Peace through Repentance (C&A VE3)

In the union at the university, we will get religious "fanatics" who come in preaching that everyone is going to burn in hell. This is a turn off for many, though for others it seems to be entertainment. The true gospel is a gospel of love, and preaching fire and damnation are not love at all. Secondly, no one wants to be told that they are being wicked, but especially not from a self-proclaimed "evangelical" who probably isn't very perfect himself. It does make me think of Samuel who was on the wall preaching near the end of the Book of Mormon. I wonder what they thought of him.

According to the Bible Dictionary, repentance is derived from the Greek word denoting a change of mind. In the scriptures, this comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God. After faith in the Lord, repentance is the next principal of the gospel and is necessary for our salvation. Once we have gained a testimony of the gospel, we are asked to repent.

Alma 34:30–32 says, "And now, my brethren, I would that, after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy scriptures testify of these things, ye come forth and bring fruit unto repentance...if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

So what does it mean to repent? It means that we acknowledge our sin, ask for forgiveness from the Lord and those we may have affected, try to right the wrong, and forsake the sin by not doing it again. We also must forgive ourselves. If we do not take the opportunity in this life to take these steps, it will only be more difficult in the spirit world. We will be the same in spirit as we are now. In addition, repentance is only made possible through the infinite sacrifice of the atonement. "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent." (D&C 19:16)

Some people believe that you are "saved" once you are baptized. It is true that baptism by the proper authority is necessary for salvation, and Moroni calls this the first fruits of repentance (Moroni 8:25). However, even once we are baptized, we must continue to repent. Every Sunday, we take the Sacrament to renew the covenants we made at baptism. This is important for our salvation, for if we could only take the steps of baptism once in our lives, we would not have a way to progress. There is more than one kingdom of glory and we should not be satisfied with the minimum requirements.

Alma 26:22 lists powerful blessings of repentance: "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance."

Repentance not only brings us wisdom and knowledge that can only be revealed through the Holy Ghost, but also leads us to peace and happiness, which also come through the Spirit.

"...the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God." (Moroni 8:26)