Christ is the Reason

Lesson 15 Repentance

“And now, behold, I say unto you, that the thing which will be of the most worth unto you will be to declare repentance unto this people, that you may bring souls unto me, that you may rest with them in the kingdom of my Father. Amen.” - D&C 15:6

Steps of Repentance

1. Recognize the sin.

a. We must feel Godly sorrow, not the sorrowing of the damned

- Alma 5: 12-13, 2 Cor.7:10 “mighty heart”, “Godly Sorrow”

- Mormon 2:12-13 “Sorrowing of the damned”

b. Luke 15:17 By recognizing sin we can recognize who we are and ‘come to ourselves’ and see things as “they really are” (see Jacob 4:13)

c. Matt. 3:8 Real recognition brings “fruits meet for repentance”

d. 2 Nephi 2:7 “He offereth 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. Confess our sins to God and in very serious cases to Church leaders.
1. Ezra 10:11 “Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers.”
2. D&C 81:5 Church leaders have been instructed to “succor the weak and lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”
3. The Prophet Joseph said about confession to church leaders, “We ought to … keep nothing back.” (The Words of Joseph Smith, ed. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1980, p. 7.)

3. Ask God for forgiveness.

a. Alma 22:18 ““O God, … make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee.”

4. Restitution of problems caused by the sin.
1. Lev. 6:4 “Because he hath sinned, … he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found.”

5. Do Not Repeat the Sin.
1. D&C 58:43 “a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.”
2. Ezk. 18:30 “Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.”
3. 2 Peter 2: 21-22 Repeat offenders are likened unto a dog that eats his own vomit.
4. Duet 4: 30- By turning away from sin, we “turn to the Lord thy God”.

6. We Must be Willing to Forgive
1. D&C 64:9 “he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.”

7. Faith in Christ
1. “Formulas have been crafted to help remember some of the essential actions required for full repentance. While these can be helpful, generally they ignore the most fundamental aspect of repentance—that it is centered in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement, that it has efficacy because He willingly paid the full price through His redeeming sacrifice, motivated by a perfect love of His Father and of each of us.” – Elder Richard Scott “The Path to Peace and Joy” General Conference Oct. 2000
2. Jacob 5: 47- The Lord’s hand is outstretched “all the day the long.” (see Jacob 6:4, 2 Ne. 28:32, Morm. 5:11)
3. Enos 1:6 “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.”
4. Alma 34:16 “faith unto repentance”
5. Alma 26:20 “Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon us, but in his great mercy hath brought us … the salvation of our souls.”

Promises of True Repentance

a. Isaiah 1:18 “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

b. Ezek. 18:22 “All his transgressions … shall not be mentioned unto him.”

c. D&C 58:42 “I, the Lord, remember [their sins] no more”

d. Morm 6:17 Christ waits “with open arms to receive [us]” so that we can be “clasped in the arms of Jesus” forever. (see Morm. 5:11).