Repentance: Godly Sorrow

These posts on Repentance are intended to be read in order from the beginning: 

Repentance: Introduction

At the bottom of each post is a link to the next one. 

Before we talk more about Godly Sorrow, let’s lay some more foundation for the need to repent. In the last post I quoted Enoch, who, using God’s words, set forth the condition of all of us when we come into this world. To complete the picture we must also see what happens before we receive whatever reward we are willing to receive. Note that the Lord uses the term ‘willing.’ For notwithstanding we die, we shall rise again, and “they who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body, even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened” (D&C 88:28). He goes on to say that if we are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory we will receive the same, even a fulness. The same for the terrestrial and telestial glory. And then He says that “they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received” (D&C 88:29-32 emphasis added).

There is a lot to contemplate in these few verses, but the point is that we will receive of the glory that we are willing to receive. And it will be at the judgment when everyone will receive that which they are willing to receive. Christ, when he defined His gospel, said that “my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross, and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil--and for this cause have I been lifted up; therefore, according to the power of the father I will draw all men unto me, that they may be judged according to their works” (3 Nephi 27:14-15 emphasis added).

We all enter this world with the conditions that we die, we suffer, we become devilish,  and we are shut out from God’s presence. And we all face a judgment before our Savior. No one can escape either, and how we respond to both is what repentance is all about. We respond to the first conditions by repenting, and we either are judged according to our works at the judgment or we are found guiltless (3 Nephi 27:16-17). Those who do not repent will be judged of their works and receive for their reward that which they were willing to receive. Those who do repent are found guiltless and enter into the Lord’s presence which is called the Lord’s rest. We receive of His fullness as we receive more of His grace. We begin receiving His grace when we repent and as we continue to repent we receive more of His grace. After the judgment when those who repent and endured in repentance to the end, and who brought forth fruit meet for repentance, will continue to receive His grace until they become perfected in Him. But more on this in another post, but for now remember that we will receive that which we were willing to receive.

Alma summarizes this second condition best when he says: “But behold, it was not so; but it was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end” (Alma 12:27 emphasis added). Now this judgment comes about after the resurrection, which means that there is an opportunity to repent in the spirit world prior to this last judgment. But as Alma tells those of us who know of repentance and have been commanded to repent, “Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer for behold now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this is the time for men to prepare to meet God…. I beseech of you that  ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity…. 

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” (Alma 34:31-34 emphasis added).

I introduced Godly Sorrow in the last post, but want to elaborate on how Godly Sorrow is the only type of sorrow that brings about repentance. First let me say what it is not. It is not remorse. It is not being sorry or even feeling really bad for what you did or did not do. It is not the sorrow of the damned which Mormon identified. It is not disappointment. It is not misfortune. It is not saying that all of us are just human, that all of us make mistakes, or that all of us are imperfect.

The Greeks instructed to know thyself, which is one of the rules by which the universe is governed. The Book of Mormon tells us that the essence of repentance is knowing exactly what we are. The very purpose of our being here, this probationary state, is an unsettling exercise in self-knowledge: “O how great is the nothingness of…men” (Helaman 12:7). This is the time of probation and preparation. Though we are born innocent, there are flaws in our nature, there is evil in our hearts.

Godly Sorrow is experiencing our nothingness in comparison to God’s greatness and His goodness, having His light shine on us and seeing (experiencing) all the flaws, weaknesses, evil, corruption and imperfections in us. It is much more than just giving lip service to our nothingness, but actually experiencing our nothingness. The experiencing of our nothingness in comparison to the goodness of God is Godly Sorrow. “Their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God” (Mormon 2:14). 

Again let’s look at Alma’s experience. As he recounts his experience to His son Helaman, Alma says that his being born again and having received the Spirit of Revelation, was “not of any worthiness of myself” (Alma 36:5).

He recounts that he “was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins” (Alma 36:12 emphasis added). He “did remember all of my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell” (Alma 36:13). And then he says, “in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror” (Alma 36:15 emphasis added), He was racked with the pains of a damned soul for three days and three nights. He then remembered to have heard his father prophesy concerning the coming of Jesus Christ to atone for the sins of the world. He then turned to this Jesus and cried within his heart: “O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death” (Alma 36:18).

It was at this point that He experienced the goodness of God, His mercy, joy and light. Notice the contrast “that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy” (Alma 36:21).

