The Miracle of Forgiveness, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Theology

Download The Miracle of Forgiveness and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Theology in PDF only on Docsity! ;;;The Miracle of Forgiveness Spencer W. Kimball Copyright 1969 by Bookcraft, Inc. ;;;Contents Preface ix 1 This Life Is the Time 1 2 No Unclean Thing Can Enter 19 3 ...None Righteous, No, Not One 31 4 These Things Doth the Lord Hate 39 5 The Sin Next to Murder 61 6 Crime Against Nature 77 7 Sins of Omission 91 8 As a Man Thinketh 103 9 Point of No Return 117 10 Repent or Perish 133 11 Conviction--the Awakening 149 12 Abandoment of Sin 163 13 Lifting Burdens Through Confession 177 14 Restitution 191 15 Keeping God's Commandments Brings Forgiveness 201 16 Avoiding Pitfalls 213 17 Charting a Safe Course 233 18 Forgive to Be Forgiven 261 19 ... As We Forgive Our Debtors 277 20 A Time of Reckoning 301 21 The Church Will Forgive 323 22 God Will Forgive 339 23 The Miracle of Forgiveness 261 ;;;Preface And God wrought special miracles ... (Acts 19:11.) Our Lord, Jesus Christ, is that God of miracles. On one occasion, he said to the Jewish believers: "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32.) Can any miracle compare with that one which is provided by Jesus? "... to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free ..." (Isa. 58:6.) He healed the sick, cast out devils, calmed the storm and even raised the dead. But can any miracle be equal to that one which frees men from the fetters of ignorance, superstition, and transgression? The Prophet Joseph Smith said: "It is better to save a man than raise one from the dead." Paul said: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin ." (1 Cor. 15:55-56.) And this prompts the statement, "There is no tragedy except in sin." This book is not presented to entertain, but rather it has the serious purpose of presenting scriptures, experiences and exhortations with the hope that thereby many will be enticed to repent of their sins and indiscretions and set out to purify and perfect their lives. This design arose from my years of ministry as a stake president and as an apostle, during which time I have had many experiences in dealing with transgressors, especially those involved in sexual sins, both inside and outside of marriage. The scriptures being the firm basis of law and happiness, I have constantly felt the need of a selection of them which I could recommend to the offenders. My jottings of references grew into a collection from which this book has evolved. Because men and women are human and normally carnally minded, and because to do evil is usually easier than to do right, and because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," perhaps I have quoted far more scriptures on this subject of sexual sin than on any other. To cure spiritual diseases which throttle us and plague our lives, the Lord has given us a sure cure--repentance. I had made up my mind that I would never write a book and was even more determined when I read Job's warning: "Oh ... that mine adversary had written a book." (Job 31:35.) Three main reasons changed my mind. First, the need. When I come in contact almost daily with broken homes, delinquent children, corrupt governments, and apostate groups, and realize that all these problems are the result of sin, I want to shout with Alma: "O ... that I might go forth ... with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people." (Al. 29:1.) Hence this book indicates the seriousness of breaking God's commandments; shows that sin can bring only sorrow, remorse, disappointment, and anguish; and warns that the small indiscretions evolve into larger ones and finally into major transgressions which bring heavy penalties. Because of the prevalence and gravity of sexual and other major sins, these receive particular emphasis. Warning signals and guidelines are given to reduce the danger of one's being blindly enticed into forbidden paths. Having come to recognize their deep sin, many have tended to surrender hope, not having a clear knowledge of the scriptures and of the redeeming power of Christ. Second, then, I write to make the joyous affirmation that man can be literally transformed by his own repentance and by God's gift of forgiveness which follows for all except unpardonable sins. It is far better not to have committed the sin; the way of the transgressor is hard; but recovery is possible. Third, those of us whom the Lord has called to leadership have an inescapable responsibility, like that of Jacob and Joseph, to [take] upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments. ... (Jac. 1:19.) Isaiah warns: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." (Isa. 58:1.) Ezekiel sounds the warning to leaders: "... Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?" (Ezek. 34:2.) And then: "... If [the watchman] blow the trumpet, and warn the people ... whosoever ... taketh not warning his blood shall be upon his own head." (Ezek. 33:3-4.) The trumpet is to sound "... nothing but repentance unto this generation." (D&C 6:9.) Thus the message is to all the world, not only to members of the true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These reasons, and the predominance given to the subject in the appeals of every prophet and spiritual leader from Adam onwards, seem to me to justify a book dealing exclusively with sin, repentance and forgiveness. This is so despite the fact that many Church writers have included the subject as part of a more comprehensive work. In writing this book, I make no claim to originality or to literary genius. There may be nothing new or arresting here. On the other hand, I have deliberately repeated some scriptures to support varying facets of the subject or to insure a proper emphasis in the hope that those frustrated and in sin may wash "their robes in the blood of the Lamb," so that peace may settle down on them as the dews of heaven. Likewise, in writing about sin and repentance, no intent is implied that either the writer or any of those quoted, except the Lord himself, is without fault. But we would not have much motivation to righteousness if all speakers and writers postponed discussing and warning until they themselves were perfected! In Jacob's words: "... I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth and are not shaken." (2 Ne. 9:40.) Perhaps some of the same feelings come to us all as came to Peter as he approached the end of his life: Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance. (2 Pet. 1:13-15.) I accept full responsibility for the contents of this book. Specifically, the Church and its leaders are totally absolved from the responsibility for any error which it may be found to contain. It is impossible for me or any other mortal to save another's soul, but it is my humble hope that through this book some who are suffering the baleful effects of sin may be helped to find the way from darkness to light, from suffering to been created, and our spirits would go to the spirit world, where we would further train for our eternal destiny. After a period, there would be a resurrection or a reunion of the body and the spirit, which would render us immortal and make possible our further climb toward perfection and godhood. This resurrection has been made available to us through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of this earth, who performed this incomparable service for us--a miracle we could not perform for ourselves. Thus the way was opened for our immortality and--if we prove worthy--eventual exaltation in God's kingdom. The Gospel Our Map To pinpoint a destination not previously visited we usually consult a map. As a second great boon to us the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior, has given us our map--a code of laws and commandments whereby we might attain perfection and, eventually, godhood. This set of laws and ordinances is known as the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it is the only plan which will exalt mankind. