I guess I never posted my talk on Repentance that I gave in church last year. Here it is, a year late. Sorry.
Repentance—The Second Principle of the Gospel
Jennifer Earl Norton
When we were asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting, we were informed that the theme for this month is “repentance.” What an exciting theme. Studying the fundamental and foundational principles of the gospel always brings great insight. There are so many new things to learn about such principles—things that we don’t even realize are left to learn—and there seems always to be a greater depth at which to understand these principles. Being that this is not a principle that I have specifically studied before, I must admit that I do not yet understand it in as great a depth as I would like to. But, considering that the first talk I gave in this ward was on faith, the first principle of the gospel, it seems only fitting that I give this second talk on repentance, the second principle of the gospel. In the 1953 book, “Gospel Ideals,” President David O. McKay is quoted saying, “Every principle and ordinance of the gospel of Jesus Christ is significant and important . . . , but there is none more essential to the salvation of the human family than the divine and eternally operative principle [of] repentance.” Well, if that doesn’t make studying the principle of “repentance” intriguing, I don’t know what will.
So, what is repentance?
In my personal study, whenever I aim to better understand a particular principle, I always begin first with the definition of the word. Many times I turn to the Bible Dictionary for insight. The Bible Dictionary explains that the Greek translation of the word “repentance” refers to “change” and explains it as a “fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world”—“a turning of the heart and will to God.” Elder Russell M. Nelson of the quorum of the twelve apostles expounds further on this Greek translation in his April 2007 General Conference address. He explains that the Greek verb for “repentance” is “metanoeo”. He then breaks down this Greek word, describing each part, with the prefix “meta” meaning “change”, the suffix “nous” meaning “the mind,” and the conjugations of “gnosis” meaning “knowledge”, and “pneuma” meaning “spirit”. Understanding repentance in this way, as change in the mind and spirit and as a fresh view about God, oneself, and the world, lends great insight into the study of this principle. When Christ commands us to repent, He is commanding us to change ourselves and turn toward God, gaining a fresh view on things both temporal and eternal, not only to demonstrate remorse and restitution for sin.
So, how do we obtain this change, this fresh view? How do we approach the process of repentance?
I would suggest that this second principle of the gospel called repentance is the natural result of the first—Faith (the working knowledge obtained and maintained through the observation and application of true principles). Faith is the key to our becoming like Christ, to developing His pure love; as, the acquisition of knowledge initiates change in all aspects of our lives by simply creating for us a more accurate view of reality. This process of becoming like Christ is the process of repentance; it is changing, turning toward God, and gaining a “fresh view [on Him], oneself, and the world”.
We had an experience last week that demonstrates how obtaining accurate knowledge results in change in oneself. My parents were looking after our children while we were in Flagstaff moving our house. While away from us, our son, Benjamin, broke his leg. When the injury occurred, our initial reaction was not one you would expect following a serious injury. Afterall, there were no visible signs of injury and his behavior could easily be explained as a vie for attention disguised in a simple overreaction to a minor injury, as is often the case with homesick children. But, once we learned through the x-rays that he had actually suffered a severe break in his tibia, our behavior as parents immediately changed. This simple knowledge immediately gave us a fresh view on the reality of the situation, giving us penitent hearts and changing our behavior toward him. This experience is a simplistic example, but illustrates how the acquisition of knowledge initiates change in all aspects of our lives by simply creating for us a more accurate understanding of reality.
So, we can see that developing our faith is the key to initiating change in the mind and spirit and developing a fresh view, as repentance is the natural consequence of that acquired knowledge. As we learn of and live gospel principles, we are brought to repentance. Similarly repentance, or change in self, leads us to better understand and live more gospel principles as well. Clearly, the first two principles of the gospel, faith and repentance, go hand in hand—faith is necessary for repentance and repentance begets increased faith, creating a cycle that propels us up into the loving arms of our Father in Heaven. But, understanding how to bring about repentance does us no good if we don’t understand why we should repent.
Why must we repent?
Alma told his son, Corianton, that this mortal life is a probationary time specifically prepared to allow for us to repent (Alma 42). Why would Alma stress the importance of repentance in the purpose of life? Why would David O. McKay stress the importance of repentance for salvation? Why would Christ consistently command us to repent? Clearly, repentance is imperative for all of us. But, what makes it so important? Why is it necessary?
If God is the perfect, just God that He is, then eternal law must be perfectly followed and enforced in order to satisfy the demands of justice. Because of Adam’s transgression, we are born into a fallen state, cut off both physically and spiritually from the presence of the Lord and allowed to be tempted, which presents this problem: if we are fallen, and if we live in a state of sin, then justice can only be satisfied if we are consigned forever to be cut-off from the presence of the Lord (Alma 42). Our violation of eternal law leaves us imperfect and, as Nephi tells us, no unclean thing can remain in God’s presence (1 Nephi 10). Thus, the violation of eternal law prevents us from dwelling with God. However, God is our loving and merciful Heavenly Father as well. He wants His children to return to His eternal presence, despite violation of eternal law. So, what is His solution to this problem? An atonement.
