While we were browsing through a bookstore several years ago, my wife grabbed me by the arm and pulled me over to a display. “You gotta see this,” she said emphatically. “You aren’t going to believe your eyes!” I was really excited to find out what “treasure of truth” she was leading me to. I held on to my wallet, for fear that it was going to cost me some serious money. I figured it was probably some book for husbands (like “The Key to Maintaining Strong Marriages”). It would probably say that marital Shangri-la and ultimate bliss could only be found if husbands do all the cooking, cleaning, shopping, running kids around, and, worst of all–never watch sports!
That was what I was prepared to find, but that wasn’t what it was. “Check this one out!” she said as she pointed to a thin book with a simple cover but a catchy title–Repentance Made Easy. “What do you think about that?” Wendy asked me as she saw my “double take” and then my sly grin. “Well, I’m sure it is a best seller,” was my sarcastic response. While I haven’t read the book and perhaps it is an excellent work, I must admit the title struck me as a little strange. It seemed like it was advocating some sort of “shortcut” to forgiveness. It smacked of the kind of computer books that I’m drawn to because I don’t understand the software manuals–Computer for Dummies! Those kinds of books are very popular and serve an important purpose, but I’m not sure that spiritual things can be presented in exactly the same manner. I can’t imagine a book entitled Faith for Dummies or How to Repent and Still Keep Your Favorite Sins. Yet sometimes that is how we approach some of the most important and profound teachings of the gospel. In a noble attempt to simplify complex principles or doctrines, we may end up actually oversimplifying them to the point that we fail to correctly understand and teach the doctrine in the way the scriptures intend.
This is particularly evident with the doctrine of repentance. Instead of its being recognized as a deeply spiritual process there is danger that in our attempts to simplify it and make it practical we actually mechanize the process. It becomes a “how-to” or merely a humanistic self-improvement manual. An example of this is when we codify, as it were, the “steps of repentance.” The scriptures don’t do that. Yet more often than not people can recite the “Rs of Repentance” even when such a step-by-step, checklist approach to this saving principle does not exist in the standard works.
The Book of Mormon, perhaps more than any other volume of scripture, teaches and exemplifies the true meaning of repentance. There we don’t see an oversimplified, mechanical, humanistic approach to spiritual transformation. If we neglect the teachings of the Book of Mormon, whether through failure to seriously study it or unwillingness to believe its teachings, we are “under condemnation” and in “spiritual darkness” (see D&C 84:54-58). This is especially true with regard to the doctrine of repentance. Without an understanding of how the Book of Mormon teaches repentance, we may “look beyond the mark” and fall prey to the potential pitfalls of what I call “checklist repentance.” With this unfortunate approach to repentance it is easy to see how some, through self-justification, may view repentance as easier than it really is, and others, through doctrinal distortion, make it more difficult than it needs to be.
Doctrinal Deficiencies of “Checklist Repentance”
The purpose of the Book of Mormon is to testify of Christ and to lead all to Him to partake of His goodness and mercy. This can only be done through repentance. The Book of Mormon, therefore, is a valuable tool in exposing the fallacies and deficiencies of “checklist repentance.” Several deficiencies are evident, each with its own pitfalls that would prevent one from coming unto Christ.
First, without the understanding we gain from the Book of Mormon that repentance is a fruit of faith, a person may go through a repentance “checklist” and feel satisfied he has met all of the requirements of repentance but not realize that his efforts have not been adequate. “Checklist repentance” undertaken without faith in the Redeemer may produce results similar to those described by the prophet Isaiah: “It shall be unto them, even as unto a hungry man which dreameth, and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his soul is empty; or like unto a thirsty man which dreameth, and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite” (2 Nephi 27:3).
When I served as a bishop I encountered many people, young and old, who experienced something akin to what Isaiah described. They felt they had accomplished all of the “steps” of repentance, at least according to what they thought they were, and yet they still did not feel that the burden was lifted, nor did they experience the spiritual peace and joy that follows forgiveness. Why not? In most cases it was because they had made repentance a mechanical process of their own efforts, quite devoid of a spiritual yearning that would flow from a heart filled with faith in Christ. They were trying to do it all on their own, and then they wondered why they couldn’t find relief.