But he says further: “ Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God. …I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God” (Mosiah 27:28-29 emphasis added). 

Alma goes from one of the vilest of sinners to being born of God in the space of three days. To contrast being religious and knowing about repentance, with actually repenting and being born of God, see  Is It Enough That Your Children Know You are a Good Minstering Teacher?

And what do those, who have been born of God, spend their life doing thereafter? Clue? This is one of those fruits meet for repentance. Coming soon.

Repentance is not about being good, but as my friend Tim Merrill says, it is about choosing good, choosing the goodness of God. But the problem is that we are taught to be good, and are taught that it is about our goodness and righteousness, Nothing could be further from the truth. It is all about His goodness and righteousness. Alma reminded his son that the gospel is about our unworthiness, and to always acknowledge our unworthiness before God at all times (Alma 38:34).

The words that the angel delivered to King Benjamin, after hearing them, caused the people to fall to the earth (Mosiah 4:1). And why did they fall to the earth? Because “they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth” (Mosiah 4:2). And what caused them to view themselves in their own carnal state? The words of God which had been delivered unto King Benjamin by an angel of the Lord. They immediately repented and turned to Christ, “and they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified, for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God…” (Mosiah 4:2). And “after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith (unto repentance) they had in Jesus Christ who should come” (Mosiah 4:3 emphasis added).

King Benjamin tells them that it was Godly Sorrow that caused them to turn to Christ and repent and cry for mercy. “For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state--I say unto you, if ye have come to the knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men…continue in the faith (unto repentance) even unto the end of (your) life” (Mosiah 4:5-6 emphasis added). And to nail the coffin shut on religious observance, works and self justification, King Benjamin says, again using the words of God delivered to him by an angel of the Lord, “there is none other salvation save this which hath been spoken of; neither are there any conditions whereby man can be saved except the conditions which I have told you” (Mosiah 4:8 emphasis added). Pretty important to know those conditions, don't you think? Want to teach your children? Ask them to search King Benjamin's words of God, and then tell you what those conditions are. You should probably do it first, however, so you can know if your child has correctly identified the conditions. 

By the way did you know that ‘transgress’ as used by King Benjamin, means to quit repenting or refuse to repent? He tells us how we continue to repent until the end. “And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God (assumes that you have and if not you must), or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins (we will talk about what it means to receive a remission of our sins in another post), which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that you should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel” (Mosiah 4:11 emphasis added).

The word of God will always lead us to repentance, and will always remind us of our condition here, of our lost and fallen nature, of our nothingness. If you do not experience your own nothingness in comparison to the goodness of God, then you have not searched the word of God with all diligence. You are of those whom Nephi described as follows: “And now I, Nephi, cannot say more; the spirit stoppeth mine utterance, and I am left to mourn because of the unbelief, and the wickedness, and the ignorance, and the stiffneckedness of men; for they will not search knowledge, nor understand great knowledge, when it is given unto them in plainness, even as plain as word can be” (2 Nephi 32:7 emphasis added). He says this right after telling us to “feast upon the words of Christ, for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things that ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:3). And what will His words tell us to do? “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me…” (3 Nephi 27:20 emphasis added).

Repentance, because of Godly Sorrow is a much different experience than ‘living the gospel.’ The gospel of Jesus Christ is experiential. “Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tiding of great joy, How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and say unto Zion: Behold thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them” (D&C 128:20 emphasis added).

What do you hear in the gospel you have received? It will depend on what gospel you have received. The Lord has defined His Gospel in 3 Nephi 27:13-21. Search His definition and then ask yourself what you hear. Hearing the voice of God in His words is the first step to experiencing yourself in comparison to His goodness.

Why are we to say nothing but repentance unto this generation?

Next: Repentance: Why We Are to Say Nothing But Repentance

Repentance: Why We Need to Repent

These posts on Repentance are intended to be read in order from the beginning: 

Repentance: Introduction

At the bottom of each post is a link to the next one. 

Now that we know how the Lord defines repentance, and keep in mind that I have only cited a few of the many scriptures where repent and turn are used in parallel, let’s turn our attention to why we need to repent, and why we have been commanded to say nothing but repentance. It must be important? Right? But wait. Isn’t it enough to be kind, honest, tolerant, chaste, hardworking and generous? Do these have anything to do with repentance? When we understand why these have nothing to do with repentance, we will begin to comprehend why we must repent, or why we should repent. 

