What is relational agency?

J. Hathaway

- 8 minutes read - 1700 words

I have spent quite a bit of time discussing time and the future in this blog. In fact, many of my conversations with my friends have touched on the topic of time as well. Recently, I was at a small backyard gathering where a friend of mine blurted out, “J’s entire premise is messed up so the logic doesn’t make sense." He was referencing the concepts of God living within time. However, god living in time is not the premise. It is the result of the driving premise upon which openness theology is based. That God’s entire desire is to be in loving relationships with each of use. His desire to love and let us love is the premise. In this post, I lay out the driving premise of most moved mover in the context of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s most cherished teaching - agnecy.

Introduction to Relational Agency

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have a particular affinity to the doctrine of agency or free will. Throughout the history of our church, we have used two primary modifiers in front of agency - free and moral. The phrase agency and the discussion of agency have been used heavily throughout our history.

I can’t find previous use of the phrase ‘relational agency’ in Latter-day Saint religious discussions. I hope to center the view of agency on the choice to love, the choice to be in a relationship with God and our fellow man. While the phrase has not existed, Christ did establish this concept as the greatest commandment when he spoke in Matthew 22:37-40;

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Christ invites us to see commandments, sin, and choice all within the context of the love of God and our fellow men. With that invitation, I propose looking at agency as a choice to love God, a choice of relationship.

Agency References

The word agency is only used in latter-day scripture, and even then, there are only two references in the Pearl of Great Price and three in the Doctrine and Covenants. The full set of references follows in order of appearance in the restoration.

  • Moses 4:3: Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; (June - October of 1830)

  • D&C 29:36: And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency; (September 1830)

  • Moses 7:32: The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency; (December 1830)

  • D&C 93:31: Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. (May 1833)

  • D&C 101:78: That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment. (December 1833)

In addition the Doctrine and Covenants has another phrasing that references agency - ‘agents unto himself/themselves’. Here are the three references;

  • D&C 29:35,39: Behold, I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments are spiritual; they are not natural nor temporal, neither carnal nor sensual. … And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet. (September 1830)

  • D&C 58:28: For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. (August 1831)

  • D&C 104:17 For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves. (April 1834)

The following chart shows the count of agency references in General Conference from 1850 to 2010. Many of the references don’t have a qualifier, as seen by the significant difference in the top line to the two lower lines. Note the transition to ‘moral agency’ as the predominant qualifier starting in the 1990s and the substantial growth in the use of ‘free agency’ during the McKay era with a quick decline in the late 1900s even while agency maintained a steady amount of references during the last 50 years.1

Free Agency History

The Millenial Star published an editorial by Thomas Ward in 1842 where he used the phrase ‘free agency’. Then Orson Pratt’s 1859 address and Brigham Young’s 1872 address established the phrase in our lexicon. It then picked up a standard usage among the general authorities more and more until the 1960s.

Moral Agency History

Joseph Smith’s revelation in 1833 introduced the phrase ‘moral agency’. We can find the revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 101:78;

That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.

Except for Charles W. Nibley in 1925, all references in General Conference were quoting this verse directly until Marion G. Romney in 1964 and Howard W. Hunter in 1966.1 It is not until the 1990s that the phrase ‘moral agency’ overtakes ‘free agency’ by reference count.

Relational Agency

As noted, the phrase ‘relational agency’ is not a typical combination of words. LDS scholars or general authorities have not used it. However, the context of relational agency or our choice to love God is evident in scripture. Let’s review Doctrine and Covenants 93’s conversation about agency in verses 30-32.

All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence. Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. And every man whose spirit receiveth not the light is under condemnation.

So we see the following truths from above;

  1. We get to act for ourselves (all intelligence can act for itself)2
  2. That which was from the beginning was manifest unto us.
  3. Not receiving the light condemns us.

These truths seem to jump all over the place with their direct statements of facts, but semi-confusing assumptions of how these facts relate to each other. I propose that the implicit concept that connects them is God’s love. 1 John 4:16-17 helps us understand that ‘that which was from the beginning’ was God’s love.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.

Then our not receiving the light must be our decision not to love God. Love and light have often been used as synonyms by latter-day prophets.

The plan of salvation starts with our choice to enter into a relationship with God. I might rephrase the above verses in section 94 to say, ‘behold here is the relationship with God that man choose to have, which then allows our choice to hate God which can condemn us (evil). Because the love of God was open to us and we did not choose a relationship with him, we are condemned.' He has invited us to choose a loving relationship that can bring us into his presence. He gave us relational agency.

MostMovedMover.com’s premise is that God wants us to choose a loving relationship with him.3 It is his love that establishes agency as the driving virtue of the plan of salvation because it is the only tool available that can open up the free and reciprocating love that God desires with each of us. We must see sin, obedience, commandments, faith, God’s attributes, and scripture under the shadow of our loving relationship with him.

  1. https://www.lds-general-conference.org/ ↩︎

  2. Intelligence refers to the spirit children of God or the spirit element that was used to form God’s spirit children ref. ↩︎

  3. The concepts of God, time, and a contingent future fall out from the premise of God’s love, relational agency, and humankind’s power to choose. ↩︎

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