Repentance: Why We Are to Say Nothing But Repentance

These posts on Repentance are best read in order from the beginning with Repentance: Introduction. At the bottom of each post is a link to the next one. 

This post could also be subtitled Why Saying Nothing But Repentance is a Fruit of Our Repentance. It seems, however, that presently in the church we say nothing but conference talks to this generation. I decided once to reply to an email I received from the church and asked "Why do we settle for conference talks, when we have the word of God? His words are the standard by which all and everyone is judged. If the word of God is taught at a general conference we should listen. If not, we can discard it. It is the message and not the messenger. Why are we forced to use these talks in Sacrament meetings and Priesthood and Relief Society meetings? The Lord has told us to not speak in tenets, and yet we create new ones which pass when the President of the Church dies. We should be nourished by the word of God as Moroni said, and not by a watered down version which does not nourish.” 

I did receive a response referring me to my local leader “for more information.” It concerns me that while some speakers in general conference talk of repentance, we hear so much more about remaining active, following the prophet, receiving comfort from our Savior, etc. Just take a look at some of the titles of the talks in the October 2023 General Conference: “In the Path of Their Duty,” “For the Sake of Your Posterity,” “Abide the Day in Christ,” “The Sealing Power,” “Love thy Neighbour,” “Kingdoms of Glory,” “Tithing: Opening the Windows of Heaven,” “The Power of Jesus Christ in Our Lives Every Day,” “Do You Want to Be Happy?” “Walking in Covenant Relationship with Christ,” just to name a few. The names of some of these talks seem at first glance to hit the mark, but most are the teachings of men mingled with scripture.

I did hear the word of God spoken in the Conference and Elder Uchtdorf’s talk “The Prodigal and the Road That Leads Home” filled me with joy. And Elder Rasband’s “How Great Will Be Your Joy” could have hit the mark, but turned into a talk about needing senior missionaries. 

As I say later, not everyone is called to say nothing but repentance unto this generation, and some general conference talks can be the means of bringing others to the word of God where they can find their way to Christ, but to rely mainly on conference talks will not “carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise” (Alma 37:45). Only the words of Christ will. 

I did, however, find fifteen (15) references to repentance in the talks, some of which were very good, but then were modified where His words were mingled with the traditional understanding of repentance. There was not one talk entitled “Say Nothing But Repentance” nor one talk just about repentance. It is indicative of our tendency to rely on the pulpit narrative instead of hearing the voice of God in the scripture narrative, that these talks will become the learning curriculum in the Church for the next six (6) months. The ‘covenant path’ has replaced the Iron Rod leading to the Tree of Life and the “strait and narrow path” which leads to eternal life. Only “continually holding fast” to the word of God gets us to the Tree of Life, and only the word of God keeps us in the “strait and narrow” path. 

So let’s see why the Lord has commanded us to say nothing but repentance to this generation, especially our own. See what happens to generations when we do not.  “Drunk With the Wine of Self Deception.”

To say nothing but repentance is a calling given to those who desire to “reap while the day lasts, that he may treasure up for his soul everlasting salvation in the Kingdom of God” (D&C 6:3 & 11:3 emphasis added). “Yea, whosoever will thrust in his sickle and reap, the same is called of God” (D&C 6:4 & 11:4 emphasis added). And what are those of us who have desired to thrust in our sickle and reap, called of God to do? 

“Seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion” (D&C 11:6).

“Seek not for riches but for wisdom” (D&C 11:7).

“Say nothing but repentance unto this generation” (D&C 11:9 emphasis added).

“Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; and then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men” (D&C 11:21 emphasis added).

With this promise: “Even as you desire of me so it shall be done unto you” (D&C 11:8).

Speaking with the power of God requires having the Spirit of Revelation and the Spirit of Prophecy.

I don’t think that all are called to say nothing but repentance unto this generation, but those who really desire to, are called of God. See my own experience.

Helping to understand why we are to say nothing but repentance unto this generation requires an understanding of the mercy of God and His gospel, experiencing God’s mercy in our own lives, experiencing Godly Sorrow, always repenting and being born again, becoming His Sons and Daughters, and having a measure of the love of God found  in us. I like the way Alma charges his son Corianton to teach the word of God. He says: “And now, O my son, ye are called of God to preach the word unto this people. And now, my son, go thy way, declare the word with truth and soberness (why?), that thou mayest bring souls unto repentance (why?), that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them. And may God grant unto you, even according to my words. Amen” (Alma 42:31 emphasis added).

Q. Why declare the word of God with truth and soberness? 

A. To bring souls unto repentance.

Q. And why bring souls unto repentance? 

A. That the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them!

Again there are several examples in the Book of Mormon where those who were repenting and had been born again, showed the fruit of their repentance by spending the rest of their lives teaching the word of God to bring souls to repentance and to the mercy of God. 

