Give Away All My Sins
to Know Thee[1]
The Uphill Path to
Repentance[2]
B. A. Robinson
A
couple weeks ago I was asked last minute to prepare a lesson for Elder’s
Quorum. (This is generally the third hour of church where the men meet together
and discuss the doctrines of the church and review the teachings of the modern
day prophets)
So
I was asked to do a lesson on repentance. This is a daunting topic for me. I’d
much rather teach about the law of chastity, which is saying something if you
know our culture, especially in an YSA (Young Single Adult) Ward. (PS I’ve
already done that in November!)
But
here are the quotes and inspirations that I used to put my lesson together. I
hope that you enjoy and can glean something from this.
I started out with
definitions of repent and repentance from the dictionary, then I turned to the
Bible dictionary:
verb
(used without object)
1.
to
feel sorry, self-reproachful, or contrite for past conduct; regret or be conscience-stricken
about a past action, attitude, etc. (often followed by of):
He
repented after his thoughtless act.
2.
to
feel such sorrow for sin or fault as to be disposed to change one's life for the
better; be penitent.
verb
(used with object)
3.
to
remember or regard with self-reproach or contrition:
to
repent one's injustice to another.
4.
to
feel sorry for; regret:
to
repent an imprudent act.
noun
1.
deep
sorrow, compunction, or contrition for a past sin, wrongdoing, or the like.
2.
regret
for any past action.
The
Greek word of which this is the translation denotes a change of mind, a fresh
view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Since we are born into
conditions of mortality, repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will
to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without
this there can be no progress in the things of the soul’s salvation, for all
accountable persons are stained by sin and must be cleansed in order to enter
the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a
commandment of God.
Why does faith
lead to repentance?
Then I compiled the quotes that I wanted to
use or thought were in the general direction that I wanted the lesson to go.
(These are not in the order I used them and not all of these quotes were used
in the lesson.) [Sources are in the footnotes]
By playing upon
the weaknesses of men, the adversary can easily persuade many that these
weaknesses are so congenital that they cannot (indeed, need not) be overcome.[3]
True contrition
brings full capitulation. One simple surrenders, caring only about what God
thinks, not what “they” think, while meekly offering, “O God, … make thyself
known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee. “ (Alma 22:18)
Giving away all our sins is the only way we can come to know God.[4]
He wants them to
learn to walk and must therefore take away his hand; and if only the will to
walk is really there, He is pleased even with their stumbles.[5]
The past must
not hold the future hostage; otherwise, what of the sons of Mosiah? Or Saul of
Tarsus? Or many of us?[6]
Repentance is
the key to forgiveness. It opens the door to happiness and peace and points the
way to salvation in the kingdom of God. It unlocks the spirit of humility in
the soul of man and makes him contrite of heart and submissive to the will of
God.[7]
Our thoughts are
subject to spiritual influence. Inspiration can and does come from God. He is
real, and it is real.
Temptation,
another kind of inspiration, can assert itself from the adversary; it is
equally real. (My secretary, in typing the foregoing sentence, misspelled a
word and inadvertently invented a very usable one—“sinspiration.”) So we are
subject to inspiration and sinspiration. But, regardless of the influence and
regardless of the source, the most important consideration is that we may choose. We are free to choose.
The Lord said to Adam: “Nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is
given unto thee.”[8]
There is an important
difference between a sin, which
requires repentance, and a mistake,
which need only be corrected.[9]
Whenever the
adversary cannot persuade imperfect yet striving Saints such as you to abandon
your belief in a personal and loving God, he employs a vicious campaign to put
as much distance as possible between you and God. The adversary knows that
faith in Christ—the kind of faith that produces a steady stream of tender
mercies and even mighty miracles—goes hand in hand with a personal confidence
that you are striving to choose the right. For that reason he will seek access
to your heart to tell you lies—lies that Heavenly Father is disappointed in
you, that the Atonement is beyond your reach, that there is no point in even
trying, that everyone else is better than you, that you are unworthy, and a
thousand variations of that same evil theme.[10]
The Lord sees weakness differently than
He sees rebellion.
Many of us have allowed weakness to
develop in our character. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we, like the
Ammonites, can build spiritual fortifications between ourselves and any past
mistakes that Satan attempts to exploit.
So
how do we build these eternal fortifications? The first step must be sincere,
thorough, and complete repentance. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, each
of us can become clean and the burden of our rebellion will be lifted.
Remember, repentance is not punishment. It is the hope-filled path to a more
glorious future.
Father
in Heaven has provided us tools that help to build the fortifications between
our vulnerabilities and our faithfulness. Consider the following suggestions:
•
Make covenants and receive ordinances for yourself. Then steadily and
consistently work to provide ordinances in the temple for your own ancestors.
