Repentance

Among the many gifts our Heavenly Father has prepared for us are His love, the atoning sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ, Eternal Life, the scriptures, full of divine guidance and prophetic messages, the restoration of the fulness of the Gospel, and many, many more.  

The scriptures tell us that the greatest gift, of all these, is Eternal Life; and so it is, yet, without the Love of our Heavenly Father, none of these would be possible. With that in mind, I love the hymn we sing: How great the wisdom and the Love, that filled the courts on high and sent the savior from above, to suffer bleed and die. 

Of the multitude of gifts, two stand out in relation to our every-day actions: Agency, and Repentance. Without agency the entire creation would have been for naught. Not one of us would have the opportunity for spiritual growth, and thus become prepared to meet our Heavenly Father, and there become divinely creative in His presence.

Tied to the opportunity of free choice, is the consequence that as apprentices we make mistakes, with the result that our progress would be limited and prevent us from fulfilling our divine potential, unless an opportunity were given to learn from our mistakes, overcome them and be forgiven, and thus again become pure in preparation for a divine future.

The infinite Atonement of Christ gives us the possibility to accept that sacrifice through our sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Included in that repentance is our willingness to give him the only gift which is truly ours to give: Our will. That obedience is a commitment of subjecting our will to His, with complete trust resulting from having experienced His love.

The principles of Agency and Repentance are thus inseparably connected through the Love of our Heavenly Father.

A broken heart and a contrite spirit comprise the most concise definition of repentance I can imagine. In the context of the Gospel, a broken heart indicates the depth of sorrow coming from a realization that I have offended my Heavenly Father. Thus, the scripture in the sermon on the mount: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted”  becomes a message of repentance and forgiveness.

A broken heart suggests full recognition of transgression and willingness to make repairs where possible as well as a commitment to avoid future wrongdoing. The term contrite spirit includes confession to God, to individuals wronged and willingness to be subjected to appropriate priesthood authority to complete the repentance and receive forgiveness. By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins – he will confess them and forsake them. (D&C 58:43)

The joy of forgiveness is one of the great gifts of our Heavenly Father, made effective through full repentance as we accept the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.