Area Presidency Message
Changes Are Possible through Faith in Christ and Humble Repentance
During my boyhood, the Roman Catholic priest taught me that repentance is not a casual act. He said that asking for forgiveness for the same sins over and over is not the turning around which is expected of us in repentance. The priest said this to me after listening to me ask for forgiveness for stealing my mother’s peanut butter several times. My mother would make peanut butter and place in a big jar. I would sneak in the kitchen unnoticed and scoop some out. I would then shake the jar so that my mother would not notice any was missing.
Once every six weeks the priest would visit our little chapel in Silobela, Zimbabwe. This was the only opportunity we had to partake of the sacrament. In preparation for the ordinance, the priest would take his chair and sit under a tree and invite us to kneel before him and confess our sins. The priest would ask Heavenly Father on our behalf to be forgiven of any wrongdoing. It was during these occasions that the priest told me how disappointed he was in me for asking for forgiveness for the same thing again and again. He said, “Edward, do not play with God”. I loved peanut butter, even up to this day, I love peanut butter! The change from stealing mother’s peanut butter was hard but with her help, I was successful, and it was worth it!
What my priest did not tell me was that changing habits is hard. He did not tell me that the loving Lord will forgive me each time I sincerely confess to Him. The Lord declared: “Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me” (Mosiah 26:30).
Repentance is one of the fundamental principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a special gift which is made possible through His Atonement. Necessary changes are made possible by repenting of sin and cleansing through the “shedding of the blood of Christ, which is the covenant of the Father unto the remission of [my] sins, that [I] become holy, without spot” (Moroni 10:33). It is only through strengthening my faith in Jesus Christ that such enduring, profound repentance is made possible. President Russell M. Nelson taught: “Repentance is a process that is never easy. But its prizes are worth the price! The prizes—including forgiveness, peace of mind, and enduring joy—are available to everyone. When we begin to repent, we look forward with faith in Jesus Christ through the challenges that lie ahead and experience true joy. Repentance is powerful because it brings God’s power into our lives”1.
The lesson I learnt about repentance as a boy under a tree has to a large extent shaped my life and strengthened my faith in Jesus Christ. Enos, son of Jacob and grandson of Lehi and Sariah, learned that remission of sins comes through faith in Jesus Christ. We can imagine the experience of Enos praying all day long and throughout the night. He began with seconds turning into minutes, minutes into hours, and hours into all day long. Even though the sun had set, relief had still not come. We learn from Enos that repentance is not a single act and forgiveness is not an unearned gift. His pleas were so important to him that he poured out his soul and sought approval from his Redeemer. His determined soul pressed on without ceasing (See Enos 1:1–12). Enos was rewarded with a remission of his sins through his faith in Christ. Similarly, it was Alma’s fervent faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ that liberated him, through repentance, from the “gall of bitterness” and the “everlasting chains of death” and replaced them with “marvelous light” and “joy as exceedingly as was [his] pain” (Alma 36:18, 20). I am absolutely convinced that it is only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ that we can make necessary changes in our lives as we repent daily.
Our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson has taught us that repentance is a process of conversion: “Repentance comes when we turn to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Brothers and sisters, that means true conversion! Repentance is conversion! A repentant soul is a converted soul, and a converted soul is a repentant soul”2. Changes are possible through faith in Jesus Christ and humble repentance because the price was paid by the Savior. In the Bible Dictionary, Atonement is described as follows: “The word describes the setting ‘at one’ of those who have been estranged and denotes the reconciliation of man to God. Sin is the cause of the estrangement, and therefore the purpose of atonement is to correct or overcome the consequences of sin.”3 Through his personal experience, our Savior knows every pain, affliction, or temptation we must suffer. The Savior took upon Himself our sins as well as our pains, sicknesses, and infirmities of every kind. Knowing this gives me courage that “I can do all things through Christ which [strengthens] me” (Philippians 4:13). I find joy in repenting daily and find that my life is slowly changing and improving to become more like Jesus Christ.