•
Share the gospel with nonmember or less-active family members or friends.
Sharing these truths can bring a renewed enthusiasm into your life.
•
Serve faithfully in all Church callings, especially home teaching and visiting
teaching assignments. Don’t be just a 15-minutes-a-month home or visiting
teacher. Rather, reach out to each individual member of the family. Get to know
them personally. Be a real friend. Through acts of kindness, show them how very
much you care for each of them.
•
Most important, serve the members of your own family. Make the spiritual development
of your spouse and children a very high priority. Be attentive to the things
you can do to help each one. Give freely of your time and attention.
In
each of these suggestions, there is a common theme: fill your life with service
to others. As you lose your life in the service of Father in Heaven’s children,
Satan’s temptations lose power in your life.
Because
your Father in Heaven loves you profoundly, the Atonement of Jesus Christ makes
that strength possible. Isn’t it wonderful? Many of you have felt the burden of
poor choices, and each of you can feel the elevating power of the Lord’s forgiveness,
mercy, and strength. I have felt it, and I testify that it is available to each
one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.[11]
There was a point where I didn’t know how to approach this lesson
because it is so daunting, so I reached out to friends and family members. I
have included their thoughts or the general gist of what they said to answer
the question that I asked, which follows. (I used their initials to identify
who said what. Most of you don’t know them, but if you decipher who’s who
without the people coming out and saying it, I’ll be very impressed.)
If you were to
have a lesson given on repentance, what would you want to hear?
That it’s for
everybody. And that sometimes we’re our own worse critics when the Lord is
either ready to forgive us or already has. PJ
It’s a lifestyle
choice not an event. BS
I always liked
the comparison Alma the Younger made between the anguish of his guilt to the
joy of his forgiveness. The joy of feeling clean will always overwhelm the
pains of changing our sinful ways. JR
Repentance is
action based on guilt, not settling for the shameful lack of vulnerability of
sin. Also, possibly my favorite verse in the D&C is 58:42. And God doesn’t
lie. JB
That’s rough. I
love being reminded that the process isn’t about me earning forgiveness, but
more about me accepting it. It’s more on my end than God’s, since His love is
limitless. ME
I feel like
focusing on the peace and after the fact effects more than what to repent and
how to repent is what I feel I want to hear. TW
That doing it
the right way, daily will change your entire mindset and outlook on life. KR
That every soul
needs it or they’re going nowhere. That it’s a wonderful and happy thing to do
every day- it’s progress. That no matter where one is, the moment they face God
and want what He stands for with all their heart they’re saved- as long as
their hearts continue after Him. That God would have us repent- our current
state (without Him) is more weak and hopeless than we could possibly believe.
God died for us- it is the most beautiful story a man can imagine, and it’ll
control our conscience forever if we neglect to honor it. JH
That hope comes
after repentance. AG
How to get over
the initial pride problem. MJ
Why is
repentance important and how to go about it. Also that the Atonement is real.
KR
Deep question.
I read a talk/
devotional/ something about how repentance is turning to God. I like the
imagery of us having to turn away from Him to sin and then having to turn back
around in order to return to Him. TC
I feel like
stories in a lesson on repentance get a little overly personal… I would just
share honest testimony. LW
Ummmmmmmmm
I don’t know
I’d want to
watch a Mormon message DB
1. The difference
between shame and guilt. Satan uses shame to make you feel like you are bad and
can’t be forgiven and can bring about fear of repentance. The Holy Ghost uses
feelings of guilt to compel us to repent for things that were wrong.
2. Repentance is
a gift and feels wonderful when done with the desire to reconcile ourselves
with God. KH
So, I’d want to
hear about the hope of repentance, about the positives. Calling to repentance
(to me) needs to feel like inviting someone to be happier, not a judgment on
what’s holding them back. SB
I think that
knowing how much God loves us helps a lot in repentance. That’s one thought I
have. SB
Really they
never make me feel good. But my favorite song is I Stand All Amazed. KG
I’d like to hear
that I’ve repented enough and that I’m an expert!...That would be a dream!
But really I
think I’d like to know how to repent more, and how to rely on the Lord when
tempted to re-offend. MS
I would want to
hear about the Atonement and how repentance is a gift. Make sure that they feel
that God loves them. RB
Repentance…
I like the quote
from President Packer. Something to the effect of no matter how often done or
used you can be washed clean. My mission president, President Perry, always
said, “You’re good enough!” He was just so emotional about it. It was hard for
him that people didn’t think they were good enough for the Savior’s love, that
they were somehow irreparable. But that is how much the Savior loves us and how
His Atonement works. Any degree of damage, whatever depth we feel we have sunk
to, there is nowhere the Atonement of Christ can’t reach us and make us clean.