Again we go back to Adam where Enoch is telling the people “because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe. Behold Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and  are shut out from the presence of God” (Moses 6:48-49). To summarize:

1. We are

2. We die

3. We suffer

4. We are carnal, and

5. We are shut out from God’s presence

And when I say we, I mean everyone who is born into this world. This is the condition of everyone. As Alma says: “Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God (justice), and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people” (Alma 12:22 emphasis added ). “And we see that death comes upon mankind” (Alma 12:24), both a physical and spiritual death. 

These are the conditions that are appointed by God, but “after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold he saw it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them” (Alma 12:28 emphasis added). 

So what did God do? “He sent angels to converse with them” (Alma 12:29), and His words were recorded so that we can know for ourselves of our condition here. I suggest that until you know of and experience your own lost and fallen state, you will never repent. Why? Because you will think that you are part of the ninety and nine that do not need to repent. Or that because you followed the tradition of confessing your sins, paid your penance, and quit doing whatever it was that you confessed to, you continue to work on your behavior, stay active, keep a current temple recommend, and give lip service to following the prophet, you will be OK. Or you may think that you are a good person, even though you make mistakes, and that because He loves you so much, He will forgive you and ceremoniously usher you into His presence. I am here to tell you that is not the case. 

“Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good--

Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness, 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 emphasis added). It seems as if He is focusing on our behavior when he says “they should not do evil,” and He is, but not as you might think. It is because we do evil, because we are evil, that we must repent or turn to Him and desire to be changed, rather than by our discipline quit doing evil, or worse, by justifying our evil works. And by justifying I mean grading our sins and thinking that because we did not commit the really bad sins, we are OK. This overlooked statement by James should be enough to cause us to tremble and be harrowed up by our sins: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10 emphasis added). It is impossible for us to not do evil and that is the point. Our only hope is in Christ. I love these words by Jacob:

  

“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 off the day, harden not your hearts. Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, for why will ye die” (Jacob 6:5-6)?

And what was the commandment that would enable them to overcome the effects of the fall, to not suffer a second death, to be redeemed by the Lord, and receive His mercy? “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 (His justice) that he shall not enter into my rest.

And now…seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; but let us enter into the rest of the Lord, which is prepared according to his word” (Alma 12:33-37 emphasis added).

So it comes down to repentance. It is all about repentance, that greatest of all gifts given to us by God to be redeemed by Christ. All because Christ paid the demands of Justice, all but Sons of Perdition will be redeemed, even those in the telestial or lower kingdoms (D&C 88:17-33). And why won’t Sons of Perdition be redeemed? Because they refuse to repent. They refuse to turn to Christ even after receiving great light and knowledge. They openly rebel against Him as did Perdition himself, hence the title Sons of Perdition.

An overlooked example is found in D&C 138 concerning those spirits of men kept in prison at the time of Noah. “The dead who repent will be redeemed through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God. And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation” (D&C 138:58-59 emphasis added). This should give us a hint that it is better to repent now than wait until we are in the spirit world. In case you missed it: they were redeemed after they paid the penalty for their transgressions! If we repent and turn to Christ sooner, rather than later, then He pays the penalty for our transgressions. To me that is all the difference in the world, or another way of saying it, is that all the world has to offer is not worth it.

God’s justice was introduced to Adam at the time of his fall. He told Adam and Eve that they would surely die if they partook of the forbidden fruit, and when they did, being God, He could not go back on His word, otherwise He would cease to be God. But the plan was for God to send His Son to pay the demands of justice for all those who would repent.

My question for you is, is God’s justice enough to make you want to repent? Let’s look at what God says about His justice. “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” (D&C 19:15 emphasisadded). God describes His justice as His wrath, His Anger and the rod of His mouth. He continues, “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; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer body and spirit--and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink--” (D&C 19:15-18).

This post is entitled Why Do We Need to Repent? And as I said in my last post, you need a reason to repent. I have given you one--God’s justice. And as for the spirits of those who at the time of Noah, refused to repent while in the flesh, but afterward repented, they must suffer God’s justice and pay the demands of justice for their own sins.