Second, this kind of mechanical approach to repentance may prevent the repentant sinner from ever “catching up.” Trying to apply the “steps” of some arbitrary checklist for every sin ever committed in life is like taking two steps backward for every one step forward. Because we all make mistakes and commit sins—and we will do so as long as we are mortals–it is impossible to conscientiously go through this step-by-step system for every sin. “How can I ever repent of those sins I committed shortly after I was baptized?” I have often been asked by students or ward members, “How can I do all the steps if I can’t even remember those past sins?” The danger of this doctrinal deficiency of “checklist repentance” is that it often causes some to become so discouraged, thinking they can never get “caught up” and fully repent of every sin, that they may give up in despair and sink deeper into the quicksand of sin. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has taught:
There are multitudes of men and women~in and out of the Church~who are struggling vainly against obstacles in their path. Many are fighting the battle of life–and losing. Indeed, there are those among us who consider themselves the vilest of sinners ….
How many broken hearts remain broken because those people feel they are beyond the pale of God’s restorative power? How many bruised and battered spirits are certain that they have sunk to a depth at which the light of redeeming hope and grace will never again shine? (H0wever Long and Hard the Road [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985], p. 77.)
A third deficiency in this approach to repentance is that for some sins and situations there may not be any way to complete all of the steps on the “checklist.” For example, I had a young student share with me a painful experience from her own life. She had been taught that one of the “steps” she must complete to fully repent from any sin was to confess to the person she sinned against and receive their forgiveness. In her religion class at BYU she had her conscience pricked and she desired to repent of a sin that had occurred years earlier. She had cheated on the final exam in one of her classes during her junior year in high school. She resolved that at the Christmas break she would return to her hometown, look up that teacher, confess her cheating, and ask for forgiveness. Can you imagine the emotional turmoil she must have been experiencing during the holidays?
Finally, the day before she was to return to BYU she found the address of her former teacher, mustered the courage to go and face him, and out the door she went. When she arrived at the home of the teacher she was told that he had only just recently succumbed to a year-long battle against cancer. The young woman was stunned and heartsick–not just because of the death of her former teacher, but also because she felt deep despair enveloping her. From her narrow understanding of repentance, she was overwhelmed with a feeling that she would now never be forgiven of her sins. She felt totally helpless and hopeless–all because she could not complete one of the required “steps” on the “repentance checklist.”
The final and most important doctrinal fallacy in this mistaken notion of “checklist repentance” is that by concentrating on our outward actions we tend to over-emphasize our efforts and ignore the cleansing power of Christ. This approach to repentance makes it appear as though a remission of sins is something obtained primarily by our own efforts. Such a view minimizes the miraculous atonement of Jesus Christ and the grace of God that makes a remission of sins possible. If we focus all of our attention and efforts on the “steps” we must take to repent, we tend to overlook what He did to make repentance possible. A humanistic or mechanical approach to repentance promotes “pseudo self-reliance.” Relying only upon our own efforts robs us of the repentance-enabling power of Christ. Thus the worst danger of this superficial view of repentance is that it causes an unwitting but crucial oversight of the most important “R of Repentance“–Redeemer.
Faith in Christ as the Foundation of All True Repentance
The Book of Mormon is replete with examples and teachings that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the empowering agent of repentance. In Enos’ account of his “wrestle” before God, which led to a remission of his sins, we do not see him going methodically through some series of steps to repent. We see him pondering the words of eternal life, pleading with the Lord to satisfy his spiritual hunger:
And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.
And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.
And I said: Lord, how is it done?
And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ thy faith hath made thee whole. (Enos 1:4-8.)
Enos’ question, “Lord, how is it done?” has always intrigued me. While I certainly don’t know what was going on in Enos’ mind, I like to superimpose the all-too-prevalent modern culture of “checklist repentance” on that situation. In that setting I can almost hear Enos adding the following to his question. “Lord, how is it done so quickly, seeing that I have NOT completed all of the steps on my checklist?” God simply stated that the most important element in any repentance is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It was Enos’ profound faith, not his outward actions of repentance, as important as they were, that resulted in the remission of his sins.
