???

MEN ARE NOT BORN EQUAL
(Who Chooses Eternal Life?)

No two persons are born with the same talents and capacities; no two are rooted in the same soil of circumstances; each is unique. The cares of this world, gold and honor and power and renown, the lusts of the flesh, the chains of past sins, and a thousand other things--all exert their influence upon us. But in the final sense the answer stems back to premortality. We all lived as spirit beings, as children of the Eternal Father, for an infinitely long period of time in the premortal existence. There we developed talents, gifts, and aptitudes; there our capacities and abilities took form; there, by obedience to law, we were endowed with the power, in one degree or another, to believe the truth and follow the promptings of the Spirit. And the talent of greatest worth was that of spirituality, for it enables us to hearken to the Holy Spirit and accept that gospel which prepares us for eternal life.
Men are not born equal. They enter this life with the talents and capacities developed in pre-existence...And as it is with the prophets, so is it with all the chosen seed. "God's elect," as Paul calls them (Romans 8:33), are especially endowed at birth with spiritual talents. It is easier for them to believe the gospel than it is for the generality of mankind. Every living soul comes into this world with sufficient talent to believe and be saved, but the Lord's sheep, as a reward for their devotion when they dwelt in his presence, enjoy greater spiritual endowments than their fellows.
(by Bruce R. McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 34 - A prolific LDS author and Mormon Doctrine authority)

Response by J Neil Evans
to this excerpt from Bruce R McConkies book.

BR McConkie describes people who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It tells them that, even though they have no recollection of any premortal existence, they are, because of their faithfulness there, especially able to choose to believe the teachings of the church. This clearly implies that people who do not choose to believe the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, do so because of their unfaithfulness in a premortal life. They do not choose now because they did not earn, in their premortal life, the present "reward" of "greater spiritual endowments." Latter Day Saints choose to believe as a reward for their premortal choices. Non-Latter Day Saints do not choose to believe because they did not earn the "greater spiritual endowments" to believe.

It seems reasonable to assume that any and every "true Saint" would want to know if this teaching about "Who Chooses Eternal Life" is true or false. With that desire it is important to ask how "choosing eternal life" is taught in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible?

Here are the 17 occurrences related to "choosing Life" in the Book of Mormon:

2Nephi 2:27,28,29 Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. 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; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
:28 And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;
:29 And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.
2Nephi 10:23 Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves -- to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life.
2Nephi 17:15,16 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and to choose the good.
:16For before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
2Nephi 24:1 For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
2Nephi 26:10 And when these things have passed away a speedy destruction cometh unto my people; for, notwithstanding the pains of my soul, I have seen it; wherefore, I know that it shall come to pass; and they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell.
Mosiah 29:25,27 Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord.
:27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land.
Alma 10:19 Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices -- yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction.
Alma 13:3 And this is the manner after which they were ordained -- being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
Alma 30:8 For thus saith the scripture: Choose ye this day, whom ye will serve.
Helaman 13:29 O ye wicked and ye perverse generation; ye hardened and ye stiffnecked people, how long will ye suppose that the Lord will suffer you? Yea, how long will ye suffer yourselves to be led by foolish and blind guides? Yea, how long will ye choose darkness rather than light?
Helaman 14:31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you.
Ether 6:24 But Jared said unto his brother: Suffer them that they may have a king. And therefore he said unto them: Choose ye out from among our sons a king, even whom ye will.

1Nephi 7:15 Now behold, I say unto you that if ye will return unto Jerusalem ye shall also perish with them. And now, if ye have choice, go up to the land, and remember the words which I speak unto you, that if ye go ye will also perish; for thus the Spirit of the Lord constraineth me that I should speak.

Likewise, they would want to know if is supported by the Bible they claim to believe. It so happens that the Bible has a great deal to say about "choosing."

The Bible's description of who chooses eternal life is remarkably different. The Bible describes man's "choosing" things 79 times and God's "choosing" 143 times. Here are a few of the Bible references related to who chooses eternal life:

Deuteronomy 7:6,7 “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
Deuteronomy 14:2 For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
1Kings 3:8 And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude.
1Chronicles 16:13 O offspring of Israel his servant, children of Jacob, his chosen ones!
Psalm 65:4 Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple!
Matthew 11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Mark 13:20 And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.
Luke 10:22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
John 15:19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Romans 11:5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
1Corinthians 1:27, 28 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
1Corinthians 12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
Ephesians 1:4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love
Colossians 3:12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
2Thessalonians 2:13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
1Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,
Joshua 24:15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
Joshua 24:22 Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.”
Judges 10:14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.”
Psalm 25:12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
Psalm 119:30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.
Psalm 119:173 Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.
Proverbs 1:29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
Proverbs 16:16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Isaiah 7:15,16 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted
Isaiah 7:16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.

It is clearly obvious that in the Book of Mormon it is individuals doing the choosing regarding eternal life. Apart from a premortal life, which the Book of Mormon does not describe, the Book of Mormon agrees with Bruce R. McConkie that individuals do the choosing regarding "eternal life."

How the Bible describes "choosing eternal life" is a striking contrast. It is God who chooses those whom He gives LIFE. Rather than individuals choosing God, and rather than righteous people choosing God, God chooses the foolish, the weak, the low and despised that He might in grace give them His righteousness.

One of the most clear differences between the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the Gospel of the Bible is that Latter Day Saints are taught to seek to be righteous so that God may reward them with eternal life; but the Bible teaches that God graciously chooses to give Eternal Life to the Saints He chooses so that they may grow in His Righteousness.

While not using the word "choose," Ephesians 2:8-10 summarizes this well: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

One of the main truths that sets Biblical Christianity apart from every other religion in the world is that it is about what God does for His people rather than what His people do for Him.
Do you focus on choosing to please God for the reward of Eternal Life, or do you focus on what God has done in choosing to give you Eternal Life?