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the sole repository of this priceless program in its fulness, which is made available to those who accept it. In order to reach the goal of eternal life and exaltation and godhood, one must be initiated into the kingdom by baptism, properly performed; one must receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of authoritative hands; a man must be ordained to the priesthood by authorized priesthood holders; one must be endowed and sealed in the house of God by the prophet who holds the keys or by one of those to whom the keys have been delegated; and one must live a life of righteousness, cleanliness, purity and service. None can enter into eternal life other than by the correct door Jesus Christ and his commandments. Jesus made this very clear in these words: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1.) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9.) And Jacob, the prophet theologian, warned: O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name. (2 Ne. 9:41.) The Straight Way We must not be surprised that God's requirements for eternal rewards are precise and invariable, since even man's society and government operates on such a basis. For instance, returning from abroad to the land of our nativity we must meet certain requirements and have evidence thereof in the form of passports, visas, doctors' certificates as to health and vaccinations, birth certificates and other documents. One cannot receive salary without having met satisfactorily the conditions of his employment. One cannot ride the bus, train, or plane without having paid his fare, and at the station or airport he must show evidence of it. One cannot become a citizen of any country without having met the requirements laid down by the laws of that nation. One cannot expect a degree from any college without having paid his tuition and fees, done his residence work, and shown proof of his having met the requirements. God's eternal rewards will similarly be dependent upon man's compliance with the required conditions. Prevalence of Procrastination One of the most serious human defects in all ages is procrastination, an unwillingness to accept personal responsibilities now. Men came to earth consciously to obtain their schooling, their training and development, and to perfect themselves, but many have allowed themselves to be diverted and have become merely "hewers of wood and drawers of water," addicts to mental and spiritual indolence and to the pursuit of worldly pleasure. There are even many members of the Church who are lax and careless and who continually procrastinate. They live the gospel casually but not devoutly. They have complied with some requirements but are not valiant. They do no major crime but merely fail to do the things required--things like paying tithing, living the Word of Wisdom, having family prayers, fasting, attending meetings, serving. Perhaps they do not consider such omissions to be sins, yet these were the kinds of things of which the five foolish virgins of Jesus' parable were probably guilty. The ten virgins belonged to the kingdom and had every right to the blessings--except that five were not valiant and were not ready when the great day came. They were unprepared through not living all the commandments. They were bitterly disappointed at being shut out from the marriage--as likewise their modern counterparts will be. One Church member of my acquaintance said, as she drank her coffee: "The Lord knows my heart is right and that I have good intentions, and that I will someday get the strength to quit." But will one receive eternal life on the basis of his good intentions? Can one enter a country, receive a scholastic degree, and so on, on the strength of good intent unsupported by appropriate action? Samuel Johnson remarked that "hell is paved with good intentions." The Lord will not translate one's good hopes and desires and intentions into works. Each of us must do that for himself. Only the Valiant Exalted One may be saved in any one of three kingdoms of glory--the telestial, the terrestrial, or the celestial--but one can reach exaltation only in the highest of the three heavens or degrees in the celestial glory. Paul told the Corinthians that: There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead ... (1 Cor. 15:40-42.) And through the Prophet Joseph Smith came amplification of Paul's statement: In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; And if he does not, he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase. (D&C 131:1-4.) Only the valiant will be exalted and receive the highest degree of glory, hence "many are called, but few are chosen." (D&C 121:40.) As the Savior put it, "... strait is the gate, and narrow the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." And conversely, "... wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat." (Matt. 7:13, 14.) It is true that many Latter-day Saints, having been baptized and confirmed members of the Church, and some even having received their endowments and having been married and sealed in the holy temple, have felt that they were thus guaranteed the blessings of exaltation and eternal life. But this is not so. There are two basic requirements every soul must fulfill or he cannot attain to the great blessings offered. He must receive the ordinances and he must be faithful, overcoming his weaknesses. Hence, not all who claim to be Latter-day Saints will be exalted. But for those Latter-day Saints who are valiant, who fulfill the requirements faithfully and fully, the promises are glorious beyond description: Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. (D&C 132:20.) Dangers of Delay Because men are prone to postpone action and ignore directions, the Lord has repeatedly given strict injunctions and issued solemn warnings. Again and again in different phraseology and throughout the centuries the Lord has reminded man so that he could never have excuse. And the burden of the prophetic warning has been that the time to act is now, in this mortal life. One cannot with impunity delay his compliance with God's commandments. Note Amulek's words, especially those forceful statements involving timing, which are in italics: Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you. For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed. Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world. (Al. 34:21-34. Italics added.) Even if we leave aside the many scriptures which bear similar testimony, reading and prayerfully meditating upon this one brings an awe-inspiring conviction of the need to repent--now! From the modern apostle Melvin J. Ballard we obtain an emphasis of Amulek's expression in these terms: ... But this life is the time in which men are to repent. Do not let any of us imagine that we can go down to the grave not having overcome the corruptions of the flesh and then lose in the grave all our sins and evil tendencies. They will be with us. They will be with the spirit when separated from the body. It is my judgment that any man or woman can do more to conform to the laws of God in one year in this life than they could do in ten years when they are dead. The spirit only can repent and change, and then the battle has to go forward with the flesh afterwards. It is much easier to overcome and serve the Lord when both flesh and spirit are combined as one. This is the time when men are more pliable and susceptible. We will find when we are dead every desire, every feeling will be greatly intensified. When clay is pliable it is much easier to change than when it gets hard and sets. This life is the time to repent. That is why I presume it will take a thousand years after the first resurrection until the last group will be prepared to come forth. It will take them a thousand years to do what it would have taken but three-score and ten to accomplish in this life.2 2 President Joseph F. Smith's revelation of 1918 contains these words: "... the dead had looked upon the long absence of their spirits from their bodies as a bondage."3 3 Another quotation from Elder Ballard amplifies President Smith's thought: ... When we go out of this life, leave this body, we will desire to do many things that we cannot do at all without the body. We will be seriously handicapped, and we will long for the body; we will pray for that early reunion with our bodies. We will know then what advantage it is to have a body. Then, every man and woman who is putting off until the next life the task of correcting and overcoming the weakness of the flesh are sentencing themselves to years of bondage, for no man or woman will come forth in the resurrection until they have completed their work, until they have overcome, until they have done as much as they can do.4 4 Eternal Marriage Now for Latter-day Saints Nowhere is the time element more fully stressed than in the matter of eternal marriage. It is true that a merciful Father makes special post-mortal provision for these who do not hear the gospel in this life, but for Latter-day Saints the time is now. Read the word of the Lord respecting the marriage covenant: ... I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory. (D&C 132:4.) forgiveness. Future chapters will deal with the various aspects of this subject in greater detail. Oliver Wendell Holmes said: "Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out." Tagore expressed a similar thought in these words: "I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung." My plea therefore is this: Let us get our instruments tightly strung and our melodies sweetly sung. Let us net die with our music still in us. Let us rather use this precious mortal probation to move confidently and gloriously upward toward the eternal life which God our Father gives to those who keep his commandments. 1. Dante, Divine Comedy. 2. Melvin J. Ballard, "Three Degrees of Glory." 3. Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1966), p. 475. 4. Melvin J. Ballard, "Three Degrees of Glory." ;;;Chapter Two No Unclean Thing Can Enter ... All men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence ... --Moses 6:57 As we discussed in Chapter 1, the road of life is plainly marked according to the divine purpose, the map of the gospel of Jesus Christ is made available to the travelers, the destination of eternal life is clearly established. At that destination our Father waits hopefully, anxious to greet his returning children. Unfortunately many will not arrive. The reason is forthrightly stated by Nephi " ... There cannot any unclean thing� enter into the Kingdom of God ..." (1 Ne. 15:34.) And again, "... no unclean thing can dwell with God ..." (1 Ne. 10:21.) To the prophets the term unclean in this context means what it means to God. To man the word may be relative in meaning--one minute specks of dirt does not make a white shirt or dress unclean, for example. But to God who is perfection, cleanliness means moral and personal cleanliness. Less than that is, in one degree or another, uncleanliness and hence cannot dwell with God. Were it not for the blessed gifts of repentance and forgiveness this would be a hopeless situation for man, since no one except the Master has ever lived sinless on the earth. Naturally, there are all degrees of sin. At worst, the deep sinner is in the thrall of Satan. As Jesus put it, his "whole body [is] full of darkness." The Savior went on to express the impossibility of serving God, of being close to him, under these circumstances: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Matt. 6:24.) We Belong Where We Serve Sin, then, is service to Satan. It is a truism that men are "his whom they list to obey." Many scriptures affirm this statement. Jesus pointed to this truth when he said to the Jews, "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin." (John 8:34.) Paul, writing to the Romans, said: Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Rom. 6:13, 15-16.) Peter too emphasizes this bondage: For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. (2 Pet. 2:18-19.) It might be observed that the term lust is not necessarily limited in its connotation to sexual desire. It can imply any fleshly or worldly appetite or urge carried to excess. Satan will eagerly use other urges which suit his purpose, as well as sexual ones, in an effort to enslave men until, as Mormon put it: They are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they. (Morm. 5:18.) Reality of Satan In these days of sophistication and error men depersonalize not only God but the devil. Under this concept Satan is a myth, useful for keeping people straight in less enlightened days but outmoded in our educated age. Nothing is further from reality. Satan is very much a personal, individual spirit being, but without a mortal body. His desires to seal each of us his are no less ardent in wickedness than our Father's are in righteousness to attract us to his own eternal kingdom. A glimpse of Satan's tactics, as well as a terrifyingly accurate character sketch, is given us by Nephi in this prophecy respecting our own day: For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good. And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well--and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: [ am no devil, for there is none--and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them. ... (2 Ne. 28:20-23.) Yes, the devil is decidedly a person. He is also clever and trained. With thousands of years of experience behind him he has become superbly efficient and increasingly determined. Young people often feel and say, when governing hands are outstretched to them, "I can take care of myself." In fact even more experienced adults cannot afford to be sure of their resistance to Satan. Teenage girls or boys certainly need to be properly fortified and protected if they are to cope with the efficient, highly-trained, superior