The Book of Mormon repeatedly reminds us that forgiveness of sins as well as ultimate salvation cannot be obtained merely by righteous deeds and repentant actions but rather is attained through “unshaken faith in [Christ], relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save” (2 Nephi 31:19). “True repentance is based on and flows from faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” President Ezra Taft Benson testified. “There is no other way.” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], p. 71.)
When we rely “wholly upon the merits” of Christ, we will submit to the designated requirements of repentance as a natural consequence of faith instead of an adherence to an artificial checklist. Our actions and attitudes of penitence become evidence of our faith in the Savior and not a substitute for it.
The prophet Amulek also taught that it is the “great and last sacrifice” of Jesus Christ that gives power and efficacy to the doctrine of repentance. He emphatically declared that faith must precede repentance for the cleansing mercy of the Messiah to be enjoyed.
And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal,
And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.
And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.
Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;
Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save. (Alma 34:14-18; emphasis added.)
Perhaps no scriptural example better illustrates Amulek’s teaching of “faith unto repentance” than the Book of Mormon account of Alma the Younger’s dramatic conversion. Alma was a sinner who was “racked with torment” and “harrowed up by the memory of [his] sins,” who pleaded with the Lord to do something for him that he could not do for himself. Again, we do not see Alma mechanically going through a series of steps to repentance. In fact, there is no scriptural evidence that he had previously performed any of the actions traditionally taught as sequential steps to forgiveness. There was no “Repentance Made Easy” program of self-improvement for him–no 13-step recovery program, nor even the “5 Rs of Repentance.” The Book of Mormon reveals, however, that Alma’s miraculous change from a life of sin to a life of service and spirituality resulted from his “faith unto repentance.”
And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain! (Alma 36:17-20.)
Merciful relief was extended to Alma because of his newly exercised faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ. Alma’s subsequent abandonment of sinful practices, his restitution for past mistakes, and his life of continued commitment to the kingdom of God grew out of his faith in the cleansing power of Christ’s atonement. Other scriptural examples in the Book of Mormon also affirm this principle. Nephi saw in vision the Savior’s twelve Apostles who “because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood …. These are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in him.” (1 Nephi 12:8-11.) Our lives are cleansed of sin in the same manner as Enos, Alma, and the ancient Apostles. This cleansing and sanctifying comes to us not because of our own righteous acts but, as Lehi declared, “because of the righteousness of thy Redeemer” (2 Nephi 2:3)~because of His infinite atonement.
Indeed, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the first principle of the gospel and repentance as the second, along with all other principles and ordinances of the gospel, have their foundation in the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. Truly, then, repentance stems only from faith in the redemptive and cleansing power of Christ. Elder Orson Pratt taught: “The first effect of true faith is a sincere, true, and thorough repentance of all sins …. Faith is the starting point–the foundation and cause of our repentance.” (“The True Faith,” A Series of Pamphlets by Orson Pratt [Liverpool: Franklin D. Richards, 1852], pp. 5, 6; republished in Orson Pratt: Writings of an Apostle [Salt Lake City: Mormon Heritage Publishers, 1976].)
Without the merciful atonement there could be no forgiveness of our sins. And without unwavering faith in that atonement there can be neither repentance nor saving works of righteousness. Thus, paraphrasing Nephi’s familiar teaching, it is by God’s grace that we receive a remission of sins, “after all we can do” (see 2 Nephi 25:23 ).
While there really is no set recipe or checklist of steps for repentance that must be taken in every case, we must still do all we can do. The Lord has specified that “all we can do” begins with unshaken faith in Christ. Other than this, the Book of Mormon (and the other standard works) gives no list of “Rs of Repentance.” It does, however, provide doctrinal teachings and examples of how “faith unto repentance” leads us, both by inward attitudes and outward actions, to fulfill the Lord’s stated
requirements of repentance revealed in our day. “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins~behold, he will confess them and forsake them” (D&C 58:43).
