Helaman 14:28-31

²⁸ And the angel said unto me that many shall see greater things than these, to the intent that they might believe that these signs and these wonders should come to pass upon all the face of this land, to the intent that there should be no cause for unbelief among the children of men—²⁹ And this to the intent that whosoever will believe might be saved, and that whosoever will not believe, a righteous judgment might come upon them; and also if they are condemned they bring upon themselves their own condemnation.

³⁰ 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. ³¹ 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; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.

Helaman 14:28 – 31 (Emphasis mine)

Samuel tells us that the great signs the people see are for the “intent that they might believe” (v. 28).  Those who believe in Christ will be saved.  Those who don’t believe, “a righteous judgment might come upon them; and also if they are condemned they bring upon themselves their own condemnation” (v. 29).

Samuel turns to the principal of free agency.  “[W]hosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself” (v30).  We are responsible for our choices.  God has given us knowledge and he gave us the freedom to make choices.

Lehi told his son, Jacob:

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 for themselves and not to be acted 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 Mediator 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.

2 Nephi 2:26 - 27

Hugh Nibley writes:

Free agency, according to the Book of Mormon, belongs to everybody … At last man is allowed to judge—himself! This free agency was given to us in the preexistence as a basic principle of the plan of life; no mortal can give it to another or take it away from another … This is an absolute law and operates regardless of the type of society in which one lives (Alma 41:7—8, 42:7, 26—28) ... The same cause produced a hardening in the one case and a softening in the other—who could blame the war for his bad behavior? No person or thing can force another to sin, for a sin is only a sin to that degree to which one participates of his own free will.[1]

Christ has given us the knowledge to know the difference between good and evil; he allows us to choose life or death.  If we choose life, we will be restored to that which is good; if we choose evil, we will be restored to evil.

Writing to Moroni₂, Mormon wrote: “For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God” (Moroni 7:16).

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[1] Good People and Bad People, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed August 31, 2012.