church of Jesus Christ has suffered and has been hurt by persecutors in many dispensations, but in every case, it was because of lack of faith on the part of some. The Church as a whole was not sufficiently faithful to avoid being driven from New York, from Independence, from Kirtland, from Far West, and from Nauvoo, even though there were some with great faith among them. When the people of Christ are one with Christ and with each other, then the blessings of Enoch obtain:
And so great was the faith of Enoch, that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course, and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him. (Moses 7:13)
The second part of the answer is that persons who choose to do evil sometimes are given great power from Satan. Cain obtained the promise that he would “rule over Satan,” that Satan’s powers would be at his disposal. Evil persons have similarly bargained away their souls for such power ever since. Thus human beings have a real spiritual freedom: they can be powerful in Christ, or powerful in Satan.
But there is a difference. To choose Christ is to gain the greater power, and an eternal power, the power to bless into all eternity and to overcome all evil. The power which Satan can give is inferior to that of the Savior. It is strictly a short term phenomenon of this life only and perhaps only for part of it. Some choose it because it gives them wealth and power over men. They revel in self-exaltation. But their glory is hollow, and their fate is sure, as we see in the story of King Noah of the Book of Mormon. Moroni shows us the alternative and bears his warning:
And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing. (Moroni 10:30)
The sum of the matter is then that only the righteous can have and enjoy true spiritual freedom. The righteous are able to pursue and fulfill their desires both in time and in eternity. They know that the power of evil cannot destroy them, and if they do suffer, it is only to enhance the cause of the Savior and to prepare themselves personally for greater blessings. They enjoy that great hope of eternal opportunity to serve and bless others forever in the company of like-minded persons. Full of knowledge and power, they serve in love, without fear.
Those who choose the evil gift, on the other hand, must be companions of fear constantly. They cannot trust their fellows in evil, for they know any one of them might cut them low and take their place if given a chance. They must live ruthlessly from moment to moment, sopping up all the pleasure and false grandeur they can, knowing that death or deposition may destroy them and their glory at any time. What they know is not freedom but the madness of unrighteous dominion. Their glory is as one who burns his own house down to get warm, and then must shiver through the eternal night, exposed, friendless, and forlorn.
There is another aspect of spiritual freedom which relates to our bodies, the physical tabernacle with which God has blessed each person on earth. In the Fall, Satan gained power over Adam and all of his posterity, to tempt and try us through our own flesh. This does not mean that flesh itself is evil or that having a body is bad. It only means that we must not let our flesh control what we do. This life might be likened to a battle between our flesh and our spirit to see who is boss. Satan strives to get us to yield to the lusts of the flesh. The Holy Spirit strives with some persons to entice them to do the will of God, which is to do the work of righteousness. Life becomes a struggle between selfishness and sacrifice, between worldly glory and goodness, between receiving and giving.
Spiritual freedom is then to be free from the domination of the body which we have. If we yield to the Holy Spirit, then the false teachings we have learned, the bad habits we have acquired, the powers of the flesh and desires for unrighteous pleasure to which we have succumbed can be overcome. The leopard can change his spots. Though our past be one of evil, so that our garments are scarlet with the blood of sin, yet our garments may become white as wool. This great blessing comes only in and through the Savior, as father Lehi explained:
And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.
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.
And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom. (2 Nephi 2:26–29)
The real point of this discussion of spiritual freedom is not merely to delineate the theological niceties of the Gospel, great and powerful though they are. The fruit of all this is that each of us might use the understanding of freedom which we have to assess, correctly, our own present state of being. A good measuring rod will show us how much we have grown in spiritual stature, and what we yet must do to fulfill our own potential. We might then ask the following questions:
1. Am I in full control of my appetites and passions?
Do I eat because of hunger or for nourishment? Am I able to get to bed on time and get up on time? Do I avoid foods I know are not good for me? Do I seek pleasure for its own sake, or do I properly regard the boundaries the Lord has set? Have I learned to enjoy physical labor?
If I am in good spiritual health I will not be on the defensive. Instead of trying to ward off the temptations of sight and sound, smell and touch that come to me from the world, rather will I strive to discern spiritually the will of the Lord. The Holy Spirit tastes good. I will let its companionship be my pleasure and satisfaction. If it leads me in paths that are pleasurable as well as righteous, I will thank the Lord for His bounties unto me. If I am led through pain, I will endure it gladly, being willing to submit to the Father in all things.
2. Do I envy anyone?
If I envy, not only is my nose out of joint, but my eye is cockeyed. Should I envy the warmth and light of my neighbor who is burning down his own home? Should I curse my stars that I was not born to ease and opulence? Shall I complain that the shifting sands of public opinion have not put me at the top of the dune?
Rather will I know that righteousness is better forged in pain than in pleasure; that service comes in creation, not in consumption. I will see truly that it is not where we serve but how and why we serve that counts. I will know that all things work together for good for those that love the Lord.
3. Does my tongue run free?
Not all words edify, and we shall be held accountable for every idle word. But if I wait upon the Lord, and the Holy Spirit gives me utterance, then I can measure that portion of truth to every man as seemeth good to my Master. A ship without a rudder may fare better than one with a malicious helmsman. Better to be a faithful Moses with impediment of speech than a flattering Korihor who is content to please the carnal mind.
4. Are my thoughts garnished with virtue?
Knowing that what I am becoming is determined by that with which I fill my mind, what guardianship do I exercise over my future? Do I seek the scriptures, the words of the living prophets, the temple? Do I seek the company of the best people I know? Do I strive to see how blessing might come to all around me?
In a world where romantic unrealities trap many who would do well, do I hold firmly to the iron rod? Daydreaming must not consume me, nor should I give wish or worry precious time. My task, the task at hand, will receive my careful and undivided attention so that I make real the ideal planted in my heart by the Lord. My constant though will be: How should I help?
5. Do I school my feelings?
Have I come to realize that the essence of spirituality is emotion and not intellect? Do I see that purity of heart is the key to every other good thing? Do I exercise the agency which my creator has given me to turn the face of love to all in forgiveness, compassion, sympathy and succor?
If I realize that neither hate nor anger serve the purposes of God, I am beginning to be free. When I make real in my life the pure love for Christ, then I am free.
To become free, to gain full agency is to repent. It is to replace everything small and selfish in my mind and heart with that which is good and grand. Idea by idea, word by word, deed by deed, feeling by feeling, we all may become like our Savior.
Sometimes we wonder if we could not the more easily repent were not those around us so human and sinful. Such a desire is not a wish to become as Christ, to choose and gain righteousness as an agent. It is rather to wait until circumstances force us to be good, even as in the plan of Satan. We prove our hunger and thirst after righteousness only by challenging the teeth of the storm. If we wait to be good until all others repent, we surely will not be free.
Repentance thus takes a strong mind. We must turn our face to the living God and do His will, no matter what the sacrifice. No faint heart ever became as Christ. The Savior has let down to us the bridge of faith. We cannot see it. But we can feel it. If we trust in Him and climb His bridge, his love will see us across the chasm. We can leave our natural selves behind and become new creatures in Christ. Then do we have spiritual freedom.
The sum of the matter is that to be spiritually free is to be spiritually alive in Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
