Forgiveness requires reconciliation to the example of Jesus

Footnotes

All have sinned, but no one is forced to continue

Sin can be defined as any difference between you and God. To sin is to “come short of the glory of God” by thinking, feeling, or acting differently than how God would in your place, as far as you understand.¹

People become susceptible to temptation to sin by misjudging the cost and benefit of what they could think, feel, or do. Temptation comes through understating the cost and overstating the benefit of anything that is actually less than the best. Consequently, the most powerful way to stop sinning is through exercising greater faith and honesty in choosing what you perceive to be best and learning more about the actual cost and benefit of the choices available to you. By definition, each sin carries a benefit less than its cost, and every sin shares the consequences of all disobedience. The penalties of sin are physical death, which results in the end of your mortal life, spiritual death, which results in your alienation from God here and hereafter, and hell, which consists of your eternal misery.

We begin our lives involuntarily forgiven from so-called original sin through the sacrifice of Christ,² having not yet developed the capacity to make moral judgments. All able-minded children reach the point where they have enough discernment to choose,³ and, unfortunately, all but Jesus choose to disobey God.⁴

While “all have sinned” (Romans 5:12), there is a difference between having sinned in the past and choosing to sin in the future. Although your past sins make it impossible for you to replicate Jesus’ sinlessness from birth, no matter who you are or what you have done until now, you can begin to replicate his example from this point on.⁵

All people have the opportunity to choose to obey God and, through doing so, receive forgiveness of their past sins.⁶ There isn’t a person so wicked that they are beyond God’s ability to lead them to something better. Anyone who turns to him with all their might, mind, and strength will be led by God toward eternal life.

It is possible to obey God all the time

Many Christians will plainly deny the possibility of actually obeying God at all times and in all places. They dismiss the Lord’s ability to obey the Father at all times as being a function of his godhood, but there are others who also obeyed him at all times. We read that Noah “was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God,” (Genesis 6:9) that “Asa’s heart was perfect with the Lord all his days,” (1 Kings 15:14) and that “there was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.” (Job 1:1) The Psalmist wrote:

22 Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies. I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. (Psalms 119)

If these people obeyed God at all times, why can’t you? You may be tempted to dismiss these and other examples of people who managed to stop sinning by claiming that they could only do so because they were exceptional, and that it was easier for them than it would be for you. You would be wrong on both counts. Even the most righteous people have to overcome the same struggles we all face.⁷ The Lord himself was “...in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

What makes a person exceptional is not what they begin with, but how much they are willing to receive from God through submission to him. Submission to God isn’t a question of the greatness of the one who does it, but recognition of the greatness of God. You would not have heard of any of the aforementioned people if it weren’t for their submission to God. It is your realization of your nothingness that enables you to receive more from God, not the presence of your greatness. When Jeremiah was overwhelmed by what God asked him to do, the Lord reassured him by pointing out that all he had to do was do what he was told.⁸ Obedience to God does not require exceptional strength or virtue, just a willing heart and all the strength and virtue you currently possess. A willing heart is a choice with a willing mind⁹—a choice we already have every reason to make.

Modern Christians treat obedience to God as requiring some mythical level of sacrifice. The truth is that any sacrifice we could make pales in comparison to the sacrifice that God has already made —not just in the life and death of Jesus Christ, but in the continued gift he gives of our lives and every good thing within them.¹⁰ All good things we have, will have, and could have come from God. Every person already has every sufficient reason to willingly and gratefully sacrifice all things—up to and including their very lives—in order to obey God.¹¹

It is fully within your ability to permanently and completely forsake sin. God has promised that we will never be commanded beyond our capacity to obey.¹² You have the power to overcome any temptation you face.¹³ You have the power not to sin.¹⁴ The test of mortality is whether you will begin to obey God all of the time or not.¹⁵

Forgiveness requires you to fully align with God, as far as you understand him to be

Forgiveness of sins comes through repentance.¹⁶ Repentance doesn’t just mean apologizing for or feeling sorry for your sin; it requires forsaking your past sins.¹⁷ Repentance means to bring your life into complete alignment with Christ, as far as you understand him to be.

