Chapter 5: Principles of True Repentance
Oftentimes our challenges with truly understanding repentance are rooted in
improper understanding of other gospel aspects. Repentance itself seems simple
enough, but do we truly understand it in all its beauty?
Quote 2: repentance means more than
simply a reformation of behavior. Many men and women in the world demonstrate great
willpower and self-discipline in overcoming bad habits and the weaknesses of
the flesh. Yet at the same time they give no thought to the Master, sometimes
even openly rejecting Him. Such changes of behavior, even if in a positive
direction, do not constitute true repentance.Quote 3: Paul wrote: “Now I rejoice,
not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were
made sorry after a godly manner. …“For godly sorrow worketh
repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world
worketh death.” (2 Cor. 7:9–10.)In both of these scriptures,
godly sorrow is defined as a sorrow that leads us to repentance.Godly sorrow is a gift of the
Spirit. Quote 4: No one is more anxious to see
us change our lives than the Father and the Savior. In the book of Revelation
is a powerful and profound invitation from the Savior. He says, “I stand at the
door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to
him.” (Rev. 3:20.) Note that He does not say, “I stand at the door and wait
for you to knock.” He is calling, beckoning, asking that we simply open our
hearts and let Him in.
One Sunday after her self-evaluation, she began to feel gloomy and pessimistic.
She could see that she was making the same errors over and over again, week to
week. But then she had a distinct impression that she was neglecting a big part
of the Atonement—Christ’s enabling power. She was forgetting all the times the
Savior helped her be who she needed to be and serve beyond her own capacity.
With this in mind, she reflected again on the previous week. She said: “A
feeling of joy broke through my melancholy as I noted that He had given me many
opportunities and abilities. I noted with gratitude the ability I had to
recognize my child’s need when it wasn’t obvious. I noted that on a day when I
felt I could not pack in one more thing to do, I was able to offer
strengthening words to a friend. I had shown patience in a circumstance that
usually elicited the opposite from me.”
She concluded: “As I thanked God for the Savior’s enabling power in my life, I
felt so much more optimistic toward the
repentance
process I was working through and I looked to the next week with renewed hope.”
(The sacrament, a renewal for the soul Cheryl A Esplin, Oct 2014 General
Conference)
Faith and
Repentance are the first 2 principles of the gospel, they lay the foundation
for our testimonies. Satan knows this and aggressively attacks
these. His attack of faith can often seem more obvious and overt,
as we see the faith of our society come under attack. We see the same
philosophies as seen in the Book of Mormon evidenced today in young adults
mocking the “foolish traditions” of their fathers when referring to religious
beliefs. Among other attacks on our faith.
But he works just
as hard at attempting to undermine the true beauty of repentance.
However, his attack on repentance is sometimes more covert, as the repentance
process is often done in private. Satan works hard to try to distort repentance
to be something we fear or get uncomfortable about. We might have different
emotions on the topic based on different phases of life or the different phases
of the repentance process that we might currently be at.
Elder Christofferson, The divine gift of repentance
Only repentance leads
to the sunlit uplands of a better life. And, of course, only through repentance
do we gain access to the atoning grace of Jesus Christ and salvation.
Repentance is a divine gift, and there should be a smile on our faces when we
speak of it. It points us to freedom, confidence, and peace. Rather than
interrupting the celebration, the gift of repentance is the cause for true
celebration.
We discussed the following aspects of
repentance that some people struggle with
·
Feelings of excessive/debilitating guilt
·
Inability to get past guilt or to feel relief or
to feel forgiven (completed process, but still feel bad)
·
Not realizing the need to repent
·
Wondering if they have done enough to make
restitution or paid the price sufficiently
·
Being afraid to confess
·
Fear of if restitution will be accepted
·
Feelings of hopelessness due to repeat offenses,
I keep slipping up
·
Not feeling the desire to change
·
Not being willing to give up the sin (I like it,
peer pressure)
·
Trying to avoid/escape truly understanding
repentance by attempting to be perfect (on our own merits)
We discussed the following potential roots of
these struggles and what might be a solution or answer to some of these.
·
Remembering the price has already been paid
·
Remembering that it’s not just reformation, but
paying the price
·
Remembering the importance of forgiving others
o
We are not perfect, how prideful to withhold our
forgiveness when we most assuredly need forgiveness. If we are struggling with
repentance, think of someone we can forgive.
·
Faith that the atonement is real, that we can be
forgiven. Enos: Guilt was swept away., because I knew God could not lie. How is
this done? Because of his faith in Jesus Christ
·
Remembering our divine worth:
·
Recognizing progress, the enabling power having
impact on our lives
·
Remembering everyone needs it
·
Remembering true meaning of: Godly sorrow is a
tool to bring us to repentance and have a change of heart. It has a purpose, it
is not meant to lead us to despair. Hopelessness comes from Satan.
·
Remembering Heavenly Father and Jesus want us to
succeed
·
Retaining hope
Quote 1: “The
Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world
would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and
then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by
changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their
environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human
nature. …
“Yes, Christ changes men, and changed men can change the
world.”
Quote 5: One of Satan’s most effective strategies with those
whom he has lured into sin is to whisper in their ears that they are not worthy
to pray. He will tell you that Heavenly Father is so displeased with you that
He will never hear your prayers. This is a lie, and he says it to deceive us.
The power of sin is great. If we are to extricate ourselves from it, especially
serious sin, we must have a power greater than ourselves.
No one is more anxious to help you flee from sin than your
Heavenly Father. Go to Him. Acknowledge your sin, confess your shame and your
guilt, and then plead with Him for help. He has the power to help you triumph.
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Quote 6: there are hundreds and thousands of
people who find the process of repentance much more subtle, much more
imperceptible. Day by day they move closer to the Lord, little realizing they
are building a godlike life. They live quiet lives of goodness, service, and
commitment. They are like the Lamanites, who the Lord said “were baptized with
fire and with the
Holy Ghost,
and they knew it not.” (
3 Ne.
9:20; italics added.)
We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of
men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring
discouragement and surrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased
with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like
Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we
must not give up hope.
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Quote: Enabling Power, Seeing our Progression:
Each week, she conducted a self-evaluation during the
sacrament. She recalled mistakes she had made, and she committed to be better
the next week. She was grateful to be able to make things right and be made
clean. Looking back on the experience, she said, “I was acting on the repentance part of the Atonement.”
Thought: Eustress vs Distress application to proper
guilt
Eustress is the good stress that motivates you to continue
working. Stress can be a motivator and provide incentive to get the job done.
This "good stress" is what eustress can be identified as and some
people enjoy it. Everyone needs a little bit of stress in their life in order
to continue to be happy, motivated, challenged and productive. It is when this
stress is no longer tolerable and/or manageable that distress comes in.
Bad stress, or distress, is when the good stress becomes too
much to bear or cope with. Tension builds, there is no longer any fun in the
challenge, there seems to be no relief, no end in sight. This is the kind of
stress most of us are familiar with and this is the kind of stress that leads
to poor decision making.
Similarly, Godly sorrow is a gift from God that motivates us
to change and improve and repent. But when our sorrow transitions to despair
and hopelessness, that comes from Satan and instead of helping us, it can
hinder our progression. It is important to be aware of the source of our guilt
and not allow Satan to pull us down.
