When? Is the Question

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how important it is to understand the law of justice in order to help us use our agency correctly. As Abinadi explained to King Noah’s court, “The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just” (Mosiah 1:1). The sooner we realize and accept the fact that our Savior is just, that He will make all things right, the easier it is to use our agency to chose to live in Truth and escape the pain and suffering that occur when we choose to live in Illusion.

But there is something else in this verse that is motivating. In Rom 14:11 we are taught, “As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” This means that at some point all people will realize that Jesus is the Christ and that life was fair. It means that at some point in time all people will accept His teachings. Thus, having agency doesn’t mean you can choose never to learn such things as repentance, forgiveness, honesty, generosity, faith, hope and charity. Everyone will someday accept those things and live them. Having agency doesn’t mean you get to choose if you’ll obey. Having agency means you get to choose when you will obey Jesus—now or later.