Let me make a comment about sins. When we are told to repent of our sins, we are being told to turn to Christ and seek His mercy. As Paul said we all sin. Sinning is part of our nature in our fallen state. But do not fall for the idea that you can grade your sins, and avoid God’s justice if you do not commit the more ‘serious’ sins. No! One sin, no matter how small, will subject you to God’s justice and not just for that sin, but for all your sins. “Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power, and that you confess your sins (acknowledge them, face them, own them), lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit” (D&C 19:20 emphasis added). So when we repent and turn to Christ, we give Him our sins, we confess that we are sinful, we acknowledge that we do not merit anything of ourselves, and we rely totally upon His merits, with faith in His promises of mercy and rest.

Besides using His Justice to drive us into the arms of His Mercy, He made sure that He revealed and caused enough of His words to be written so that there would be no excuse on our part. We can never plead ignorance when He has revealed all that we need to know to overcome our condition here and return to His presence. But more importantly He has given us enough of His light and spirit that we can experience our nothingness. His words shed light on us. And because His words are His light and His spirit we can ‘hear’ His voice in them. His words can cause us to view ourselves in our “own carnal state, even the dust of the earth” (Mosiah 4:2). For more see Faith Comes by Hearing the Word of God and More Blessed Are They Who Humble Themselves Because of the Word.

If His justice or mercy is not enough to make you want to repent, what would it take for you to want to repent? Is the Lord’s command or invitation enough? How about seeing yourself in God’s light? Or better yet, how about your own road to Damascus experience? What if you were threatened with destruction? One thing you should know is that there is no repentance without godly sorrow, which requires that we experience our nothingness, our evil,  in comparison to God’s goodness.

Being sorry for what he may have done, is not godly sorrow. When Mormon had hope that perhaps his people had been humbled enough to repent, he said: “And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their mourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous people.

But behold my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God, but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin. And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits….” (Mormon 2:12-14 emphasis added).

Mormon makes a distinction between the sorrow of the damned and sorrow which brings about repentance. What is that difference? He defines the sorrow of the damned as that sorrow where the people want their own kind of happiness and the Lord does not always suffer them to take happiness in sin (not repenting). Note he says the Lord  “does not always suffer them.” Christ says that sometimes people are allowed to have joy in their works, but only for a season. “Verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and then are hewn down and cast into the fire…” (3 Nephi 27:11 emphasis added).

But in the end they don’t repent because they do not have godly sorrow. What exactly is godly sorrow? Mormon tells us but we have to read and digest what he says a few times. Let’s review what he said: “...their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God” (Mormon 2:13 emphasis added). He doesn’t give us much, but it becomes clear--sorrowing for not getting what we want, as opposed to sorrowing because of the goodness of God. In other words when we see ourselves in relation to His goodness, we will plead for His mercy. The process of repentance requires that we experience our nothingness in comparison to His goodness. We can only experience it, however. We just can’t read it, or hear it, or cognitively understand it. This is exactly what happened to Alma, and why Alma always admonished his sons to be harrowed up in their sins. It is not enough to have a form of godliness, while denying the power of God. 

Paul also tells us the same: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…but the sorrow of the world worketh death” (2 Cor 7:10 emphasis added).

And what leads us to experience our nothingness and His goodness? His words will cause us to fall to the earth and fear the justice of God.

Next: Repentance: Godly Sorrow

Repentance: The Lord's Definition

These posts on Repentance are intended to be read in order from the beginning: 

Repentance: Introduction

At the bottom of each post is a link to the next one. 

As we examine how the Lord defines repentance, based on what He has revealed and caused to be written, one problem we will encounter is what we have already learned about repentance. Words matter, especially the words that God has caused to be written. While He does not make it easy to understand all His words, He expects that we will search them. He has, nevertheless, defined his words. There is no dictionary or glossary where His words are defined, but He does define them nevertheless. We just need to do the work to find the definitions.

As I said, repentance is the most misunderstood doctrine in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just recently I read in a general conference talk that if we do not follow the prophet, we need to repent and follow him. This is just an example how even now at the highest levels of church administration, repentance is associated with a behavior that we need to repent of and stop doing. You can test yourself by asking if you were the Publican’s bishop, what would you want him to do or stop doing after he went to his house ‘justified?’ We need to get rid of all the false doctrine, the weeds that grow in our minds, because we have not sown the seeds (His words) in our hearts and minds. It will be through His words, therefore, that we will get rid of these noxious opinions and false teachings. We cut down these noxious weeds by searching and feasting on the words of God.