powers which are ever alert to opportunities for temptation. It is a smart person, young or old, who will accept advice and counsel from experienced people who know the pitfalls, the crumbling walls, and the cracking dams which bring on destruction. Old Sins, New Names Sins may be classified in many categories. They range from the simple improprieties and indiscretions to the shedding of innocent blood and the sin against the Holy Ghost. There are sins against ourselves, sins against our loved ones, sins against our fellowmen, sins against our communities, sins against the Church, sins against humanity. There are sins which are known to the world and others which are so carefully hidden that the sinner is the only mortal being who knows of the error. Sometimes a new generation gives old sins new names often designations which� remove any implication of sin and as one reads the long scriptural list of� transgressions he does not recognize them by their modern names. But they are all there in the scriptures, and are all here and practiced in our own day. Sometimes a person, not discovering in the scriptures the modern name for the particular sin or perversion of which he is guilty, eases his conscience by trying to convince himself that, after all, it is not too bad because it is not specifically prohibited. For instance, the word petting may never be found in the scriptures but the act of petting is repeatedly condemned. Likewise other sins and perversions may not be named in the scriptures by their modern appellations, but a careful scrutiny of the scriptures will reveal that all these things were done to their shame by the Romans and the Corinthians and the Ephesians and the children of Israel and other peoples throughout the ages. Then again, in interviewing young people and sometimes older ones, I find that many do not know the meaning of the names of the sins in the old scriptures. One young man said, "I know what adultery is, but what is this fornication and is it wrong?" A prominent social worker said that there were many young people who had grown to maturity physically yet had never been told in plain terms that sexual relations outside of marriage were deep sins. Accordingly, though it is an unpleasant discussion, this book will discuss such subjects in subsequent chapters. Scriptural List of Sins Since the scriptural catalog is so complete, particularly in the writings of the early-day apostles, let us list the sins the scriptures describe. For example, Paul's prophecy to Timothy about the conditions of our own day has been fulfilled with depressing precision. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts. (2 Tim. 3:1-6.) Paul warned the Romans of similar sins: ... Uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who ... worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator ... ... God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly. Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. ... Covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. (Rom. 1:24-27, 30-32.) A few more types of sin are mentioned in Paul's words to the Corinthians: ... Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10.) John the Revelator catalogues the transgressions which will merit the second death: But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Rev. 21:8.) Sexual sin receives repeated condemnation in the scriptures. To get our definitions clear, let us realize that heterosexual intercourse is the sin of fornication when committed by the unmarried and is adultery when indulged in by married people outside of their marriage covenants. Both are grievous sins in God's sight. Wrote Paul: Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of an harlot? God forbid. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. Flee fornication. (1 Cor. 6:15-16, 18.) None Righteous, No, Not One The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none.--Carlyle When we hear sermons decrying transgression and urging the need for repentance, most of us are peculiarly apt at applying the point exclusively to others. Someone said that we spend too much time confessing other people's sins. Apparently it is much easier to see those sins than our own, and to walk complacently through life without acknowledging our own need to mend our ways. All Are Sinners Yet everyone sins in some degree, and hence no one may properly call others to repentance without including himself. Thus we read in John's writings: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8, 10.) Likewise the Psalmist sang: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside ... there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Ps. 14:1-3.) Other scriptures have a similar emphasis: For there is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. (Eccles. 7:20.) Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from sin? (Prov. 20:9.) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. (Rom. 5:12.) The Prophet Joseph Smith in his prayer of dedication of the Kirtland Temple implored: "O Jehovah, have mercy upon this people, and as all men sin forgive the transgressions of thy people, and let them be blotted out forever." (D&C 109:34.) It was because of the universality of sin, the seriousness of sin, and the nearness of the end of the world, that the Lord revealed to his latter-day Prophet, Joseph Smith, the instruction, "Say nothing but repentance unto this generation." (D&C 6:9.) One of the oft-told stories about the late President J. Golden Kimball concerns his witticism to the effect that "the Brethren cannot cut me off the Church I repent too often." Here is a great lesson, if it is correctly interpreted. There is never a day in any man's life when repentance is not essential to his well- being and eternal progress. But when most of us think of repentance we tend to narrow our vision and view it as good only for our husbands, our wives, our parents, our children, our neighbors, our friends, the world anyone and everyone except ourselves. Similarly there is a prevalent, perhaps subconscious, feeling that the Lord designed repentance only for those who commit murder or adultery or theft or other heinous crimes. This is of course not so. If we are humble and desirous of living the gospel we will come to think of repentance as applying to everything we do in life, whether it be spiritual or temporal in nature. Repentance is for every soul who has not yet reached perfection. Church Members Need Repentance Another misconception some Latter-day Saints have is that repentance is only for the person who does not belong to the Church of Jesus Christ. This notion ignores not only gospel doctrine and common sense, but also specific revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith in which the Lord took more than one occasion to chastise the saints and call them to repentance for their wrong-doings. In Kirtland, for example, he spoke out against offenders within the Church and told them pointedly: Behold, I, the Lord, am not well pleased with many who are in the Church at Kirtland; For they do not forsake their sins, and their wicked ways, the pride of their hearts, and their covetousness, and all their detestable things, and observe the words of wisdom and eternal life which I have given unto them. Verily I say unto you, that I, the