Forgiveness of sins comes through repentance.1 Repentance doesn’t just mean apologizing for or feeling sorry for your sin; it requires forsaking your past sins.2 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.3 God requires us to keep all of his commandments.4 To turn toward God requires turning away from all sin.5 He directs us to “cleave to him” with “full purpose of heart,” which denotes totality of dedication and primacy of priority.6 If you want to obey him, you must do it in totality,7 not just for his sake, but for yours.8 Those who do not fully obey God do not qualify for forgiveness of their sins.9 God does not excuse the least bit of continuing sin.10 While the level of understanding of God is variable between people, the level of obedience required to what each understands is not.11
Footnotes
- 1. ...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) ↩
- 2. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them. (D&C 58:43) ↩
- 3. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10) ↩
- 4. 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) ↩
- 5. 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) ↩
- 6. 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) ↩
- 7. 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) ↩
- 8. 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. ↩
- 9. 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) ↩
- 10. ...the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. (Alma 45:16) ↩
- 11. Who am I that made man, saith the Lord, that will hold him guiltless that obeys not my commandments? (D&C 58:30) ↩