Confession of Sins: Inward Attitudes and Outward Actions
Speaking of the Nephite Church, Moroni wrote that “they were strict to observe that there should be no iniquity among them; . . . and if they repented not, and confessed not, their names were blotted out, and they were not numbered among the people of Christ” (Moroni 6:7). The Book of Mormon confirms the concept taught in both the Old and New Testaments, as well as in modern revelation, that confession is an integral part of true repentance. The act of verbal confession serves as an outward reminder of what should be happening inside the soul. Confession is like a mirror in which a person can examine himself spiritually and recognize his need for the cleansing power of Christ. The Apostle Paul spoke of confession that involves both the heart and the mouth (see Romans 10:10). Similarly, the Book of Mormon teaches that true repentance, born of faith in Christ, yields an action of confession coming from the mouth that mirrors an attitude of confession born in the heart.
“A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit”
As a bishop, I heard many confessions of sins from people~ each different and unique in its own fight. Some approached confession with deep humility and sorrow, having shed many tears, and others approached it rather matter-of-factly. One such was a young woman who had committed many grievous transgressions. She knew that she must confess to the bishop–she had been taught all of her life that confession was one of the “steps” of repentance. She was very open in her discussion of the sins and did not leave out any necessary detail. I was deeply troubled as I listened to her–troubled not so much because of what she was telling me, but rather by what was missing. It was readily apparent that she was “going through the motions”—confessing with her mouth, but her heart wasn’t in it. There was no “godly sorrow,” as Paul describes it, that would reflect “faith unto repentance” (see 2 Corinthians 7:9-10). The Book of Mormon describes the attitude of “godly sorrow” as “a broken heart and a contrite spirit” (see 2 Nephi 2:7; 3 Nephi 9:19-20; 12:19; Ether 4:15; Moroni 6:2). This concept of “godly sorrow”–feeling the sorrow for our sins that God would have us feel–is the true indicator of faith in Christ and the only genuine motivation for bringing forth “fruit meet for repentance” (see Alma 12:15).
Godly sorrow–the broken heart and contrite spirit–is much more than remorse or regret over having sinned. Mormon observed anguish in his own people and described it as “the sorrowing of the damned” (see Mormon 2:12-14). It was sorrow born of sins and circumstances but which did not produce “faith unto repentance.” Many may be remorseful for past actions and regret the consequences that have befallen them, but do nothing to change, to come unto Christ and partake of His mercy and to comply with the requirements of the gospel.
A “broken heart and contrite spirit” is an attitude that always leads to a commitment to change. Alma spoke of this kind of motivational sorrow for sin when he declared to Corianton, “Let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance” (Alma 42:29). Elder Orson Pratt wrote:
The sorrow that is acceptable in the sight of God, is that which leads to true Repentance, or reformation of conduct …. This kind of sorrow will lead us to obey every commandment of God; it will make us humble and childlike in our dispositions; it will impart unto us meekness and lowliness of mind; it will cause our hearts to be broken and our spirits to be contrite; it will cause us to watch, with great carefulness, every word, thought, and deed; it will call up our past dealings with mankind, and we feel most anxious to make restitution to all whom we may have, in any way, injured …. These, and many other good things, are the results of a Godly sorrow for sin. This is Repentance not in word but in deed: this is the sorrow with which the heavens are well pleased. (“True Repentance,” A Series of Pamphlets by Orson Pratt, p. 31.)
When the Book of Mormon uses the term “broken heart and contrite spirit” it implies considerably more than just a repentant attitude. We gain a better understanding of it by examining what the Book of Mormon teaches about two important elements of godly sorrow~an “awful awareness” of our sinful state and a willing submission to the will of God in our lives.