Lord, will chasten them and will do whatsoever I list, if they do not repent and observe all things whatsoever I have said unto them. (D&C 98:19-21.) A few months later the Lord mentioned specific sins of which the Missouri saints had been guilty: Behold, I say unto you, there were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them; therefore by these things they polluted their inheritances. (D&C 101:6.) Even those in the school of the prophets needed chastisement and repentance: Nevertheless ... contentions arose in the school of the prophets; which was very grievous unto me, saith your Lord; therefore I sent them forth to be chastened. (D&C 95:10.) And Emma, the Prophet's wife, by revelation was called to repentance: And again, verily I say, let mine handmaid forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses; and then shall she be forgiven her trespasses ... (D&C 132:56.) Even Prophets Not Perfect Even the Prophet Joseph Smith, great as he was, was not perfect and the Lord had to call him to repentance: "And now I command you, my servant Joseph, to repent and walk more uprightly before me, and to yield to the persuasions of men no more." (D&C 5:21.) The young Prophet needed repentance as all men do. He was honest in his confessions of weakness. In his teens when he had been lonely in the intense persecution following his glorious vision, he was left to all kinds of temptations. He says: ... I frequently fell into many foolish errors, and displayed the weakness of youth, and the foibles of human nature; which, I am sorry to say, led me into divers temptations, offensive in the sight of God. (Joseph Smith 2:28.) While Joseph was human and therefore fallible, he was free from major sins, and he hastens to make clear: ... In making this confession, no one need suppose me guilty of any great or malignant sins. A disposition to commit such was never in my nature. But I was guilty of levity, and sometimes associated with jovial company, etc., not consistent with that character which ought to be maintained by one who was called of God as I had been ... (Joseph Smith 2:28.) There are enemies to God's cause who have tried to make much of this statement, but good men recognize it as a simple and honest confession which is consistent with the character of a great though still imperfect man. Important to our consideration is the Prophet's acknowledgment of his errors, and his repentance and his prayers for forgiveness: "In consequence of these things," he wrote, "I often felt condemned for my weakness and imperfections." And on that special night, as probably numerous times before, he knelt at his bed. As he described it: "... I betook myself to prayer and supplication to Almighty God for forgiveness of all my sins and follies, and also for a manifestation to me, that I might know of my state and standing before him ..." (Joseph Smith 2:29.) Every person is subject to error if he is not always watchful, for victory over Satan is attained only by constant vigilance. In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord makes clear that no man is immune from temptations, and not even a prophet may trifle with sacred things. He warns: For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him. (D&C 3:4.) The reprimand continues: Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt fall. (D&C 3:9.) Remember that the transgression of which the young Prophet was guilty was not murder, nor sexual sins, nor cursing, nor any of the acts usually called sins. He had but yielded to the powerful persuasion of his friend and benefactor, Martin Harris, to trust in the hands of that man the English translation of the sacred Book of Mormon writings, which became lost through this error. But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work; Except thou do this, thou shalt be delivered up and become as other men, and have no more gift. (D&C 3:10-11.) The Lord's chastisement of Joseph Smith recalls that administered to another prophet, the great Moses. Because of a momentary sin, committed under stress (see Numbers 20:9-12), Moses was deprived of the great opportunity and blessing of leading the children of Israel into the promised land after their forty years of wandering in the wilderness. If even the Lord's chosen prophets are not immune from the need to repent, what of the rest of us? Clearly, repentance is for all Latter-day Saints as well as others. Sins Among the Saints It is my pleasure to go often into the homes of the leaders in the missions, wards, and stakes of Zion. I am deeply appreciative of the fact that most of our people are trying to live the commandments of the Lord. But I also find parents who have lost the natural affection for their children. I find children who disown their parents and evade responsibility for them in their parents' old age. I find husbands who desert their wives and their children, and who use almost every pretext to justify such action. I find wives who are demanding, unworthy, quarrelsome, uncooperative, and worldly, and who thereby provoke their husbands to similar responses. I find husbands and wives, living under the same roof, who are selfish, unbending, and unforgiving, and who with their misunderstandings have hardened their hearts and poisoned their minds and the minds of their children. I find those who gossip and hear false witness against their neighbors. I find brethren who hale each other into the courts on trivial matters which could have been settled by themselves outside of legal channels. I find blood brothers and sisters who fight over inheritances and bring each other into the courts of the land, dragging before the public the most intimate and personal family secrets, leaving nothing sacred, showing little regard for each other but only for what financial gain they might acquire by such selfish action. In an eastern city I saw one family split wide apart--half of the brothers and sisters on one side, and half on the other in a most disgraceful feud. At the funeral services half of them sat on one side of the aisle and half on the other. They would not speak to each other. The property involved was worth only a few thousand dollars, and yet because of it blood brothers and sisters became avowed enemies. I have seen people in wards and branches who impugn the motives of the authorities and of each other and make them an "offender for a word," for things which have been said or thought or were imagined to have been. I have seen branches broken wide apart by people who say unkind things about each other, who brought into their meetings the spirit of Lucifer instead of the Spirit of Christ. There are those who accept no responsibility and give no time to Church service, but who are constant critics of those who do. There are some who are guilty, and worldly, and give lip service only. There are those who hypocritically make pretensions and fail to live up to them, those who are intolerant and prejudiced, those who are unkind to their families. For these and other unmentioned eccentricities, sins and transgressions, all stand in need of repentance. Following chapters will say more about the sins which threaten us as individuals, as a church, and as a society. After that we will consider the means of repentance and the miracle of forgiveness which God performs on those who truly