You can’t turn toward God in just some ways.¹⁸ God requires us to keep all of his commandments.¹⁹ To turn toward God requires turning away from all sin.²⁰ He directs us to “cleave to him” with “full purpose of heart,” which denotes totality of dedication and primacy of priority.²¹ If you want to obey him, you must do it in totality,²² not just for his sake, but for yours.²³ Those who do not fully obey God do not qualify for forgiveness of their sins.²⁴ God does not excuse the least bit of continuing sin.²⁵ While the level of understanding of God is variable between people, the level of obedience required to what each understands is not.²⁶

You will not receive God’s forgiveness or mercy if you continue sinning

Forgiveness from sin requires forsaking of sin.²⁷ The sacrifice of Jesus Christ provides a way for you to be forgiven of past sins and to begin to follow his example by keeping the Father’s commandment to live according to everything you know about him, all the time.²⁸ While you continue to sin knowingly, you are ineligible for salvation.²⁹

The merciful sacrifice of Christ makes possible forgiveness for your past transgressions while you learn a better way to live.³⁰ Mercy provides extra opportunity to obey God,³¹ but it does not void his requirement for obedience to him.³²

The blessing of God’s mercy is to be forgiven of past sins that you have forsaken³³ and to be forgiven for the differences from him that you do not know about.³⁴ God’s mercy will not forgive you for sins you continue to willingly commit.³⁵ Because God’s mercy only absolves you for your past sins after you forsake them,³⁶ you can’t experience a remission of sins while still sinning any more than you can experience remission of cancer while there are still tumors in your body. In both cases, all offending parts must be cut out to save the host.³⁷ It isn’t enough to cut out some of it.³⁸

Mercy is not some alternate path to heaven³⁹ or an exception to justice.⁴⁰ Even after God has forgiven you, his justice will still exact the penalty of doing less than your best in the future.⁴¹ The sacrifice of Jesus Christ does not atone for those who continue to sin against what they know.⁴² The price of receiving mercy from God for the past is to fully submit to him in the future.⁴³ You will not remain forgiven of any past sins if you continue in any present sin.⁴⁴ The penalties of sin return with the repeat of sin, and they return worse than before.⁴⁵

You can’t disobey God and have faith in God

You can claim to have faith in God without obeying him, but professed faith without obedience to God is powerless:

Fool! When will you ever learn that “believing” is useless without doing what God wants you to? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. (James 2:20, Living Bible)

The positive effects of the gospel are preconditioned on obedience to the laws that provide them.⁴⁶ To expect the blessings of heaven without obtaining and living the laws of heaven is foolish and vain:

6 You should not expect Christ to lift you into heaven while your heart remains in the manner of and fixed on the things of this world—this isn’t how faith or righteousness work.
17 Faith consists of witnessing the demonstration of Christ in another and reproducing it within yourself. (Romans 10, Author’s Reflection)

We are saved through faith in Jesus. You can’t have faith in Jesus without choosing to live as he would in your place.

You can’t disobey God and believe in God

You can’t say you believe in God without living what you say you believe about God. When you choose to think, feel, or act outside of how you believe Jesus would in your place, you are showing that you worship something other than God. This is a violation of what Jesus said was the most important commandment,⁴⁷ as well as the first of the Ten Commandments.⁴⁸

You can’t disobey God without believing that you know better than he does what would bring about your greatest long-term happiness. God is consummately focused on the greatest benefit each of us is prepared and willing to receive, and as such, anything contrary to his commandments is less than what is best for us. Nothing that lies contrary to God’s commandments can possibly be worth the cost. Can a person believe that God knows all things,⁴⁹ loves us enough to prioritize our benefit above all else,⁵⁰ and yet believe they know better than him what brings about our greatest long-term happiness? If you believe in God, why would you ever willingly live differently than you believe he would in your place? If you turn from how you believe God would be in your place in any way, you demonstrate that you do not actually believe in God.

