26 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.
God wants us to act for ourselves, and that’s what we want as well. We want autonomy; we want freedom to make our own choices. Our current choices can limit our future freedom. For example, if you participate in a dangerous activity and become injured, your freedom to act is reduced. If you fail to prepare for emergencies, you will have fewer options in the moment of crisis. This principle also applies to intangible things. Ezra Taft Benson, in his talk “Beware of Pride,” said, “God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble, or we can be compelled to be humble.”
Today, I will be proactive. I will engage fully in the activities of the day, and I will take initiative to get things done, knowing that the alternative is to be “acted upon” by the natural consequences of my own failure to act.
Paul, you have left out verses 22-25. Why?
Thank you for the question. I don't remember any specific reason for leaving out those verses, except that my specific focus in this post was on verse 26, particularly on the concept of acting for ourselves, not being acted upon. I would welcome any comments you have on the preceding verses.