repent. ;;;Chapter Four These Things Doth the Lord Hate These six things doth, the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that complain against the servant was rebellion against the Master. One would wish that the rebellious would stop and ask themselves questions such as: "Do my philosophy and my critical efforts bring me closer to Christ, to God, to virtue, to prayer, to exaltation?" "What have I gained by my criticism peace, joy and growth, or merely satisfaction to my pride?" "What have I gained by my sin other than immediate carnal satisfaction?" In cases where the rebellious exercise repentance, that repentance may be sparked in various ways. Some men come to recognize their sins from introspection while others must be brought to their knees by outside forces. Many, having realized their transgressions, begin their repentance in secrecy. Others must be apprehended and chastised and punished before they begin their transformation. Some even need to be disciplined by forced inactivity, dis- fellowshipping, or even excommunication before they realize their plight and the need to transform their lives. None of us should resent being reminded of our responsibilities and being called to repent of our sins. The Lord may choose to chasten us in this way or some other, but it is all for our own good. ... My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? (Heb. 12:5-7.) One of the Church authorities spoke to a certain stake conference kindly and plainly but in strong terms calling attention to some of the weaknesses common to the people of that community. Commenting on the talk someone made the remark: "I suppose he is the only one who will reach the heights. He will be mighty lonesome." The person could appropriately have said: "That was a just criticism and I will move forward to correct my ways." Instead he manifested the spirit of rebellion against legitimate correction. No doubt he is one of those who would say, if a scriptural rebuke were referred to: "But that was Christ or the old prophets; anyone would accept rebuke or criticism from them." This overlooks the Lord's statement that what is given the people "... whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38.) A prevalent form of rebellion is the "higher criticism" which is the delight of those Church members who become proud of their intellectual powers. Reveling in their supposed superiority they argue back and forth, analyze with their unaided intellect what can only be discerned by the eye of faith, and challenge and debunk such Church doctrines and policies as do not pass their critical examination. In all this they undermine the faith of those less qualified in knowledge and logic, sometimes apparently gaining pleasure from this result. But the Lord's word to such people is still what it was two thousand years ago: ... Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! (Matt. 18:3, 7.) One punishment for the rebel against truth is that he loses the power to perceive the truth. Hear these words of Jacob: But behold, the Jews were a stiffnecked people; and they despised the words of plainness, and killed the prophets, and sought for things that they could not understand. Wherefore, because of their blindness, which blindness came by looking beyond the mark, they must needs fall. ... (Jac. 4:14. Italics added.) Traitors What shall be said of those members who press so hard and publicize their criticisms of the Church that they give encouragement to its enemies and embarrass its leadership and the other faithful members? Being "false to an obligation or duty" is one definition of a traitor and surely baptized members have an obligation to support the Church and further its ends. What could be more despicable than a traitor to a friend, a church, a nation, or a cause? Paul thought this defection ugly enough that he included it in his prophecy of latter-day sins. (See 2 Tim. 3:4.) The traitor often works in the dark, deceitfully. The quislings, the Benedict Arnolds, the John C. Bennetts, the William Laws and the Francis and Chauncey Higbees does anyone love or admire them? We are not without traitors in the Church today, those who would destroy that which is good to win their own selfish earthly rewards or to accomplish their base schemes. Sabbath-Breaking We have become a world of Sabbath breakers. On the Sabbath the lakes are full of boats, the beaches are crowded, the shows have their best attendance, the golf links are dotted with players. The Sabbath is the preferred day for rodeos, conventions, family picnics; and ball games are played on the sacred day. Even the "stranger that is within thy gates" is pressed into service. "Business as usual" is the slogan for many, and our holy day has become a holiday. And because so many people treat the day as a holiday numerous others cater to the wants of the fun-lovers and money-makers. Sabbath-breakers too are those who buy commodities or entertainment on the Sabbath, thus encouraging pleasure palaces and business establishments to remain open--which they otherwise would not do. If we buy, sell, trade or support such on the Lord's day we are rebellious as the children of Israel, the dire consequences of whose transgressions against this and other commandments should be a permanent warning to us all. Although Israel's swift and severe punishment for infractions is not exacted today, this does not lessen the seriousness of the offense to the Lord for violating his day. The importance of honoring the Sabbath was reiterated in our day to the Prophet Joseph Smith in revelation from the Lord: And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day. It should be noted that this is a "thou shalt" command. For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and to pay thy devotions unto the Most High; Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up in righteousness on all days and at all times; But remember that on this, the Lord's day, thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord. And on this day thou shalt do none other thing, only let thy food be prepared with singleness of heart that thy fasting may be perfect, or, in other words, that thy joy may be full. (D&C 59:9-13.) Note here that while the Lord lays stress upon the importance of the Sabbath day and its proper observance, he requires of his people "righteousness on all days and at all times." Lovers of Money The possession of riches does not necessarily constitute sin. But sin may arise in the acquisition and use of wealth. Paul implied this distinction in his statement to Timothy: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. (1 Tim. 6:10-11.) Book of Mormon history eloquently reveals the corrosive effect of the passion for wealth. Each time the people became righteous, they prospered. Then followed the transition from prosperity to wealth, wealth to the love of wealth, then to the love of ease and luxury. They moved then into spiritual inactivity, then to gross sin and wickedness, then on to near destruction by their enemies. This caused them to repent, which brought back righteousness, then prosperity, and the cycle had begun all over again. Had the people used their wealth for good purposes they could have enjoyed a continuing prosperity. But they seemed unable for a sustained period to be simultaneously wealthy and righteous. For