I was reading 4 Nephi tonight. Verse three says: "And they had all things common among them; therefore there were not rich and poor, bond and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly gift (emphasis added)."
Several times the scriptures teach that freedom is present when one keeps God's commands. As I thought about that while I was reading, I was struck by the oxymoronish nature of this teaching. Restricting one's behavior to the boundaries set by the Lord makes you free, while exercising freedom outside those bounds enslaves you. You are freer when you live within boundaries.
When I live as the Lord would have--keeping my behavior and my choices within the boundaries he has set--I am free in the sense that I have my agency before me. I can make a full range of choices at any time. In short, as long as I'm righteous, I can always choose unrighteousness if I want. Nicely, the more I'm successful at righteousness the less I want the opposite.
But when I make choices outside his boundaries, the consequences limit my future choices. The Spirit withdraws, and temptation becomes stronger. If I keep up that behavior, it can lead to the agency-limiting state of addiction. The adversary has an ever greater hold on me.
In short, when I am close to God, my choices are always full and open. When I'm closer to Satan, my choices become more limited. It's always a choice to obey God, but when habit and addiction take over, my own will is more subject to the will of the adversary, which is the very definition of slavery.
That's why it's counter-intuitive, but true: "I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free" (D&C 98:9).
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