Repentance

According to Latter-day Saint beliefs, repentance is a key principle of salvation. Because each of us are imperfect, and fall short of God's perfection, we must constantly repent of our sins. If we do so, God will forgive us because of the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. In other words, because Jesus Christ already suffered for our sins, and paid the price for them in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross, we do not have to suffer for them if we repent. If we have faith in Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, are baptized by immersion by someone holding the correct authority, and receive the Holy Ghost, we can be saved in the kingdom of God. However, this salvation only comes after we have "endured to the end" and remained faithful to God's commandments, repenting when we fall short.

Repentance is not a casual, or hands-off, process. Rather, it is a process that takes faith, humility, and determination. Repentance denotes a change. Not just a change in behavior, but a change of being. An individual who repents of a sin not only abandons the sin, but abhors the sin and commits never to do it again. An individual who repents sees himself as God sees him, as a child of God. True repentance changes one's heart and changes the way one sees himself and those around him.

Is there a formula to follow for repentance? Sort of. The scriptures provide us with certain characteristics and behaviors of those who wish to repent of their sins and become "born again."

(1) Recognition and Sorrow
First, we must recognize that we have sinned. Usually, this is quite evident through feelings of shame and guilt. However, occassionally it requires the understanding of God's commandments. Once we recognize we have sinned, we must be sorry that we disobeyed God's commandments. This is not a shallow sorrow for being caught, but rather, a deep sorrow that we have separated ourselves from God and caused our Savior Jesus Christ to suffer on our behalf, because of our deviant behavior. Paul states that "godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation." (2 Corinthians 7:10).

(2) Abandonment of Sin
Of course, in order to repent of sin, we must stop sinning. If one is repenting for using coarse language or taking the Lord's name in vain, he must stop using such language! Not only must we strive to abandon a particular sin we are repenting of, but we should strive to abandon all sin.

(3) Confession
We should confess all sins to God through prayer. We should acknowledge our errors and ask His forgiveness. Additionally, we should confess sins to those we have wronged. If one has stolen a candy bar, he should confess his sin both to God, and to the person he stole from. Forgiveness should be sought from both parties. Finally, when a sin is of a serious nature, such as adultery, fornication, other immoral behavior, theft, etc., we need to confess our sins to God's representatives. In the case of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one needs to confess to his bishop or branch president. This individual will help the sinner on the road to repentance.

(4) Restitution
Finally, once we have recognized our sin, felt sorry for the error, abandoned and confessed the sin, we must do all we can to rectify the problem. In the example of the stolen candy bar, the sinner should return the candy bar or pay for its replacement.

For those who travel the well-worn, but difficult, road of repentance, there is the promise from the Lord that his sins will be forgiven and forgotten! There is no greater promise and hope than cleanliness from sin and a new beginning through the mercy and love of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

The Lord pleads with all of us to "come unto him" and repent of our sins. For all those who are weighed down by sin, guilt, and the frustrations of the world, Jesus said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30). This invitation is for all of us.

When we decide to repent, we can rest assured that we can be forgiven and be clean again. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18). I know the promise is true.