Repentance is
one of the first principles of the gospel. It is possible because of the
Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a saving principle that we must
all take and apply to our lives. Because it is such an instrumental principle, I chose to use it as one of my topics.
Our Heavenly Father set apart His great Plan of Happiness so that we may all return to live with Him again. However, He knew we would make mistakes, so He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to atone for the sins of all. When we repent of our sins, we are utilizing the saving power of the Atonement. We have been taught that as often as we repent, the Lord will forgive us (Mosiah 26:30).
Our Heavenly Father set apart His great Plan of Happiness so that we may all return to live with Him again. However, He knew we would make mistakes, so He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to atone for the sins of all. When we repent of our sins, we are utilizing the saving power of the Atonement. We have been taught that as often as we repent, the Lord will forgive us (Mosiah 26:30).
Repentance is
not something we should be doing “every once in a while.” It is a constant,
ongoing process that should be a part of our everyday lives. It is such a
comfort to me to know that I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and who sent
a Savior to suffer for my sins and make it possible for me to repent. I am so
grateful that our Heavenly Father provided a way for all of us to return to
Him. He expects me to be perfect, but He does not expect me to do it on my own.
When I repent of my sins, I can become perfect through Christ.
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Surely it would guide our actions in a dramatic
way if we remembered that every time we transgress, we hurt not only those we
love, but we also hurt [Christ], who so dearly loves us. But if we do sin, however
serious that sin may be, we can be rescued by that same majestic figure, He who
bears the only name given under heaven whereby any man or woman can be
saved. When confronting our transgressions and our souls are harrowed up with
true pain, may we all echo the repentant Alma and utter his life-changing cry:
'Oh Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me.'
Jeffrey R. Holland, Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul, April 2010 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/place-no-more-for-the-enemy-of-my-soul?lang=eng
Jeffrey R. Holland, Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul, April 2010 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/place-no-more-for-the-enemy-of-my-soul?lang=eng
When prophets come crying repentance, it 'throws
cold water on the party.' But in reality the prophetic call should
be received with joy. Without repentance, there is no real progress
or improvement in life. Pretending there is no sin does not lessen its burden
and pain. Suffering for sin does not by itself change anything for the better.
Only repentance leads to the sunlit uplands of a better life... Only through
repentance do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and
salvation. Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our
faces when we speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and
peace.
D. Todd Christofferson, The
Divine Gift of Repentance, October 2011 General Conference,
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/the-divine-gift-of-repentance?lang=eng
When Jesus said 'repent,' He asked us to change
- to change our mind, knowledge, and spirit - even our breath. A prophet
explained such a change in one's breath is to breathe with grateful acknowledgment
of Him who grants each breath.
Russell M. Nelson, Repentance and Conversion, April
2007 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/repentance-and-conversion?lang=eng
With faith in the merciful Redeemer and His power,
potential despair turns to hope. One's very heart and desires change, and the
once-appealing sin becomes increasingly abhorrent. A resolve to abandon and
forsake the sin and to repair... the damage he or she has caused now forms in
the new heart. This resolve soon matures into a covenant of obedience to God.
With that covenant in place, the Holy Ghost... will bring relief and
forgiveness... Any pain entailed in repentance will always be far less than the
suffering required to satisfy justice for unresolved transgression.
D.
Todd Christofferson, The
Divine Gift of Repentance, October 2011 General Conference,
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/the-divine-gift-of-repentance?lang=eng
It is not repentance per se that saves man. It is
the blood of Jesus Christ that saves us. It is not by our sincere and honest
change of behavior alone that we are saved, but 'by grace that we are saved,
after all we can do' (2 Nephi 25:23). True repentance, however, is the
condition required so that God's forgiveness can come into our lives.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Point of
Safe Return, April 2007 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/point-of-safe-return?lang=eng
The invitation to repent is an expression of
love... If we do not invite others to change or if we do not demand repentance
of ourselves, we fail in a fundamental duty we owe to one another and to
ourselves.
D. Todd Christofferson, The
Divine Gift of Repentance, October 2011 General Conference,
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/the-divine-gift-of-repentance?lang=eng
True repentance brings us back to doing what is
right. To truly repent, we must recognize our sins and feel remorse, or godly
sorrow, and confess those sins to God.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Point of Safe Return, April
2007 General Conference,
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/point-of-safe-return?lang=eng
Russell M. Nelson, Repentance and Conversion, April 2007 General Conference, http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2007/04/repentance-and-conversion?lang=eng
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