a limited time some people can "hold the line," but they deteriorate spiritually when money is abundant. The writer of Proverbs says: A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. (Prov. 28:20.) John warned against love for worldly things: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15-17.) President Brigham Young expressed his fears that the riches of the world would canker the souls of his people in our own dispensation, when he said: Take courage, brethren ... plow your land and sow wheat, plant your potatoes. It is our duty to preach the Gospel, gather Israel, pay our tithing and build temples. The worst fear I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution and be true. But my greatest fear is that they cannot stand wealth. Brigham Young also warned that Latter-day Saints who turn their full attention to money-making soon become cold in their feelings toward the ordinances of the house of God. They neglect their prayers, become unwilling to pay any donations; the law of tithing becomes too great a test for them; and they finally forsake their God. They fall under Jacob's stricture: But wo unto the rich, who are rich as to the things of the world. For because they are rich they despise the poor, and they persecute the meek, and their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their God. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also. (2 Ne. 9:30.) The Lord required the rich young ruler to divest himself of his wealth. (Luke 18:22.) Undoubtedly he read the thoughts of the rich young man and was able to discern that his treasure was his god. The young man seemed willing to do almost anything for the opportunity to serve the Lord and to be exalted--except to give up his riches. The gracious Creator assures us that the earth and all good things in it are for man. ... The fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth. ... Yea, all things which come of the earth ... are made for the benefit and the use of man ... And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion. (D&C 59:16-18, 20) How gracious and kind of our loving and provident Lord! Clearly he does not delight in poverty or suffering, in want or deprivation. He would want all men to enjoy everything created, if man could only do so without the loss of dependence and worthiness, if he could only prevent himself from straying from the Creator to the creature. Stealing The sin of stealing is very much with us in modern America. What an indictment of a people who generally live in plenty! The scripture reads: Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. (Prov. 6:30-31.) In some Eastern countries, where poverty is the rule and suffering and starvation a common spectre, some theft and dishonesty can be understood though not reconciled or excused--but in the Western world where most people are getting the necessities of life and even some luxuries, there is no justification for stealing. Yet robberies are reported constantly in our large cities and thievery is common. Homes must be bolted, cars locked, bicycles chained to trees. Thieves resort to extortion, blackmail, and even kidnapping. Can anyone truthfully claim that he did not know stealing was wrong? Possessiveness seems to be a basic impulse in humans, but while a child may want other children's toys, he soon comes to know that they are not his. Small thefts grow into larger ones unless the desire is curbed. Parents who "cover up" for of the other serious sins. Closely linked to this cursing is being ungodly, irreverent, profane, idolatrous or blasphemous, denying the Holy Ghost, "speaking evil of dignities." In the category of taking the name of the Lord in vain, we might include the use by unauthorized persons of the name of Deity in performing ordinances. In modern scripture the Lord warned: Wherefore, let all men beware how they take my name in their lips� For behold, verily I say, that many there be who are under this condemnation, who use the name of the Lord, and use it in vain, having not authority. (D&C 63:61-62.) Presumptuous and blasphemous are they who purport to baptize, bless, marry, or perform other sacraments in the name of the Lord while in fact lacking his specific authorization. And no one can obtain God's authority from reading the Bible or from just a desire to serve the Lord, no matter how pure his motives. Word of Wisdom Violation Drinking is a curse of our day as Paul's writings indicate it was in his day. To drink the forbidden alcoholic beverages is a sin for us who have made covenants with God and have been commanded to abstain. No one will ever become an alcoholic who never breaks the law of the Lord concerning drinking. As in the days of Noah, we are "eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage." (Matt. 24:38. ) Our numerous dinners and banquets are often spiced with liquor, on which fellowship and entertaining depend so completely in some circles. Liquor is common in train and plane. To many, the cocktail hour is indispensable. Service clubs, business organizations, and government budgets provide for it. What an indictment when social life in courts and banquet halls and embassies is centered around alcohol, and when deals and even treaties are consummated over a liquor serving! How barren the host who can entertain only by serving liquor to guests, and how desolate the guest who cannot have a good time without liquor! Drinking curses all whom it touches--the seller and the buyer and the consumer. It brings deprivation and sorrow to numerous innocent ones. It is associated with graft, immorality, gambling, fraud, gangsterism, and most other vices. In its wake come wasted money, deprived families, deteriorated bodies, reduced minds, numerous accidents. It has everything against it, nothing for it, yet states sell it and receive revenue from it, and it has become an accepted "normal" part of modern life. Using this tool of Satan is especially a sin to all Latter-day Saints who know the law of the Word of Wisdom. Given as a Word of Wisdom and not by commandment in 1833, it was declared a commandment in 1851 by a prophet of God. It should be considered in that light and, if violated, repented of as with other sins of major seriousness. The poison, bad enough itself, is secondary to the disobedience of the commands of God. To know the law and not abide by it, is sin. The Redeemer warned: And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. (Luke 21:34.) Relative to using tobacco, the Lord revealed in 1833: And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle. (D&C 89:8.) This is categorical. In recent years science has established to the satisfaction of all reasonable men that tobacco is injurious to man's health. Common sense forbids its use. Much more important, the use of it by members of the Lord's Church is in violation of the commands of God and should be repented of as with other serious sins. The use of tea and coffee also is forbidden by the Lord, and true followers of the Master will greatly desire to please him by living this and all his commandments. In addition to those items specifically covered in the Word of Wisdom, wise people will avoid other destructive substances. The world may say that smoking and social drinking and tea and coffee are normal, but thanks be to the Lord that in this