I asked a friend of mine, who has been an active member for over 70 years what he thought it meant to repent. His answer was that you ask for forgiveness from your sins. I ask this often, and have found that most members do not know how the Lord has defined repentance, and if this be the case, then how can they ever teach their children to understand the doctrine of repentance before they are 8 years old? And if they do not teach them, does it not in fact affect generations?  I think of my own children and grandchildren. Because when they were young, I did not understand the doctrine of repentance and therefore could not teach it to them. And unless they learned it from the Lord, they could not teach it to their children, even though they remain active and religious. See How to Teach Young Children to Understand the Doctrine of Repentance.

As we go through the Lord’s definition of repentance we will use rhetorical links that link the word repentance with its definition. For example the first time repentance is introduced to Adam is in Moses 6:50, where Enoch tells the people that “...God hath made it known unto our fathers that all men must repent.”  God, by His own voice to Adam links its definition with the word repentance. We will discuss why in another post.

“And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh. And he also said unto him: if thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions,...” (Moses 6:51). Note that Enoch is quoting from Adam’s Book of Remembrance wherein Adam writes that it is God that is speaking to him directly by His own voice. Hence the reference to ‘hearken unto my voice.’ Since it is God who introduced repentance, Adam (and us) must hearken unto the voice of God, believe Him and then turn to Him or repent.

Note that repentance is linked to turn, hearken and believe. This is a pattern that is repeated throughout the Book of Mormon. Specifically speaking to us who are identified with the Gentiles, Nephi, after Christ’s visit to the Nephites, says:

“Hearken, O ye Gentiles and hear the words of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, which he hath commanded me that I should speak concerning you (concerning us), for, behold he commandeth me that I should write, saying:

Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings…, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel.” (3 Nephi 30:1-2). Used in parallel, we see that repent means to turn, not only turn to Christ, but to turn away from all our wicked ways. (What those wicked ways are we will discuss in later posts.) Another Nephi, the son of Helaman, asks: “...how could you have given way to the enticing of him who is seeking to hurl away your souls down to everlasting misery and endless wo? O repent ye, repent ye! Why will ye die? Turn ye, turn ye unto the Lord your God. Why has he forsaken you? It is because you have hardened your hearts; yea, ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd; yea, ye have provoked him to anger against you” (Helaman 7:16-17).

Again using parallelism, Nephi links the word repent with turning to Christ and turning away from our sins.

Think of a continuum, a straight line with God at the end of one side of the line, and Satan at the end of the other. Think of you being on this line, and you are either facing God or facing Satan. God has designed His plan in such a way so that we only have two choices, and the way we are turning depends on where our hearts and desires are. If we are turned to Christ and away from Satan, we are repenting, and if we are turned to Satan and away from Christ, we are not repenting. Because in Christ is found all Good, when we turn to Christ, we turn to the Good, and when we turn away from Christ, we turn to evil. Hence, the choice is between good and evil, but only as the Lord defines good and evil.  Nephi, spells this out in even stronger language with respect to those who were at Jerusalem. He says:

“And as for those who are at Jerusalem, saith the prophet, they shall be scourged by all people, because they crucify the God of Israel, and turn their hearts aside (because of what they really desire), rejecting signs and wonders, and the power and glory of the God of Israel.

And because they turn their hearts aside, saith the prophet, and have despised the Holy One of Israel, they shall wander in the flesh, and perish…” (1 Nephi 19:13-14). These are the same people at Jerusalem whom Laman and Lemuel said were a righteous people. “And we know that the people who were in the land of Jerusalem were a righteous people; (why) for they kept the statutes and judgments of the Lord, and all his commandments according to the law of Moses; wherefore, we know that they are a righteous people” (1 Nephi 17:22). But before this they were angry with their father Lehi because he “had led them out of the land of Jerusalem, to leave the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver and their precious things…” (1 Nephi 2:11). Being a righteous person has nothing to do with being religious. What is the term we use today? A person of faith? Only those who turn to Christ (and away from their sins) and repent wear His robe of righteousness.

