Our free will and God’s foreknowledge might seem like contradictory principles. C. S. Lewis asserted that they are both true principles, but that free will “is the deeper truth of the two” (The Great Divorce, pg. 124-25).
God’s foreknowledge of events before they transpire does not compel us or make our decisions inevitable. It does not rob us of agency.
Somehow, God knows everything, past, present, and future, what we will choose, and yet that is not the same thing as determinism, the idea that everything is inevitable.
Satan tries to sap our drive and commitment with falsehoods. One such lie he promotes is the idea that God’s foreknowledge of our choices destroys our freedom. If everything were predetermined and out of our control, it would be a good excuse to stop repenting. Regardless of how contradictory they seem to us, God’s foreknowledge and our agency are both clearly taught in the scriptures as coexistent and harmonious.
“And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good…” (Alma 13:3).
All metaphors are flawed, but the following image helps me reconcile the seeming contradiction: Imagine someone piloting a helicopter above a driver on a winding road with many forks. Canyon walls flank the road and obscure the view of the driver. The pilot sees him take a wrong turn. Because of his elevated position, he can see what the consequences of this wrong turn will be. He knows that the driver is headed toward danger. If the pilot can communicate with the driver, and the driver listens, the pilot’s advanced view of the terrain ahead will benefit the driver.
“…all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men” (Alma 40:8).
Even though God knows everything that will happen, the constant litany of the scriptures is repent, exercise faith in Christ, repent, exercise faith… This instruction is more than a dictum to be good boys and girls; it is based on God’s knowledge of what lies ahead (whether we can see it or not). Satan wants us to believe all such efforts are futile (no matter how hard we try we are never completely free from our flaws here). Yet the Lord insists that constant repentance is not futile, but vital.
Staying in the Light
The scriptures teach us that the Savior is “the light of the world,” “the true light which ligheth every man that cometh into the world” (John 8:12, 1:9). This life is a time “to prepare to meet God” (Alma 12:24). While we are here, we can receive a greater amount of light than we have earned—through grace. We get that light for free at birth. Once we die, however, the amount of light we receive will be greatly reduced, unless we have repented, been baptized, and made other priesthood covenants with God and kept those covenants well.
“For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
“But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
“…Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit” (D&C 19:16, 17, 20).
That power, the light emanating from God, keeps us alive and makes us happy, the way petroleum fuels automobiles or food sustains our bodies.
“And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
“Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space—
“The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things…the law by with all things are governed…
“…your glory (in the resurrection) shall be that same glory by which your bodies are quickened (here in our mortal existence).
“Ye who are quickened (now) by a portion of the celestial glory shall then (in the resurrection) receive of the same, even a fulness” (D&C 88:11-13, 28-29).
Heaven is heavenly in part because we get a fullness of that celestial light there. “When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is…
“And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there, only it will be coupled with eternal glory, which glory we do not now enjoy” (D&C 130:1-2). Joseph Smith experienced that glory during the First Vision:
“A pillar of fire appeared above my head; which presently rested down upon me, and filled me with unspeakable joy” (Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Milton V. Backman, Appendix B, 1835 Account, p. 159). Even without a grand theophany or open vision, we can get a foretaste of that joy in this life.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy…” (D&C 11:13).
In order to enjoy that same portion of the Spirit we have here and now after we cross the boundary of death, we must repent, make covenants with God, and keep those covenants well.
“I am the bread of life…
“…he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever” (John 5:48, 58).
“…If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:51).
This refers to spiritual life and death, our portion of the Spirit we enjoy, more than physical death (though eventual resurrection for all is literal).
“…the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). All the original Apostles but John died. However, physical death does not include spiritual death (loss of the Spirit, of that light) for those who die in Christ, faithful to their covenants.
“And it shall come to pass that those who die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;
“And they that die not in me, wo unto them, for their death is bitter” (D&C 42:46).
“…for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world” (Alma 34:34). Repentance, here and now, is vital for happiness hereafter. The command for all men everywhere to repent is to help us in the next world beyond death, not just here in mortality.