An “Awful Awareness” of Our Unworthiness Before God
Before we can exercise “faith unto repentance” and obtain a remission of sins, we must experience something akin to what King Benjamin described as “an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord” (Mosiah 3:25). That stark realization of guilt, King Benjamin declared, awakens “you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state” (Mosiah 4:5). It thus produces a total dependence upon the Lord and a humility of soul that permits the seeds of repentance to take root. This “awful awareness” must include a self-inflicted stripping away of all rationalization and self-justification. There is no room in a broken heart for feeble excuses. There is no room in a contrite spirit for blaming others for our sins. Accompanying this “awful awareness” of our unworthiness before the Lord and our total dependence upon His mercy is a spiritual yearning to be clean again and to stand approved with God. It is much more than mere recognition of wrongdoing. It is a sackcloth-and-ashes humility that promotes spiritual growth and leads one to a condition described as a “change of nature befitting heaven” (statement quoted by David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals [Salt Lake City: Improvement Era, 1953 ], p. 13).
Willing Submission and Surrender to God’s Will
The Book of Mormon also teaches that one of the most important indicators of “godly sorrow” is a willingness to submit to whatever the Lord requires of us in order to obtain a remission of sins. Not only did King Benjamin teach his people about the necessity of an “awful awareness” of their sinful state, but he also taught them that their faith in Christ would lead them to voluntarily surrender to the Lord. A person who has “faith unto repentance” and desires to be forgiven of sins is willing to do whatever is necessary to have those burdens lifted. He yields his own will “to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him” (Mosiah 3:19). Helaman, speaking of Church members in his day, described how such submission, born of faith, leads to “the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God” (Helaman 3:35).
In contrast to the people of King Benjamin and Helaman, some today desire repentance whose hearts are not yet broken and whose spirits are less than contrite. Some become selectively submissive–desiring to repent on their own terms rather than on the Lord’s. They desire to make repentance easy, pain-free, and convenient. In reality the process is difficult and demanding and sometimes may require humiliation, public embarrassment, restrictions, and inconvenience. Lehi warned such people that Christ offered “himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered” (2 Nephi 2:7). “There can be no conditions attached to unconditional surrender to God,” wrote Elder Neal A. Maxwell. “Unconditional surrender means we cannot keep our obsessions, possessions, or cheering constituencies. . . . Every obsession or preoccupation must give way in total submission.” (“Not My Will, But Thine” [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], pp. 92-93.)
If we truly possess the proper attitude of confession, as taught in the Book of Mormon, our hearts will be broken with a piercing sorrow for sin and an “awful awareness” of our unworthiness and total dependence upon the mercy of the Savior. Our spirits will be contrite~filled with a desire to submit to God’s will and to learn from Him what we must do to obtain a remission of our sins.
“If He Confess His Sins Before Thee and Me … I Will Forgive Him”
To confess without a proper repentant attitude is merely to take another ineffectual step in the “repentance checklist.” Confession should be a natural response to faith and godly sorrow. When our hearts are broken and our spirits contrite, the desire to set things fight will lead us to follow the Spirit and away from groping for the letter of the law.
The most frequently asked questions about repentance that my students have posed through the many years I have been a religious educator seem to always revolve around the issue of confession. “Why is confession even necessary?” “Why do I have to talk to my bishop? Can’t I talk to someone else?” “What sins must be confessed?” “How much do I have to tell?” “What will happen to me after I confess? Will I be excommunicated?” These represent the many questions I have heard–all concerning the specific action of confession. One Book of Mormon contribution to an understanding of the doctrine of repentance is its confirmation of the role of confession to the Lord and to proper priesthood leaders. The Lord instructed Alma that “whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also” (Mosiah 26:29). From Alma’s account we learn that there are two types of confession and two types of forgiveness. Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained the significance of these two types of confession:
There are thus two confessions and two sources of forgiveness. A sinner must always confess all sins, great and small, to the Lord; in addition, any sins involving moral turpitude and any serious sins for which a person might be disfellowshipped or excommunicated must also be confessed to the Lord’s agent, who in most instances is the bishop. The bishop is empowered to forgive sins as far as the church is concerned, meaning that he can choose to retain the repentant person in full fellowship and not impose [disciplinary council] penalties upon him. Ultimate forgiveness in all instances and for all sins comes from the Lord and from the Lord only. (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985], p. 236.)