Ablnadi, armed with the word of God, is calling on king Noah and his priests to turn from their pride and their idolatry, where they boasted of their own strength, to “repent and turn to the Lord their God…” (Mosiah 11:21). Again we see the use of a Hebrew literary pattern where ‘repent’ and ‘turn’ are used in parallel to define each other. Repent means to turn to God, and turn to God means to repent. From other scriptures we learn that when we turn to God, we turn away from our wickedness and abominations. It is a complete and not a partial turn to God. Alma the Elder, when he heard Abinadi’s words, believed them and turned completely to God. In other words, he repented. Again and again and again Abinadi said: “except they repent and turn to the Lord their God” (Mosiah 11:21;23:25 See also Helaman 11:4).

We turn to Him because we believe His words. Those who believe Christ and His words will repent, and those who do not, will not repent. Turning to Him or repenting also implies that we “turn to the Lord with all (our) mind, might, and strength” (Alma 39:13). In doing so we soon come to realize that our mind, might and strength is wanting, and that we cannot rely on our will and/or our works to remain turned to God. 

The word of God teaches us that we are spiritually deficient and that our goodness is flawed goodness. Turning to Christ and His words (feasting upon them), we receive His light and spirit. We not only come to know that we “cannot merit anything of ourselves” and that we must “rely wholly upon the merits” of Christ, we also experience our own lost, fallen and corrupt state. His words teach us that redemption is not a matter of legislation, moral exhortation, proper examples, rules and regulations, and good education. We are beginning to experience Godly Sorrow, which is the only kind of sorrow that brings about repentance, but more on that later.

Our misunderstanding of the doctrine of repentance leads us to ‘chop at the leaves’ as opposed to getting to the root of the problem. Note the play on the word root. Christ is the root and we are merely the branches. As a result almost all of our efforts are directed as if a change in our behavior or the behavior of others is the cure to our sinful nature. We are only right when there is no wrong in us, not when we have quit doing wrong. We must be set free from the evil within us, not set free from the sins or evil we are doing, nor set free from the sins we have committed. See Saved From Our Sins.

We therefore turn (repent) to Christ, and we validate that repentance by enduring to the end.

Alma’s experience as he recounts in Alma 36 shows us how we turn to Christ. I will refer to his experience many times in this series, but for now focus on Alma turning toward Christ. “And it came to pass that as I was racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death” (Alma 36:17-18). Having experienced the Justice of God, he remembered Jesus and turned his heart and mind to Him, and as soon as he had cried unto Jesus, he could “remember (his) pains no more” (Alma 36:19). He later described his experience as repentance and said “...from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance…” (Alma 36:24). “For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit” (Mosiah 27:24).

Repentance in the Book of Mormon is defined as turning to Christ. The Latin word for repentance means to turn, in Hebrew repentance means to return. In Hebrew,  we see these examples and many more: “Return unto me, and I will return unto you” (Malachi 3:7). “Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God” (Hosea 3:5). “And the pride of Israel testifieth to his face: and they do not return to the Lord their God” (Hosea 7:10). “...Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after others gods to serve them” (Jeremiah 35:15). Note that these verses are also prophetic in that Israel will return (repent) in the last days, and the Lord will remember His covenant with them. The Old Testament prophets were always calling for Israel to return to their God, or in other words to repent. As a result of their repentance, they will return to their lands of inheritance and receive the blessings promised them. In fact only those who repent will be numbered among His people. “But if the Gentiles will repent and return unto me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people, O house of Israel” (3 Nephi 16:13).

In Alma’s recounting of his experience, notice what is not said. He did not have to go to His father who was the High Priest and confess his sins. He did not have to be on probation for a period of time. He did not have to make restitution. He did not need to be forgiven. “And it came to pass that I was three days and three nights in the most bitter pain and anguish of soul; and never, until I did cry unto the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy, did I receive a remission of my sins. But behold, I did cry unto him and I did find peace to my soul” (Alma 38:8). 

But there needs to be a reason, a motivation to turn to Christ. In Alma’s case it was coming face to face with his sins and his sinful nature. The Lord invites (Alma 5:32-33), commands (3 Nephi 27:20), warns (Helaman 13:6), sends messengers (Moroni 7:31), causes His words to be recorded (Moses 6:46;51-52), and tells us exactly why it is critical that we turn to Him and repent (Alma 42). The knowledge of the goodness of God and our nothingness will awaken us and cause us to want to turn to Christ (Mosiah 4:5). We must view ourselves in our fallen state. For my own experience see I Am a Sinner.

Which brings us to my next post Repentance: Why Do We Need to Repent? Or why did the Lord give us the gift of Repentance?