I will concentrate mainly on the A-Listers: Alma Sr, Alma Jr, Amulek, Ammon and Aaron, and by reference Ammon and Aaron’s brothers Omner and Himni, and sons of Alma Jr, grandsons to Alma Sr., Helaman, Shiblon and Corianton. It is critical to mention the fact that both Mosiah, and Alma Sr believed the words of God delivered by angels to Abinadi (Alma Sr) and King Benjamin, father of Mosiah. We will get to Amulek’s story in a bit, but sufficeth to say that Amulek was visited by the same angel that came to Alma Jr and the Sons of Mosiah.

Right off the bat you may dismiss this because angels were involved and who wouldn’t respond to an angel? Right? But think about this for a minute. We have the words of these angels. They have been recorded for our benefit. We have the witnesses who saw and heard these angels and they too, wrote the words they were taught and that they taught others. All we have to do is believe them just like these A-Listers did. Alma Sr. didn’t see an angel. He heard the words of God delivered by Abinadi. The critical factor is believing the words, not who delivered them. See Alma Believes the Words of Abinadi.

This is a good place to start because this A-list, and the thousands who repented because of the words they taught, begins with Alma believing the words of Abinadi. Because you are also part of the chain of custody of His words, perhaps you can read it after reading this post. 

One point I would like to emphasize is that when Alma Sr. ordained others to teach the people "he commanded them that they should teach nothing save it were the things which he had taught" (Mosiah 18:19 emphasis added). And he specifically commanded them "they should teach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people" (Mosiah 18:20 emphasis added). And later when churches were organized and established in the land of Zarahemla, these churches met together so that they could "hear the word of "God." And there "was nothing preached in all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God" (Mosiah 25:20;22 emphasis added).

The words these A-Listers were taught and eventually believed, became their words, words of God, and because each had the Spirit of Revelation and the Spirit of Prophecy, they knew for themselves of the truths that they taught. They therefore taught with power and authority. When God’s words become our words because they have been revealed to us, then, and only then, will we become witnesses with first-hand knowledge and can testify that we know.

Let’s examine what these A-Listers had in common.

1. They were all sinners;

2. They repented and continued to have faith unto repentance;

3. They were redeemed;

4. They were born again;

5. They searched and were armed with the word of God;

6. They believed the words of God;

7. They fasted, prayed for and received the Spirit of Revelation and the Spirit of Prophecy;

8. They tasted of the love of God and His mercy;

9. They wanted all to taste as they did taste--to repent and obtain His mercy;

10. They spent their lives teaching what they had experienced and were experiencing.

In other words they said nothing but repentance that they might “bring souls unto repentance (why?), that the great plan of mercy may have claim upon them” (Alma 42:31).

When I left for my mission in 1962, we still had printed programs with our pictures and a scripture we had chosen on the front of the program. I chose the following scripture:

“I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my glory” (Alma 29:9 emphasis added).

These words spoken by Alma impressed upon me a desire to go on my mission and gave me a purpose. While I did not really understand what it meant to repent, I sensed something in this purpose that has been a guide for me throughout my life and has been the reason for this blog and the many years of teaching His gospel of repentance to as many as will listen. But, like Amulek, I was not yet ready to hear because my heart was set upon the things of the world, and I had not yet began the process of repenting.

Let me share some of the things said and/or written about these A-Listers, which, hopefully will give you a clear picture of why they spent their lives teaching repentance.

Alma said after His experience, that his “limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood upon my feet and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God. Yes, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Alma 36:23-24 emphasis added).

And because of his labors, “many have been born of God, and tasted as I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I have is of God” (Alma 36:26 emphasis added).

Amulek spoke from experience when he said: “And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exerciseth 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. Therefore may God grant unto you…that you may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save” (Alma 34:16-18 emphasis added).

Amulek’s story is unique in that there is not much said about his own experiences in hearing and believing the word of God, but there is no question that he did hear and believe as evidence from his teaching the word of God. He was told by the angel to go back to Ammonihah and preach again unto the people of the city; “Yea, say unto them, except they repent the Lord God will destroy them” (Alma 8:16 emphasis added). Amulek says of his own experience, “Behold, I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me; yea, and behold, I have many kindreds and friends and I have also acquired much riches by the hand of my industry. Nevertheless, after all this (or because of it), I have never known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power…. Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and l would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God in the wickedness of my heart” (Alma 10:5-6 emphasis added).

