Elder Neil L. Andersen
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Excerpts from “Repent . . . That I May Heal You”
General Conference October 2009

 

 

 

• "When we sin, we turn away from God. When we repent, we turn back toward God."

• "Among the tens of thousands listening to this conference, there are many degrees of personal worthiness and righteousness. Yet repentance is a blessing to all of us. We each need to feel the Savior’s arms of mercy through the forgiveness of our sins."

• "Except for the sins of those few who choose perdition after having known a fulness, there is no sin that cannot be forgiven."

• Some listening today may need “a mighty change [of] heart” (Alma 5:12) to confront serious sins. The help of a priesthood leader might be necessary. For most, repenting is quiet and quite private, daily seeking the Lord’s help to make needed changes.  For most, repentance is more a journey than a one-time event. It is not easy. To change is difficult. It requires running into the wind, swimming upstream. Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me” (Matt 16:24). Repentance is turning away from some things, such as dishonesty, pride, anger, and impure thoughts, and turning toward other things, such as kindness, unselfishness, patience, and spirituality. It is “re-turning” toward God.

• "Repentance becomes part of our daily lives. Our weekly taking of the sacrament is so important—to come meekly, humbly before the Lord, acknowledging our dependence upon Him, asking Him to forgive and to renew us, and promising to always remember Him."

• "Sometimes in our repentance, in our daily efforts to become more Christlike, we find ourselves repeatedly struggling with the same difficulties. As if we were climbing a tree-covered mountain, at times we don’t see our progress until we get closer to the top and look back from the high ridges. Don’t be discouraged. If you are striving and working to repent, you are in the process of repenting.  As we improve, we see life more clearly and feel the Holy Ghost working more strongly within us."

• "Sometimes we wonder why we remember our sins long after we have forsaken them. Why does the sadness for our mistakes at times continue following our repentance?  You will remember a tender story told by President James E. Faust. 'As a small boy on the farm . . . , I remember my grandmother . . . cooking our delicious meals on a hot woodstove. When the wood box next to the stove became empty, Grandmother would silently pick up the box, go out to refill it from the pile of cedar wood outside, and bring the heavily laden box back into the house.”  President Faust’s voice then filled with emotion as he continued: “I was so insensitive . . . I sat there and let my beloved grandmother refill the kitchen wood box. I feel ashamed of myself and have regretted my [sin of] omission for all of my life. I hope someday to ask for her forgiveness' (James E. Faust, 'The Weightier Matters of the Law: Judgment, Mercy, and Faith,' Ensign, Nov. 1997, 59)  More than 65 years had passed. If President Faust still remembered and regretted not helping his grandmother after all those years, should we be surprised with some of the things we still remember and regret?  The scriptures do not say that we will forget our forsaken sins in mortality. Rather, they declare that the Lord will forget (see D&C 58:42–43; see also Alma 36:17–19).  The forsaking of sins implies never returning. Forsaking requires time. To help us, the Lord at times allows the residue of our mistakes to rest in our memory (see Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Point of Safe Return,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2007, 101).  It is a vital part of our mortal learning.

• "Once I was asked to meet an older couple returning to the Church. They had been taught the gospel by their parents. After their marriage, they left the Church. Now, 50 years later, they were returning. I remember the husband coming into the office pulling an oxygen tank. They expressed regret at not having remained faithful. I told them of our happiness because of their return, assuring them of the Lord’s welcoming arms to those who repent. The elderly man responded, 'We know this, Brother Andersen. But our sadness is that our children and grandchildren do not have the blessings of the gospel. We are back, but we are back alone.'  They were not back alone. Repentance not only changes us, but it also blesses our families and those we love. With our righteous repentance, in the timetable of the Lord, the lengthened-out arms of the Savior will not only encircle us but will also extend into the lives of our children and posterity. Repentance always means that there is greater happiness ahead."