The Lord does not require confession in order to humiliate, embarrass, or cause one to feel punished by a vindictive God. Neither is confession a mere disclosure of deeds. It is, rather, an opportunity to covenant with the Lord that we are turning away from sin and will make the necessary adjustments in our lives. Confession without a solemn commitment to change does not guarantee any enduring effects. When we understand how “faith unto repentance” and confession are related, we recognize that confession is provided by a merciful and loving Savior to impart the inspired counsel, comfort, and direction that is only available from the Lord and His authorized servants. When we “cast our burdens upon the Lord” through complete confession and commitment to forsake sin, we are in a position to be taught by the Master. His guidance far surpasses any emotional lift or well-meant advice from mere mortals. The spiritual motivation to confess, characterized in the Book of Mormon as “willful submission to the Lord,” will prompt us to approach the Lord and the proper priesthood leader, as necessary, in humble confession to receive his counsel and support. Under such conditions, the necessary action of confession as taught by Alma, as a fruit of the attitude of confession, as taught by King Benjamin, becomes a blessing rather than a burden.
Forsaking Sin: The “Mighty Change”
When I ask my students what “forsaking” means, I usually get the answer, “Stop doing it!” They mean by that, cease and desist committing that particular sin. While that is certainly important, it isn’t all that repentance requires. As spiritually dangerous as “checklist repentance” is, another common misconception about repentance can derail a person’s spiritual progress—“fragmentary forsaking.” A person who confesses a major moral transgression and promises to forsake that sin but continues to blatantly disregard the Word of Wisdom by drinking and indulging in illicit drug use is guilty of “fragmentary forsaking.” The Book of Mormon teaches that forsaking requires the abandonment of sinfulness, not of just a particular sin. One cannot merely forsake one specific sin or sinful situation and yet cling tenaciously to other sins. It is not just the stopping of a sinful practice that is required, but rather a complete change in one’s disposition and desire for sin.
There are several examples in the Book of Mormon of how forsaking sin, in the truest sense, brings about a total transformation of one’s life. King Lamoni’s father understood forsaking sin to be an element of genuine repentance when he declared: “I will give away all my sins to know thee . . . and be saved at the last day” (Alma 22:18). His forsaking of sin was not fragmented or selective but rather was a total surrender. “True repentance is not only sorrow for sins, and humble penitence and contrition before God,” President Joseph F. Smith taught, “but it involves the necessity of turning away from them, a discontinuance of all evil practices and deeds, a thorough reformation of life, a vital change from evil to good, from vice to virtue, from darkness to light” (Gospel Doctrine [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1939], p. 100.)
Forsaking sin, like confession, requires a change in both inward attitudes and outward behaviors. It is not just the abandonment of an action. It is the changing of one’s entire being. Alma described this mortal metamorphosis as a “mighty change in your hearts” which causes one to “sing the song of redeeming love” (see Alma 5″ 14, 26). Such forsaking, as an indicator of true repentance, involves a mighty change of one’s heart–one’s desires and deeds–and a mighty change of direction and devotion.
A “Mighty Change” of Heart
The Lord has promised that if we will indeed abandon our wicked deeds and desires, he will perform a great miracle in our behalf that will bring about a newness of attitude, character, and being. He has promised to create in us “a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 18″31). The Lamanite prophet Samuel held up the works of the repentant and faithful Lamanites as an example to the wicked Nephites of the miracle of a new heart that occurs through “faith unto repentance.” He explained that his Lamanite brethren had been “led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them” (Helaman 15:7). This mighty change of behavior, thoughts, attitudes, and desires comes as a merciful gift of grace–“after all we can do.” When we have demonstrated our faith, repentant determination, and renewed devotion, the indispensable gift of God is what brings about a remission of sins.
True repentance, as taught in the Book of Mormon, is a demanding process. No “Repentance Made Easy” is found within its pages. Once we commit to the process there can be no hesitation or holding back–we cannot straddle the line of demarcation between good and evil. We cannot, figuratively speaking, have one hand reaching for the fruit of the tree of life while continuing to dance and dine in the “great and spacious building,” for it requires both hands and our whole heart and soul to cling to the iron rod (see 1 Nephi 11:8-36). The examples of individuals in the Book of Mormon who were transformed through their “faith unto repentance” make it clear that we must do all that we can as mortals so that God, through His grace and mercy, can make us “new creatures.”