Christ’s atonement both pays the debt created by our sins as well as allows Him the ability to judge us righteously and apply mercy appropriately, allowing mercy to satisfy the demands of justice rather than those demands being satisfied by perfection in life. Because He lived a perfect life, Christ can dwell eternally in the presence of the Lord based on His own merit. He met the demands of justice perfectly in His own life and thus qualifies for that reward outright. Therefore, He owes no debt to justice for Himself. This fact allows His suffering to pay the debt for others instead, as it is not needed for His own salvation. Had He not lived a perfect life, then, as it does us, justice would have claimed Him, preventing his eternal dwelling in the presence of the Lord. But, because justice can have no claim on Him due to His perfect life, He chose to suffer in order to pay our debt, allowing Him to become our debtor. Because none of us has lived a perfect life, and because He paid the debt for our sins, we will eternally be in His debt.
This fact allows Christ the position to distribute mercy. Thus, through the mercy of our Debtor, the demands of justice are satisfied. As our debtor, It is Christ who will determine in the final judgment if we have undergone enough change (in other words, repented sufficiently) to return to the eternal presence of the Lord, judging us according to our works and restoring good for good and evil for evil. As Alma describes it in chapter 42, verse 15, “And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.” (For that matter, the atonement also takes effect in our lives not only as a saving grace, but also as a comforting grace—bringing us comfort and strength amidst our struggles and helping bring about that change within us).
But, can the grace of God alone save us? No, it cannot. Even with an atonement in place, if we do not repent (in other words, if we do not allow Christ’s atonement to change us and turn us toward God), then we continue to sin and therefore remain in a fallen and unclean state, unable to allow the atonement to work in our lives and bring us back into the presence of the Lord, since no unclean thing can dwell in His presence. We cannot be cleansed from our sins if we choose to remain in our sins. God will not force us to turn toward Him and remain in His presence. Thus, if mercy were to save us regardless of repentance, regardless of change, then it would rob justice, as both the penitent and the impenitent would receive the same reward. Thus we see that Christ’s atonement is necessary for our exaltation, but it must be combined with our own accountability as well; justice will have its demands on us if we do not make that change—if we do not repent. Similarly, even if we do repent and change, it does not take away the fact that we sinned in the first place, creating a debt that must be paid in order to satisfy justice. So, without Christ’s atonement, our own personal change alone cannot allow mercy to satisfy those demands of justice either. In this sense, both we and He account for our sins. In essence both grace and works are needed to appease the law of justice and gain salvation (2 Nephi 25).
But, why have a law at all?
Afterall, Alma tells us in chapter 42, verse 16-18:
16 Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also as the life of the soul.
17 Now, how could a man repent except he should sin? How could he sin if there was no law? How could there be a law save there was a punishment?
18 Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man.
So, why create law and punishment and thus the ability to sin and the need for repentance? Why not simply live in a state of innocence as did Adam and Eve before the fall, unable to sin and repent, so that we do not have the problem of fallen nature to prevent us from dwelling in God’s presence?
Was this not Lucifer’s plan? It seems like a reasonable plan. It’s no wonder that a third of the host of heaven supported this plan. But, are God’s desires only for us to dwell with him again? Are our only desires for our children to have them with us forever? I would say no. Do we not also want them to have all that we have? So it is with God—He wants us to have all that He has—He wants us to become like Him, to develop the pure love of Christ so that we may experience and bask in the joy associated with that pure love. We cannot do that without change. We cannot do that without gaining a fresh view. We cannot do that without repentance. It is through our experience and change gained in this mortal probation that Christ’s atonement is able to give us the power to become like Him and gain His perspective. Thus, repentance is necessary for us to receive all that The Father has. Without it, there would be no purpose to this mortal life here on earth—we simply could have remained with God as innocent children. But, this life gives us the opportunity to repent—the opportunity to undergo change that molds us to become like God and receive all that He hath.
Thus we see the vital importance of repentance in our lives. Because repentance is necessary for us to become like God, so is an atonement, so that mercy may claim the penitent from justice. As we are told in the Bible Dictionary, repentance “is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God.” It is my prayer that we may take the steps necessary to change—that we may apply the first two principles of the gospel in our lives—that we may gain the faith necessary for repentance. Repentance does not have to be an overwhelming, daunting task. It begins with the small steps necessary for the acquisition of faith, of knowledge. We start line upon line, precept upon precept. Let us choose one principle (such as prayer, or scripture study, or church attendance, or service, or whatever) and then add to it until we acquire the degree of faith that will facilitate that change within us, bringing about our repentance. And, as we consistently seek for greater faith and greater repentance, I testify that we will gain that fresh view on God, ourselves, and the world that will bring us home to Him again, that we may receive all that He hath. I say these things in the name of our Savior, by whom our sins were atoned for, even Jesus Christ, amen.