 

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
 

Excerpts from “Point of Safe Return”
General Conference April 2007
(Ensign, May 2007, p. 101)

 

 

 

• "It is not repentance per se that saves man. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that saves us. It is not by our sincere and honest change of behavior alone that we are saved, but 'by grace that we are saved, after all we can do' (2 Nephi 25:23). True repentance, however, is the condition required so that God's forgiveness can come into our lives."

• "We need a strong faith in Christ to be able to repent. Our faith has to include a 'correct idea of [God's] character, perfections, and attributes' (Lectures on Faith [1985], 38). If we believe that God knows all things, is loving, and is merciful, we will be able to put our trust in Him for our salvation without wavering. Faith in Christ will change our thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors that are not in harmony with God's will.  True repentance brings us back to doing what is right. To truly repent we must recognize our sins and feel remorse, or godly sorrow, and confess those sins to God. If our sins are serious, we must also confess them to our authorized priesthood leader. We need to ask God for forgiveness and do all we can to correct whatever harm our actions may have caused. Repentance means a change of mind and heart—we stop doing things that are wrong, and we start doing things that are right. It brings us a fresh attitude toward God, oneself, and life in general."

• "Satan will try to make us believe that our sins are not forgiven because we can remember them. Satan is a liar; he tries to blur our vision and lead us away from the path of repentance and forgiveness. God did not promise that we would not remember our sins. Remembering will help us avoid making the same mistakes again. But if we stay true and faithful, the memory of our sins will be softened over time. This will be part of the needed healing and sanctification process. Alma testified that after he cried out to Jesus for mercy, he could still remember his sins, but the memory of his sins no longer distressed and tortured him, because he knew he had been forgiven (see Alma 36:17–19).  It is our responsibility to avoid anything that would bring back old sinful memories. When we continue to have a 'broken heart and a contrite spirit' (3 Nephi 12:19), we may trust that God will 'remember [our sins] no more.' "

 

President Boyd K. Packer
Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles 

Excerpts from “The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness”
General Conference October 1995
(Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 18)

 

 

 

• "The gospel teaches us that relief from torment and guilt can be earned through repentance. Save for those few who defect to perdition after having known a fulness, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness.  '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.'  That is, Isaiah continued, 'if ye be willing and obedient ' (Isaiah 1:18-19).  Even that grace of God promised in the scriptures comes only “after all we can do” (2 Ne. 25:23).

• Alma bluntly told his wayward son that 'repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment' (Alma 42:16).  The punishment may, for the most part, consist of the torment we inflict upon ourselves. It may be the loss of privilege or progress. [Endnote 15: Forgiveness will come eventually to all repentant souls who have not committed the unpardonable sin (see Matt. 12:31). Forgiveness does not, however, necessarily assure exaltation, as is the case with David (see D&C 132:38–39; see also Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:25–27; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 339).]  We are punished by our sins, if not for them.

• "That great morning of forgiveness may not come at once. Do not give up if at first you fail. Often the most difficult part of repentance is to forgive yourself. Discouragement is part of that test. Do not give up. That brilliant morning will come.   Then 'the peace of God, which passeth … understanding' comes into your life once again (Philipians 4:7). Then you, like Him, will remember your sins no more. How will you know? You will know! (See Mosiah 4:1-3)

• "Some years ago I was in Washington, D.C., with President Harold B. Lee. Early one morning he called me to come into his hotel room. He was sitting in his robe reading Gospel Doctrine, by President Joseph F. Smith, and he said, 'Listen to this!'  ' ‘Jesus had not finished his work when his body was slain, neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead; although he had accomplished the purpose for which he then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all his work. And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time, except the sons of perdition. That is his mission. We will not finish our work until we have saved ourselves, and then not until we shall have saved all depending upon us; for we are to become saviors upon Mount Zion, as well as Christ. We are called to this mission.’ ”(Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1939, p. 442; emphasis added) .

• “ 'There is never a time,' the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, 'when the spirit is too old to approach God. All are within the reach of pardoning mercy, who have not committed the unpardonable sin.'  (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 191; emphasis added.) "