God requires obedience, not alternative sacrifice

Too many modern churches erroneously teach that you can be forgiven for your sins while you continue to sin. They teach that the Lord’s atonement makes it possible to fulfill the required sacrifice of your heart, might, mind, and strength with something much easier, much less consistent, and much less enduring.⁵¹ They teach that as long as you go to church, keep a list of rules, pay tithes,⁵² receive a list of religious rites,⁵³ or simply profess that you believe that Jesus exists,⁵⁴ God will forgive you of the ways in which you choose to think, feel, and act differently than you believe he would in your place.

These churches ignore the sacrifice and purpose of the Lord, preaching a watered down version of the law of Moses, where continued proxy sacrifices absolve believers for failing to come up to and become like God. The law of Moses wasn’t provided as a substitute for full obedience to God, nor given because the people couldn’t obey more. The law of Moses was given as a remedial measure,⁵⁵ because the people wouldn’t obey more.⁵⁶ Instead of repeating what the

Israelites did to foment the wrath of God,⁵⁷ we ought to reach for the better way of what they were first offered the opportunity of doing— serving him with their whole souls.

You can’t disobey God and love God

You can’t disobey God without loving something more than him. Can a person love God with all their heart, might, mind, and strength and still choose to do something other than what he wants, as far as they understand? To love someone is to prioritize them above everything and everyone. The Lord said: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) If you don’t keep Jesus’ commandments, you don’t love him. Whatever you prioritize above obedience to God is what you prioritize above God.⁵⁸

You can’t disobey God and dwell in his presence

Christians believe that they will one day live with God in heaven. Unfortunately, they believe this irrespective of the measure to which they have reconciled themselves to how they believe God to be. Those who do not live as God would in their place are cut off from the presence of God.⁵⁹ No one who willingly deviates from the example of God in how they live can dwell in the presence of God.⁶⁰ To do so would overwhelm you with guilt beyond anything you can even imagine in this life.⁶¹ The only way⁶² to access God’s presence is through following the example of God, as far as you understand him to be, in your own life.⁶³

The longer you wait to repent and more you regress, the harder it gets

Every choice you make brings you closer or further from God. Each time you choose to follow the example of what you believe Jesus would feel, think, or do in your place, you become a better person, and will more easily perceive and choose subsequent decisions that more closely align with his example. Rebellion from God begins to affect you the moment you engage in it. Every time you turn away from God, you make future and larger rebellion easier. Each time you choose to deviate from his example, you become a worse person, and will more easily perceive and choose worse things in the future. You can repent of sins you slip back into,⁶⁴ but it becomes more difficult and carries a greater penalty with each repeated transgression.

The Lord does not continuously extend mercy to those who refuse to obey him.⁶⁵ The consequences of sin come to you if you do not repent, and they can be eternal.⁶⁶ To turn away from God after obeying him is a terrible offense that carries penalties so severe that it is better not to be born.⁶⁷

If you die before forsaking your sins, you will go to hell

Christians tend to think of rebellion against God as something difficult, requiring an overt act or a substantial decision. None of these perceptions are correct. At all times, you are either in a state of forgiveness through total submission to God, or a state of servitude toward Satan⁶⁸ through rebellion against God,⁶⁹ with full exposure to the consequences of your sins.⁷⁰

Denying the Christ starts when you deny anything you have reason to believe is true. Denying the Christ begins whenever you deviate in the least degree from what you sincerely believe the Lord would feel, think, or do. You deny the Christ every time you deviate from his example. When you do less than your best, you deny the Christ. When you ignore potential improvement, you deny the Christ. When you refuse to state or support the truth in spite of what it will cost you, you are denying the Christ. When you opt not to support someone who would be improved by your intervention, you are denying the Christ. When you opt not to consider the needs of those about whom you know, you deny the Christ.

