It is my testimony that we will in reality, someday meet our Maker and be judged for all of the good and bad of our lives. We will be held accountable for all of the unrepented sin for which we are responsible. It is comforting to know that through every moment of the judgment process our Savior, Jesus Christ will be with us, fulfilling His role as our Mediator. He will help us, stand by our side, intercede for us, arbitrate, negotiate, and plead our case for us. He will put us in the best possible light. Without hesitation, He will even offer His own personal, perfect life as compensation for all of the areas we have fallen short in our lives. He has already paid the price for our redemption. He is our Redeemer, and there is none other more qualified, more merciful, more loving, and more understanding to represent us. We all hope to have much good to report and minimal bad to account for. Even so, we should be consistent in our repenting and look to the Savior for forgiveness of our transgressions, misdeeds, misbehavior, pridefulness and sin. There are several things that we can proactively do to be forgiven of our sins:
1. Be baptized – Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness ~ D&C 13:1 // John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins ~ Mark 1:4 // Yea, repent and be baptized, every one of you, for a remission of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost ~ D&C 33:11 (also see Luke 3:3, Moroni 8:11, D&C 19:31, D&C 107:20, Acts 2:38)
2. Give to the poor – And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants ~ Mosiah 4:26
3. Be humble – If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land ~ 2 Chronicles 7:14 // And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them ~ Mosiah 4:10 // Behold, verily thus saith the Lord unto you, O ye elders of my church, who are assembled upon this spot, whose sins are now forgiven you, for I, the Lord, forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts ~ D&C 61:2
4. Do missionary work – Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins ~ James 5:20 // Therefore, thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you, and you shall be laden with sheaves upon your back, for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Wherefore, your family shall live. ~ D&C 31:5
5. Forgive others – For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you ~ Matthew 6:14 // Verily, verily, I say unto you, my servants, that inasmuch as you have forgiven one another your trespasses, even so I, the Lord, forgive you ~ D&C 82:1
6. Have faith – Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses ~ Mark 11:24-26 // To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins ~ Acts 10:43
7. Be obedient – Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven ~ D&C 1:32 // And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins ~ Moroni 8:25
8. The prayer and faith of sick being healed – And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him ~ James 5:15
9. Have charity – And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins ~ 1 Peter 4:8 // Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins ~ Proverbs 10:12
10. Bear testimony – Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you ~ D&C 62:3 // For I will forgive you of your sins with this commandment—that you remain steadfast in your minds in solemnity and the spirit of prayer, in bearing testimony to all the world of those things which are communicated unto you. Therefore, ago ye into all the world; and unto whatsoever place ye cannot go ye shall send, that the testimony may go from you into all the world unto every creature ~ D&C 84:61-62 // And in this place let them lift up their voice and declare my word with loud voices, without wrath or doubting, lifting up holy hands upon them. For I am able to make you holy, and your sins are forgiven you ~ D&C 60:7
11. Repent and ask for forgiveness – But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven ~ Moroni 6:8 // 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 ~ Alma 12:34 // Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more ~ D&C 58:42 // And if he repent he shall be forgiven, according to the covenants and commandments of the church ~ D&C 68:24 // O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me ~ 3 Nephi 9:13-14
12. Have faith in and make Christ our priority – And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins ~ 2 Nephi / 25: 26 // And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye 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. And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true ~ Mosiah 3:11-12 // And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot ~ Moroni 10:33
13. Partake of the Sacrament – And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and brake it, and blessed it, and gave to his disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you. For this is in remembrance of my blood of the new testament, which is shed for as many as shall believe on my name, for the remission of their sins. And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall observe to do the things which ye have seen me do, and bear record of me even unto the end ~ JST, Matthew 26:22, 24-25 // And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins ~ Matthew 26:26-28
Bishop Wm. Calvin Hughes
July 30, 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment