I came across the following from a autobiography of a “run of the mill” Latter-day Saint. I am just sharing their thoughts on the topic of free-will and predestination, showing how a “normie” Latter-day Saint approaches the topic:
The beautiful,
inspired Plan of Salvation gives us agency, to choose right or wrong. Most of
us choose a mixture. But if we choose right more than wrong and repent of the
wrong when we grow enough to understand it was wrong, then we are on our way to
the perfection that is necessary for those who will live with God and Jesus Christ.
Then we will be allowed to know all truth and have power to accomplish good
things with them throughout eternity.
Predestination
All this does not
mean we believe in predestination. Abraham could have chosen otherwise, but God
knew him in the spirit world, and knew he had developed into a powerful, strong
spirit there, and could be depended upon. Jesus Christ Himself, the most powerful
of all the spirits, was chosen for His job. He knew His responsibility. He knew
He had to be the perfect sacrifice. He could have refused to partake of that
cup. But He didn’t. He chose well and He did His job, and so we can be forgiven
and resurrected and welcomed back to the Home of our Father, if we also choose
well in this life and accept Christ’s sacrifice for us. (“Appendix C: ‘The
Gospel According to Saint Helen,’” in Helen Monson and Kim Poole, A Greater
Destiny: An Autobiography of Helen Mar Carter Monson [Outskirts Press, 2026],
3546 to 3554 of 4599 of kindle ed.)