The angel visited Amulek and told him of Alma and that Alma would also teach him the word of God, and he, Amulek, would know of their surety. He said of the words Alma spake unto him and his family: “he hath blessed mine house, he hath blessed me, and my women, and my children, and my father and my kinsfolk; yea, even all my kindred hath he blessed, and the blessing of the Lord hath rested upon us according to the words which he spake” (Alma 10:11 emphasis added).

I like Amulek’s story not because of the fact that an angel visited him, but because he admitted that because of his possessions and his influence, and his family, he had hardened his heart against the word of God. This is where many of us may be. We are aware, but will not hear. See Obstacles to Receiving the Word of God.

Ammon and Aaron and their brothers “had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scripture diligently, that they might know the word of God. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God” (Alma 17:3 emphasis added). But before this, together with Alma, the Sons of Mosiah were described as “the very vilest of sinners” (Mosiah 28:4).

After they were born again, and after suffering “much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever” (Mosiah 28:4), they were “desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble” (Mosiah 28:3 emphasis added).

Concerning the Sons of Mosiah, "they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the alter of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before Him" (Alma 17:4 emphasis added).

And so each of the A-Listers spent the rest of their lives saying nothing but repentance, and anyone who so desires, is called to do the same. But first they must repent and experience the judgment and mercy of God, and be filled with the love of Christ for all. How we miss the mark in our religious activities! What is the work we should be doing? Not what we are accustomed to. Not the busy work of attending our meetings and fulfilling the traditional duties of being a ‘faithful’ member of the church. See The Cart Before the Horse for a more detailed explanation.

Let me also mention Enos because his story is similar. After praying to the Lord, first for his own soul, and then for the souls of his people, both living and future, the Lord granted Enos to ask for anything he desired. And what did he ask for? "...that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation—" (Enos 1:13).

Let me close this post with these words from Alma, because they describe much of what I feel, have personal knowledge of, and experience everyday, as I have very limited influence on others, even my own family.

“O that i were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me. I ought not to harrow up in my desires the firm decree of a just God, for I know that he granteth unto men according their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life; yea, I know that he allotteth unto men, yea, decreeth unto them decrees which are unalterable, according their wills, whether they be unto salvation or unto destruction.

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. Now, seeing that I know of these things, why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?

Why should I desire that I were an angel, that I could speak unto the ends of the earth?

For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, and in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true” (Alma 29:2-8 emphasis added).

After having spent the most of my lifetime obtaining the word of God, this scripture now resonates within me. In 1962 when I selected this scripture for my missionary program, little did I know, but now I do:

“I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my glory” (Alma 29:9 emphasis added).

Next: Repentance: Grace (and no, not after all we can do)

Repentance: Godly Sorrow

These posts on Repentance are best read in order from the beginning with 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.

Keep in mind that it is a real judgment where justice must be done. At this judgment the demands of justice must be met. There are two options:

1) we pay the demands of justice and rely on our merits, or

2) Christ pays the demands of justice, and we rely on His merits.

Only those who repent and validate their repentance by enduring in faith in Christ, relying on His righteousness and only on His merits, can choose option two.

After this judgment we eventually 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. See "Leave the First Principles and Go On Unto Perfection"

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 Amulek 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...?

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 with 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.

Martin Luther described his profound struggle with his sins and his inability to satisfy God's perfect standard of righteousness, which led him to an intense alienation from God.

He reflected on his time as a monk: "Though I lived as a monk without reproach, I felt that I was a sinner before God with an extremely disturbed conscience. I could not believe that he was placated by my satisfaction (penance) . I did not love, yes, I hated the righteous God who punishes sinners, and secretly, if not blasphemously, certainly murmuring greatly, I was angry with God, and said, 'As if, indeed, it is not enough, that miserable sinners, eternally lost through original sin, are crushed by every kind of calamity by the law of the decalogue, without having God add pain to pain by the gospel and also by the gospel threatening us with his righteousness and wrath!'"

In essence, his frustration and "hatred" were directed at the Law and God's Justice: He felt that no matter how hard he tried to be righteous or to confess all his sins, he could never meet the demands of God's perfect law.

He felt perpetually condemned by his own corrupt nature (original sin) and his inability to stop committing actual sins, which constantly put him under God's righteous judgment.

Before his pivotal theological breakthrough, he understood the "righteousness of God" (in passages like Romans 1:17) as God's active standard of justice by which he judges and punishes sinners, which terrified him.

This profound struggle was eventually resolved when he realized that the "righteousness of God" in Romans 1:17 is a passive righteousness—the righteousness that God imparts to the believer through faith in Christ, not a righteousness achieved by works. This realization of justification by faith alone turned his "hatred" into love and became the foundational doctrine of the Protestant Reformation.

Which is also the foundation of His Gospel found in the Book of Mormon. 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 we 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