MT
That repentance
is a wonderful gift to draw us closer to Heavenly Father and also that it’s a
commandment given to us to help us become who we really are. It should also be
often. JL
Um I probably
would focus on the connections of the Atonement as well. I don’t feel like that
is talked about much. EW
I would want to
hear what I need to hear. And also how easy it can be to use the Atonement to
get better. Repentance is just making changes to be better. It doesn’t have to
be a long drawn out process. It is something we can do every day. AL
That nothing is
unforgivable and God loves us so much. TM
The lifelong
process of repentance, this was a question I wrote the other night and I don’t
know how pertinent it is but it might be a prompt… “How do we increase our
righteous desires? If I lack of drive in the gospel how do I get to be on fire?
Where I NEED the gospel every day like I need air and I need food. How can I
make this my love, my passion, and my life?” GB
Do it!
I feel like we
too often hear things that make us dread repentance and that we’re going to be
damned for our actions. I like hearing hope, and that the act of repentance is
where we have the fullest potential for feeling the Savior’s love for us. CS
That it is not
some big insurmountable task. We can work on things a little bit at a time,
just between us and the Savior. JD
I guess I want
to hear that I’m doing pretty good. But what I probably need to hear is that I
have lots of work to do yet. MT
About the mercy and grace of Christ. TB
About two things... That being free from sin is far better than the
anguish of sin or the often painful process it involves. Also that there is
hope no matter how unworthy we may feel or how disgusted we are in ourselves.
The Savior loves us still and knows we are better than our weakness. KM
If I were to have a lesson given on Repentance, I would want to hear
about our Heavenly Father's great love for us and His encouragement and blessings
that He desires to bestow upon us when we obey His commandments. JS
That I can be forgiven for my mistakes in life and the atonement is
real. That it can be a very positive experience to repent and come to feel the
genuine love of my Father in Heaven. TH
I would say for the subject to be taught from a different
perspective than the norm. I'm not exactly what that might be. That just might
mean that it is taught with real passion. PS
I would say the "forgiving myself" aspect cause that's
always the hardest part for me. LB
That's a really good question. I like when people emphasize the
enabling power of the atonement. JL
An elevated perspective on what repentance really means and is for.
TM
That God is not the author of shame.
That we do not have to hit some magic worthy point
to be able to repent. TR
I would want to hear about hope and how change is possible. A lot of
times it comes down to people making bad habits and they need to understand
that it is possible. AE
I’d want to hear that repentance is a gift. It is nothing to be
ashamed of. Using repentance and applying the Atonement in our individual lives
can make us so unbelievably happy. Heavenly Father sent Jesus Christ to help us
return to Him and to not only find happiness in this life but in the
eternities! HC
About how good it is and how pressing on is important. MJ
Hmm I'm not sure. Probably just emphasizing the Saviors role in
everything. Making Him the center of it. BC
The core of truth behind it would be that people
need to repent of being judgmental towards others, and not just casually saying
that but really driving the point home that repentance is striving to make
ourselves more like Christ.
So we ALL need to do that. We need to stop being so
hard on others for their mistakes. We need to stop being a church where people
are pushed away for their sins when the reality is we are all imperfect. RB
The Lord is quick to forgive- What is of most
importance is what is in our hearts when we repent, our sincerity. SB
I would want to hear the RESULTS of repentance and
that it’s SO WONDERFUL! The feeling of being clean again beats everything. MD
I think that if it were me I know
I personally like hearing stories about repentance. Either like small parables,
out an actual example. I know I like those because they show in not alone in
needing to repent. But that's just me! TT
One idea is build it up from the
benefits and the awesomeness of it and then go from there. MK
God Bless! Until Next Time!
[1]
Alma 22:18
[2]
When President Eyring would come home, as a boy, and talk about how hard things
were, his mother would always remark that if he was on the right path that it
would always be uphill. This is so true of the gospel! And especially true of
repentance
[3]
Neal A. Maxwell, As I Am, p. 87
[4]
Neal A. Maxwell, Repentance, Ensign
1991, p. 32
[5]
C. S. Lewis
[6]
Neal A. Maxwell, Press Forward, p. 91
[7]
Spencer W. Kimball, Miracle of Forgiveness, chap. 10 p. 133
[8]
Boyd K. Packer, “Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts.”, Address at Brigham Young
University, 26 September 1967; That All
May Be Edified (Bookcraft, 1982) p.36
[9]
Dallin H. Oaks, Life Lessons Learned (Deseret Book, 2011), p. 128
[10]
Jörg Klebingat, Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence, October 2014
General Conference
[11]
Richard G. Scott, Personal Strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ,
October 2013 General Conference