A “Mighty Change” of Direction and Devotion
Forsaking sin involves not only turning from evil practices but also turning to God in greater righteousness and service. Just as Paul taught King Agrippa that repentance means to “turn to God, and do works meet for repentance” (Acts 26:20), so does the Book of Mormon teach that repentance requires actions that demonstrate renewed love for God and increased commitment to a life of righteousness. The resulting “works meet for repentance” are naturally two-directional–we cannot demonstrate greater love and worship of God without also gaining an intensified desire to serve and bless the lives of others. Alma taught that the covenants associated with baptism and a remission of sins require an increased devotion on our part to both God and our fellowmen (see Mosiah 18:8-10).
Increased Devotion to God
Alma taught his people at the waters of Mormon that the covenant of baptism for the remission of sins involves a commitment, or solemn promise, to God “that ye will serve him and keep his commandments” (Mosiah 18″ 10). Writing to his son Moroni, Mormon taught that “fulfilling the commandments [of God] bringeth remission of sins” (Moroni 8:25). King Benjamin taught his people that in order to obtain and retain a remission of sin, they must continue “calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith,” and continue to “grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created [them]” (Mosiah 4:11-12). This renewed and intensified devotion to God, King Benjamin further taught, will also affect our relationships with others. “And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due” (Mosiah 4″ 13). Just as Alma and the sons of Mosiah demonstrated their true repentance by their desire to serve God, so too must we if we are truly repentant. A person cannot really repent and then be inactive in the Church or indifferent to the expectations and responsibilities that accompany gospel living. “Though one may have abandoned a particular sin and even confessed it to his bishop, yet he is not repentant if he has not developed a life of action and service and righteousness,” explained President Spencer W. Kimball (“What is True Repentance?” New Era, May 1974, p. 7).
Increased Love and Service to Our Fellowmen
In all of the standard works there is perhaps no more profound example of how service and love for others flow naturally out of “faith unto repentance” than the Book of Mormon story of the sons of Mosiah. Before their remarkable conversion, these young men were, according to the scriptural record, “the very vilest of sinners” (Mosiah 28:4). Because of the sincerity of their repentance and the intensity of their faith in and gratitude for the atonement of Christ, they were later “zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them. And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth. . . . Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature.” (Mosiah 27:35-36; 28:3; see also Helaman 5:17.)
The subsequent lives of righteousness and service of the sons of Mosiah are evidence that it was indeed true repentance that prompted them to make spiritual restitution for their sins. While it is true that we can in no way, of ourselves, repay the Savior, make full restitution for our sins, or overcome our sinfulness by our efforts alone, we can show our appreciation for His sacrifice through lifelong devotion to God and our fellowmen. Although we will always be “unprofitable servants” (Mosiah 2:21), if we truly have “faith unto repentance” we will strive to follow the example of the sons of Mosiah, who spent their lives serving God and loving their fellowmen, teaching the gospel to others, and living lives of personal righteousness.
There is no “short-cut” to repentance. No man-made “checklist” can yield a remission of sins. There is no surefire do-it-yourself program, no “Repentance Made Easy” quick fix. Yet even with all the self-discipline, pure willpower, or inner strength that mortal man can muster, he can only change his attitude and his behavior. Christ, on the other hand, can change his very being. It is only by coming unto Him–the Physician of men’s souls—with “faith unto repentance” that lives stained as scarlet can become white as wool. Alma, who spoke not only as a prophet but also as one who had experienced the “mighty change” that comes through the atonement of Jesus Christ, reiterated the Lord’s injunction to repent and partake of the blessings of forgiveness. This is one of the most timeless themes of the Book of Mormon and one of our greatest needs today.
There can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins ….
Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.
Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and waters of life freely;
Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness. (Alma 5:21, 33-35.)
