These posts on Repentance are intended to be read in order beginning with
At the bottom of each post is a link to the next one.
A comment was once made on a post that repentance as defined by Christ, is difficult for those who are part of the system which is the Organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The commenter said that those who “genuinely wish to reform and turn unto Christ, are likely to be cut off by the system,” or at least impeded by it. I would add that they find themselves turning away from the system of religious activities. They may even be criticized by members and/or leaders of the system who see them ‘leaving’ the church, or perhaps more accurately, of not being mainstream members.
But that is exactly what those who are repenting do--they are leaving behind their traditional religion, their old church life, and are turning and coming unto Christ to be “of His church.” They are leaving the system of justification by their works. It does not mean that they do not stay involved and attend church and activities, nor does it mean that they do stay involved, but it does mean that they will never see the organized church as they once did. But for those who decide to leave, as in become inactive, there is a danger.
Christ as our Shepherd, invites us to leave the pen and take us to green pastures and clear waters, and for those who leave without following the Shepherd are foolish and put themselves in a very precarious and dangerous environment. Neither are they led to green pastures and clear waters, but are left to their own devices in Babylon.
Tim Merrill wrote the following in one of his posts, and it has occupied my thoughts for many months as I contemplate those family members that I am aware of who have left, and I am afraid that they have not followed the Shepherd.
“Where will we go once we’ve left the pen? Who knows the way? Leaving the pen without the Shepherd to guide us is more than foolhardy; it is perilous.”
The name of a sheep home is called a sheep pen, sheepcote or sheepfold. It is an enclosure made up of local earth and the floor of mud, and also has a strong fence. When we repent and turn to our Shepherd to guide us, we are invited to follow the Shepherd and leave the enclosure.
As for me, I have left the enclosure, but I still attend my meetings. I love the people and want to witness to God when I take the bread and water that I am willing to take upon myself His name. For me the power of God is still manifested in the ordinances of baptism, the sacrament and the endowment. And for me who has been called to say nothing but repentance, there are those I may be able to reach and help them turn to Christ and follow the Shepherd, and not put their trust in men, which I cannot do if I am not there with them.
I posted an article entitled I Know Your Doing where I talk about the many churches described in the Book of Mormon. It will help add some back story to this post. I would recommend that you read it before you read the rest of this post. It will help you know that being ‘of His Church” is not the same as being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and why.
The operative word of God is found in the Doctrine and Covenants, where the Lord says:
“Behold, this is my doctrine--Whomsoever repententh and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me but is against me; therefore he is not of my church. And now, behold, whosoever is of my church, and endureth to the end, him will I establish upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And now, remember the words of him who is the life and light of the world, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God” (D&C 10:67-70 emphasis added). Note that 'those who need no repentance," are not of His church.
Whenever I see the words “more or less than this” it strikes me as being definitive. The Lord has spoken and that is it. No more. No less. You find this same language in 3 Nephi 11. Keep in mind that these words were uttered at the time that Christ first showed himself to the Nephites, and right after they heard the voice of God say to them: “Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name--hear ye him” (3 Nephi 11:7 emphasis added). After Christ introduces himself to the people, and after each person thrust in their hands into His sides and felt the nail prints in his hands and feet, He teaches them of baptism and repentance--His doctrine.
An important distinction is made between His Gospel and His doctrine. His Gospel He defines as Himself (3 Nephi 27:13-21), and His doctrine as the means to avail ourselves of His mercy. He says:
“And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men everywhere, to repent and believe in me…. And again I say unto you, ye must repent and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized my name…” (3 Nephi 11:32;37-38 emphasis added).
Note how often Christ repeats the command to repent and be baptized in His name. He then sums up by saying that “this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them” (3 Nephi 11:39-40 emphasis added).
And why do I remind you of these teachings? Because the Lord said “go forth unto this people, and declare the words which I have spoken, unto the ends of the earth” (3 Nephi 11:41).
So we see the phrase “more or less than’ in the context of His doctrine, and how only through repentance we become of His Church. It doesn’t take much to see that we are guilty of teaching both more and less and establishing it for His doctrine. He reiterates how important this is by saying that anyone who teaches more or less is of evil, and is not of His Church, regardless of where membership resides.
You can now hopefully understand better why you must turn away from the traditional religious teaching that have crept into the organized church. Anyone versed in His words, however, is not surprised to find that we are taught the doctrine of men mingled with scripture. All we have to do is compare what Christ said His Gospel is and what His doctrine is, with what is taught.
The Book of Mormon gives us more. From instruction given to Alma from the Lord, which, by the way, was all written down by Alma, we learn what it means to be numbered among the people of His Church. Keep in mind the difference between those who are numbered among His Church and those who are just members of record.
He instructs Alma that those who believed Alma's words would be His people. They were blessed because they were willing to bear His name. He then says that those that will hear His voice shall be His sheep, and shall be received into His Church. He defines His Church as: "whosoever is baptized shall be baptized unto repentance. And whomsoever ye shall receive shall believe in my name; and him will I freely forgive" (Mosiah 26:22 emphasis added). To those who believe is the promise given that they shall have a place eternally at His right hand. We know from his statements to Alma that to believe is to believe in His words, for His words testify of Him.
The Lord then tells Alma that he that will not hear His voice, the same shall not be received into His church. (This is true today of those who may be members of record of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but not of His Church because they have not yet turned and repented.)
As to those who transgress against the Lord (as opposed to those who transgress against each other--see verse 32 below), he or she shall be judged by Alma according to the sins which he or she has committed, but if he or she confesses his or her sins, and repenteth in the sincerity of heart, he or she shall be forgiven. And as often as His people repent He will forgive them their trespasses against Him.
Alma is also instructed that each member is to forgive each other their trespasses. Then the Lord tells Alma: "whosoever will not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people" (Mosiah 26:32 emphasis added). Notice that those who do repent are of His church, but those who do not repent are not numbered among His church, notwithstanding their membership in the organized church.
As I mentioned, Alma wrote down all the words which the Lord spoke to him, and he went and judged those that had been taken in iniquity (failure to repent), according to the words of the Lord. And those who repented of their sins and did confess them were numbered among the people of the church. And those who would not confess their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered among the people of the church, and their names were blotted out.
Later when Alma taught the people, first in Zarahemla and from thence throughout all the land, "it came to pass that whosoever did belong to the church that did not repent of their wickedness and humble themselves before God—I mean those who were lifted up in the pride of their hearts—the same were rejected, and their names were blotted out, that their names were not numbered among those of the righteous" (Alma 6:2). This verse also clarifies what it means to "trespass against the Lord" i.e., being lifted up in the pride of their hearts, another way of saying they take strength unto themselves and do not rely wholly or alone upon the merits of Christ.
And what did Alma and other laborers in the vineyard teach those of His Church? "And now all these things did Alma and his fellow laborers do who were over the church, walking in all diligence, teaching the word of God in all things” (Mosiah 26:38 emphasis added).
Why? Because they knew that those who would believe in Christ would repent, and those who did not believe in Christ would not repent. And also because it is through feasting upon the words of Christ that we know all things we should do.
Looking ahead, if Zion consists of those of the Lord’s people who repent, who return, and whom the Lord delivers, then Babylon consists of all who do not repent, who do not return and whom the Lord does not deliver.
Through His words we come to know that Zion will be established by those who believe His words, exercise faith in Him and repent or turn to Him, and away from all that is in Babylon.
Next: Repentance: I Would Not Hear. I Would Not Know