2 Nephi 2:27-29

After establishing that we are here on Earth to act or be acted upon, he teaches Jacob we are all free in this life.  Samuel, the Lamanite taught:

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.

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.

Helaman 14:29 - 30

What the Lord does, is done for us.  Nephi wrote, “He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him.  Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation” 2 Nephi 26:24.  Ammon would proclaim, “Now my brethren, we see that God is mindful of every people, whatsoever land they may be in; yea, he numbereth his people, and his bowels of mercy are over all the earth.  Now this is my joy, and my great thanksgiving; yea, and I will give thanks unto my God forever.  Amen.” (Alma 26:37).  Finally, Alma₂ would teach, “For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true” (Alma 29:8).

Mack Stirling writes:

The concept of a way leading to spiritual life in opposition to a way leading to spiritual death pervades the Book of Mormon. Near the end of his great discourse on opposition in all things, Lehi declares that "men are free according to the flesh; . . . 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" (2 Nephi 2:27). Likewise, Lehi's son Jacob challenges us to "remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life" (2 Nephi 10:23). Ultimately, all men who hear the word of God will choose one of these two mutually exclusive possibilities, spiritual life or spiritual death. No other option exists…

[T]hose who have the option to repent, but who do not, suffer the never-ending torment of the second death (hell). To assume that only those who commit the unpardonable sin of denying the Holy Ghost suffer the awful state of the second death is to ignore the repeated warnings of the Book of Mormon prophets to those for whom repentance is an option but who choose to remain in their sins (see 1 Nephi 15:27–30, 32–36; 2 Nephi 2:27–29; 9:45–47; Jacob 6:4–11; Mosiah 2:36–40; 16:5, 11–12; 26:25–27; Alma 5:41–42; 12:31–37; 34:33–35). The great division in mankind described by the Book of Mormon is between those who hearken to the voice of God and those who do not, not between those who commit the unpardonable sin and everyone else.[1]

Christ is our Mediator.  We must listen to his commandments, be faithful, and choose eternal life.  Hugh Nibley writes:

So we also have our part in achieving in the Atonement. How is it all done? The explanation of the Predestinationists, Neoplatonists, and Moslems is simply that God does it all because he can, which leaves us completely irresponsible nonentities. That is not what we want. We want to be one with the Father, which obviously is completely beyond our present capacity; it is only the Son who can help us: then "look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments" (2 Nephi 2:28). He will tell us just what to do, for he is anxious to help us. "Be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit" (2 Nephi 2:28).[2] 

As we have seen, choice is an essential part of the plan of salvation.  We can choose to follow God’s commandments and obtain eternal life.  The alternative is choosing the way of the devil.  His goal is “to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom”  (2 Nephi 2:29).  Paul wrote the Romans:

[JST Rom. 6:14 For in so doing sin shall not have dominion over you;] for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

What then?  shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace?  God forbid [GR May it not be!]

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.

Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

Romans 6:14 - 18

During his great vision, the angel told Nephi, “For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other—either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the deliverance of them to the hardness of their hearts and the blindness of their minds unto their being brought down into captivity, and also into destruction, both temporally and spiritually, according to the captivity of the devil, of which I have spoken.” (1 Nephi 14:7).

When confronting Zeezrom, Alma₂ explained:

It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.

And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.

And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction.  Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.

Alma 12:9 - 11

Bruce Satterfield explains these teachings in the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon teaches that on the one hand the Spirit of Christ is the agent that entices men and women to do good (Moroni 7:16–17). On the other hand, it is the "the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate" that entices men and women to do evil (2 Nephi 2:29). Without the Spirit of Christ there would be no opposing enticements and, therefore, no agency. With evil as the only enticement, man would forever become evil with no hope of change.[3]

---

[1] The Way of Life and the Way of Death in the Book of Mormon, Mack C. Stirling, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 3, 2013.

[2] The Meaning of the Atonement, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 3, 2013.

[3] The Divine Justification for the Babylonian Destruction of Jerusalem, Bruce Satterfield, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 3, 2013.