Hell is depicted figuratively as a furnace of stinking sulfur. The clinical, literal description of Hell is “Outer Darkness.” God dwells in “fire” and “everlasting burnings” (Isaiah 33:14). When this earth is celestialized and crowned with His presence, it will become a “sea of glass and fire,” a great “Urim and Thummim to the inhabitants who dwell thereon” (D&C 130:7, 9).
The more of God’s light we receive, the happier we will be. Misery is to lose that light, to receive a lesser portion, or none at all.
The scriptures applaud every step away from sin, and toward obedience and repentance. Our attempts might seem fruitless at times, but the consequences of repentance here and now might save us from incalculable suffering, loss of that light, after we die.
Trust
The night Jesus was arrested, Peter said, “I will lay down my life for thy sake.”
“Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice” (John 13:37-38). This is a painful kind of prophecy—the Lord knows Peter will make a big mistake, and foretells it. Should Peter wallow in despair? No. The very next verse says,
“Let not your heart be troubled…
“In my Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you…
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).
We must trust that the Lord foresaw all our bad choices (and good), and has prepared a way for us to return to Him.
We speak of the “plan of salvation” as though it were a simple, uniform template for everyone, a waterslide that we all traverse. How much information is contained in that little word, “plan?” It is a verb as well as a noun. Millions of threads make up a mighty tapestry, yet each is unique, and serves to create its own part of the final picture. Each life is unique, and so each life must have been accounted for—planned for—in order for the plan of salvation to be complete.
Nephi saw a vision of the creation and destruction of his people, the Nephites. He sank into bitter sorrow because of this, but his final analysis is educational for us: “…nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted” (2Ne. 4:19).
The fact that God knows the future should fill us with trust and hope, not despair, because He works on our behalf.
Guidance
Rather than feel compelled or limited by God’s foreknowledge, we should feel gratitude that He has our best interests at heart, and that we can trust His omniscience and guidance He sends us through His Spirit (and other sources).
Nephi obtained the brass plates, not because of cunning or his own strength, but because he “was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [he] should do” (1Ne. 4:6).
Lehi’s family was led by the Liahona, a miraculous brass ball that pointed the way they should travel in the wilderness. Messages would appear on it and change from time to time. “And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness” (1Ne. 16:16). To ignore spiritual promptings is to invite waste and disaster. Following the Spirit saves time, and leads to safety, greater opportunities, and generally increased prosperity.
“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).
Instead of waiting to be free from flaws before we feel alright about ourselves and start choosing, we should move forward with confidence, do the best we can, and trust that the Lord has foreseen and provided for the results of our choices.
Often, the Lord will place decisions on our shoulders instead of giving us specific instructions.
“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant…” (D&C 58:26). The Lord lets us choose, and is prepared for any messes we might make (or invariably make) in the process. The Atonement of Christ is the ultimate power to fix, clean, and cure the aftermath and consequences of our sins or mistakes. (It also does far more; we have only begun to experience the benefits of the Atonement.)
After Joseph Smith was martyred, Brigham Young met him in a dream-vision:
“Joseph…said, ‘tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach them what to do and where to go…. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls…and their whole desire will be to do good…. Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord…they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in heaven before they came into the world” (Elden J. Watson, Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1846-47, 23 February 1847).
Both our moral agency and the foreknowledge of God are real, and coexist.
The omniscient foreknowledge of God should console us, not unnerve us. We can rejoice in His ability to foresee what is coming. The Spirit will give us direction according to that knowledge about the future. It will also give us peace and faith to cover gaps in our current limited understanding. “I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” (1Ne. 11:17). When we follow the quiet whisperings of His Spirit, we experience tender mercies, tangible blessings that serve as proofs that God knows the future, and uses that knowledge for us.
I have been blessed with such promptings, and when I have the courage necessary to follow them, I have witnessed those quiet, consoling evidences that God knew what would happen. We should not forget that pure love motivates the use of His power in our lives, and we can return that love by repenting and following directions He gives.