36 And now, I say unto you, my brethren, that after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved—
37 I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples.
38 Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever.
39 And now I say unto you, that mercy hath no claim on that man; therefore his final doom is to endure a neverending torment. (Mosiah 2)

Mercy does not last forever.⁷¹ Death brings the expiration of God’s mercy.⁷² Death changes your body, and it changes your awareness, but it does not change your character.⁷³ Anyone who ever willfully disobeys God will go to hell unless they cease sinning before they die.⁷⁴

If you have not reconciled your life to the commandments God has provided to you in this life, you will not be reconciled to God when you are resurrected. Those who die in their sins are not prepared to meet God.⁷⁵ They will be resurrected and judged,⁷⁶ but will retain their sins.⁷⁷ If you die while still in willful rebellion against God, you will go to hell.⁷⁸

While you remain an enemy to God, you cannot enter into his kingdom.⁷⁹ Those who die in their sins will not be forgiven of them through the sacrifice of Christ.⁸⁰ You can only enter into God’s kingdom by reconciling to him in every way.⁸¹

You are automatically forgiven of what lies beyond your limits

When you act in accordance with your sincere idea of what is best, God forgives you of any errors in understanding, limits in capacity, or lack of resources. You are not accountable for circumstances beyond your control.⁸² Incapacity is innocence. It was by this law that Christ was sinless in spite of not beginning with perfect knowledge. Jesus was sinless in the sense that he lived up to what he understood, he did the best he had the capacity to do, and used the resources he had to the greatest long-term benefit. He did this while he had an incomplete understanding, limited capacity, and finite resources. You can, too.

You are accountable for your best, but your best will fluctuate based on circumstances beyond your control. Your best is subject to your circumstances, including the choices of others. When others don’t do all that they can, you will not be able to do what you could if they did. God forgives you of the shortcomings that result from the action or inaction of others.⁸³

Given all of this, it is vital to understand that “your best” is not a euphemism for any partial effort you arbitrarily decide to put forth. Remember that God’s standard requires your whole soul— all of your heart, might, mind, and strength. You are only forgiven by God from what you do not know as long as you live according to what you do know.

Remember, to be perfect in Christ is to obey all you know, seek all you can, and instantly obey all you receive.⁸⁴ As long as you live the best you know, all of the time, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ will atone for your prior willful sins and your present and future unknown sin.⁸⁵

Freedom from guilt comes through similitude to Jesus

God constantly barrages us with signs that we need to adopt better ways of being. Guilt is a consequence of sin,⁸⁶ appointed as such before the foundation of the world as a universal signal to point all people toward Christ,⁸⁷ independent of their opportunity to learn about him.

Sin is transgression against yourself.⁸⁸ When you turn away from what you believe is best, you turn towards your own harm.⁸⁹ Sin is doing less than what you understand as best.⁹⁰ Why would you willingly do what would lead to less than the best outcomes? Any rationalization for sin is a lie, and will make you feel just as guilty as the sin you attempt to justify. Only through freely admitting even the worst parts of oneself can one draw nearer to God and be healed.⁹¹ Hiding creates a downward spiral of decay and blindness.⁹²

Too many people seek escape from guilt through means that do not include improvement. Absolution for guilt cannot be separated from improvement from flaws. Any escape from guilt that doesn’t include improvement won’t last. If you feel guilty about something, you should interpret your guilt as God’s voice to you, inviting you to improve.⁹³

What is right begins with what is real. The path to greatest joy is the one most aligned with reality. You can fight reality all you want, but you will never win. Jonah tried to run away from God’s will. Finding himself in the hellish outcome of his foolishness, he prayed to God in plain humility. He admitted, “They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.” (Jonah 2:8) In order to make the best of any situation, you must first decide to get honest about what is really going on.

Guilt for sin in this life does not disappear after we die. In fact, the removal of the barrier between us and God at judgment vastly expands the guilt we will feel there for any deviation from the best we know here.⁹⁴

Justification and freedom from guilt are inescapably coupled. Justification can only occur as you live up to what you understand is best.⁹⁵ Those who become free from guilt through repentance can dwell in the presence of God in eternal peace.⁹⁶

Footnotes

1. Sin is to “come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23) Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (James 4:17) ↩
2. Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God. (D&C 93:38) ↩
3. Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men...being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good— (Alma 12:31) ↩
4. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23) ↩
5. For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him. (1 Nephi 10:18) Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48) And know ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am. (3 Nephi 27) ↩
6. Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out. (Helaman 3:27-30) ↩
7. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are... (James 5:17) ↩
8. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. (Jeremiah 1:6-7) ↩
9. Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days. (D&C 64:34) ↩
10. I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you. And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. (Mosiah 2:21-23) ↩
11. Let no man be afraid to lay down his life for my sake; for whoso layeth down his life for my sake shall find it again. And whoso is not willing to lay down his life for my sake is not my disciple. (D&C 103:27-28) ↩
12. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. (1 Nephi 3:7) ↩
13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) ↩
14. He hath commanded no man to do wickedly, neither hath he given any man license to sin. (Sirach 15:20) ↩
15. And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; (Abraham 3:25) ↩
16. ...he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance. (Alma 12:15) And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls. (Helaman 5:11) ↩
17. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them. (D&C 58:43) ↩
18. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10) ↩
19. Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are honest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are willing to observe their covenants by sacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are accepted of me. (D&C 97:8) ↩
20. But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son; Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest. And whosoever will harden his heart and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest. (Alma 12:33-35) ↩
21. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts. (Jacob 6:5) ↩
22. Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. (Moroni 10:32) ↩
23. God‘s commandments are not arbitrary. What he requires he only requires because it is the only way to bring about the best outcomes for us. ↩
24. Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. (D&C 58:42) And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them. (Mosiah 4:10) ↩
25. ...the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (Alma 45:16) ↩
26. Who am I that made man, saith the Lord, that will hold him guiltless that obeys not my commandments? (D&C 58:30) ↩
27. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:7) ↩
28. [He who has] repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness. These are they that are redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are delivered from that endless night of darkness; and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil. Now, the decrees of God are unalterable; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved. (Alma 42:6-8) ↩
29. And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, in the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins. (Helaman 5:10, italics added) ↩
30. Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; (D&C 19:15-17) ↩
31. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13) ↩
32. But blessed are they who have kept the covenant and observed the commandment, for they shall obtain mercy. (D&C 54:6) ↩
33. And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works. (Helaman 12:24) ↩
34. Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. (Psalm 19:12) ↩
35. Concerning propitiation, be not without fear to add sin unto sin: And say not His mercy is great; he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins: for mercy and wrath come from him, and his indignation resteth upon sinners. (Sirach 5:5-6) ↩
36. And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls. (Helaman 5:11) Therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God. (Alma 42:13) ↩
37. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. (Matthew 5:30) ↩
38. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10) ↩
39. I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate... (2 Nephi 33:9) ↩
40. What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God. (Alma 42:25) ↩
41. Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil...for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God. (Alma 12:32) ↩
42. Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved. (Helaman 12:23) And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins. And he shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else. Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works. (Alma 11:37-41) ↩
43. And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls. (Helaman 5:11) ↩
44. ...unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God. (D&C 82:7) ↩
45. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. (Matthew 12:43-45) ↩
46. For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world. (D&C 132:5) ↩
47. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. (Matthew 22:36-38) ↩
48. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3) ↩
49. O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it. (2 Nephi 9:20) ↩
50. He doeth not anything save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation. (2 Nephi 26:24) ↩
51. And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God —he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. (2 Nephi 28:8) Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will uphold such at the last day. But wo unto such, for they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity. (Mormon 8:31) ↩
52. Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins. (Mormon 8:32) ↩
53. The performance of ordinances without the cessation of sin does not save sinners. Performing ordinances without first repenting from one’s sins “is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works.” (Moroni 8:23) These ordinances are meant to come through “faith unto the fulfilling of the commandments,” as it is “the fulfilling [of] the commandments [that] bringeth remission of sins.” (Moroni 8:25) ↩
54. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:19) ↩
55. Yet the Lord God saw that his people were a stiffnecked people, and he appointed unto them a law, even the law of Moses. (Mosiah 3:14) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24) For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. (Galatians 3:10) ↩
56. And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. (Exodus 20:18-19) ↩
57. Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought diligently to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God; But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory. (D&C 84:23-24) ↩
58. If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple....So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26, 33) ↩
59. ...Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. (Alma 9:13) ↩
60. Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever. (1 Nephi 10:21) ↩
61. Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever. (Mosiah 2:38) Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness, and be constrained to exclaim: Holy, holy are thy judgments, O Lord God Almighty—but I know my guilt; I transgressed thy law, and my transgressions are mine; and the devil hath obtained me, that I am a prey to his awful misery. (2 Nephi 9:46) Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God (Alma 5:18) ↩
62. Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of righteousness thou shalt receive. And except thou do this, where I am you cannot come. (D&C 25:15) ↩
63. Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (3 Nephi 12:20) ↩
64. Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me. (Mosiah 26:30) ↩
65. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Romans 11:22) ↩
66. And it shall come to pass, because of the wickedness of the world, that I will take vengeance upon the wicked, for they will not repent; for the cup of mine indignation is full; for behold, my blood shall not cleanse them if they hear me not. (D&C 29:17) ↩
67. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. (2 Peter 2:20-22) ↩
68. ...they sell themselves for naught; for, for the reward of their pride and their foolishness they shall reap destruction; for because they yield unto the devil and choose works of darkness rather than light, therefore they must go down to hell. (2 Nephi 26:10) ↩
69. But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. (Mosiah 3:12) ↩
70. 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. (Alma 34:16) ↩
71. And the pride of Israel doth testify to his face: therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their iniquity; Judah also shall fall with them. They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them. (Hosea 5:5-6) ↩
72. And if they be evil they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls. (Mosiah 3:25) ↩
73. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked. (Alma 34:34-35) ↩
74. For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God contrary to his own knowledge. (Mosiah 2:33) ↩
75. And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins. (2 Nephi 9:38) ↩
76. Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works. (Alma 11:41) ↩
77. ...the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last day, that he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness. (Alma 7:21) ↩
78. But behold, and fear, and tremble before God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such that rebel against him and die in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have known the commandments of God, and would not keep them; these are they that have no part in the first resurrection. (Mosiah 15:26) ↩
79. Therefore come unto me and be ye saved; for verily I say unto you, that except ye shall keep my commandments, which I have commanded you at this time, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (3 Nephi 12:20) And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be received into the kingdom of God.... (Alma 7:21) ↩
80. But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God. (Mosiah 16:5) ↩
81. And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ; and I lie not. (Moroni 10:26) ↩
82. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings. And the iniquity and transgression of my holy laws and commandments I will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my work, unto the third and fourth generation, so long as they repent not, and hate me, saith the Lord God. (D&C 124:49-50) ↩
83. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings. (D&C 124:49) ↩
84. See Moroni 10:32, previously cited. ↩
85. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.... (Hebrews 10:26) ↩
86. And if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair; and despair cometh because of iniquity. (Moroni 10:22) ↩
87. Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man. (Alma 42:18) ↩
88. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. (Proverbs 8:36) ↩
89. He that keepeth the commandment keepeth his own soul; but he that despiseth his ways shall die. (Proverbs 19:16) A revelation I give unto you concerning my will; and if thou art faithful and walk in the paths of virtue before me, I will preserve thy life, and thou shalt receive an inheritance in Zion. (D&C 25:2) The knowledge of the commandments of the Lord is the doctrine of life: and they that do things that please him shall receive the fruit of the tree of immortality. (Sirach 19:19) ↩
90. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. (James 4:17) ↩
91. And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness. (Ether 12:27-28) ↩
92. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. (John 9:40-41) ↩
93. Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless; but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience. (Alma 29:5) ↩
94. Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness. (2 Nephi 9:14) ↩
95. Nevertheless, I give commandments, and many have turned away from my commandments and have not kept them. And now behold, I, the Lord, say unto you that ye are not justified, because these things are among you. (D&C 63:13, 19) ↩
96. ...he that is found guiltless before him at the judgment day hath it given unto him to dwell in the presence of God in his kingdom... (Mormon 7:7) ↩

Previous Next