case, as in many others, the Church of the Lord has different "norms." Drug Habits Often more injurious even than the costly, harmful and obnoxious practice of drinking is the drug habit. The stories of the "dope racket" found in our newspapers and magazines are shocking. One report showed that New York City had thousands of teen-age drug addicts. Despite local, national, and international efforts to curb the distribution of such narcotics, a U. S. Senate crime investigating committee found such drugs easy to get in most of the nation's cities. One should shun this habit as he would any deadly plague. Young people as well as older ones should beware of tampering with such injurious habits as glue- sniffing, taking LSD, smoking marijuana cigarettes, and so on. These are not only sinful in and of themselves, but will lead to more serious drug habits and to the addict's spiritual, moral, and physical downfall. All such narcotic habits should be repented of and ever after shunned. Even sleeping pills, tranquilizers and such which were thought to be harmless have sometimes brought injury and death; these might well be limited or avoided and, if used at all, taken only under the strict supervision of a reputable physician. Covenantbreakers Akin to many of the other sins is that of the covenant-breaker. The person baptized promises to keep all the laws and commandments of God. He has partaken of the sacrament and re-pledged his allegiance and his fidelity, promising and covenanting that he will keep all God's laws. Numerous folks have gone to the temples and have re-covenanted that they would live all the commandments of God, keep their lives clean, devoted, worthy, and serviceable. Yet many there are who forget their covenants and break the commandments, sometimes deliberately tempting the faithful away with them. Of those who break covenants and promises made in sacred places and in solemn manner, we can apply the Lord's words as follows: ... a wicked man, who has set at naught the counsels of God, and has broken the most sacred promises which were made before God, and has depended upon his own judgment and boasted in his own wisdom. (D&C 3:12-13.) Haters of God Another of the sins named by Paul is committed by "haters of God." To hate God is the direct antithesis of the commandment, "Thou shalt have no others gods before me." Many men become haughty when they get a little smattering of knowledge and they rationalize themselves out of their belief in God. Since all that we have to enjoy and profit by comes from the true and living God, any who have become estranged from their Lord, even in the slightest, have a need for deep repentance to bring about a reconciliation with him. Paul fiercely denounced those who "served the creature more than the Creator," the "haters of God." There were in those days, as today and among our own people, groups who deny "the Lord that bought them" with his own blood, and yet claim membership in his Church and in their hypocrisy and egotism pretend allegiance. There are those who receive the benefits of the Church while not only failing to make any contributions to it but actually being destructive of it and its standards. Those hypocritical unbelievers use their powers to destroy rather than to build up. Ingratitude Ingratitude is a distressing sin which kindles the Lord's anger. (See D&C 59:21.) It is often manifest in "disobedience to parents," which Paul condemns. Many young people demand and receive much from parents and then show little or no gratitude, as though the parents owed it to them without any consideration or appreciation on their part. There must have been children in Paul's day who thanklessly took for granted their many blessings and opportunities, for he continued to warn the saints at Rome and others against this weakness. When the Savior healed the ten lepers and only one thanked him, he pointed out the nine ingrates as a lesson to all when he said, "Were there not ten cleansed?" (Luke 17:17.) Adults as well as the youth are often guilty, being disobedient and unthankful to their Heavenly Father who gives them all. Many fail to show their gratitude through service, through family prayers, through the payment of their tithes, and in numerous other ways God has a right to expect. Unmercifulness Lack of mercy also is a weakness of serious proportions. Paul linked it with many of the sins we generally regard as more serious. The Lord said, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." (Matt. 5:7.) He underlined the point with the parable of the unmerciful servant who, though forgiven ten thousand talents of debt, would not forgive his own debtor who owed him but a hundred pence. The penalty for his harshness was very severe. (Matt. 18:23-35.) Anger Paul warns against the wrathful those who become angered when things go wrong. When they are released from Church positions, they sometimes become angry and will not return to other service but pout and complain and are fiercely critical of all that is done by those who have offended them. Sometimes their anger reaches implacable hatred and bitterness, and they and their loved ones suffer in faith and activity, and sometimes in membership and salvation. There are many who might today have been active and faithful in the Church but who are on the outside because some progenitor--a father, a grandfather or great-grandfather-- became embittered and apostatized. God Abhors Sin "These six things doth the Lord hate." Yes, because they are sins he hates them. For the same reason he hates all the transgressions discussed in this chapter, and all others too. Although he loves the sinner, he "cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance." (D&C 1:31.) As sinners we will better appreciate his love and kindness if similar abhorrence for sin impels us to transform our lives through repentance. 1. Journal of Discourses, 6:196. ;;;Chapter Five The Sin Next to Murder ... These things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost.--Alma 39:5 There are sins which are so serious that we know of no forgiveness for them. These we will discuss in greater detail in a later chapter. There are also sins which approach the unforgivable ones in seriousness but seem to come in the category of the forgivable. These are the diabolical crimes of sexual impurity. In varied form they run from aberrations involving self-abuse, sex stimulation, and self-pollution to abhorrent and unnatural practices involving others. Whether named or unnamed in scriptures or the spoken word, any sexual act or practice which is "unnatural" or unauthorized is a sin. It is unfortunate that Church leaders must discuss these sins of corruption but they would be under condemnation if they failed to warn and forewarn and protect and fortify. To educate the people in moral matters certainly is the duty of the spiritual advisors even though it is often repugnant and unpleasant. As in previous ages, God's people must never be left with the excuse that they did not know. Sexual Sin Defiles Transgression and uncleanness and filth are found in all sexual sins. In clarifying a parable, the Savior said: ... Out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. (Mark 7:21- 23.) It is not the soil of earth or the grease on a person's hands that defile him; nor is it the fingernails "edged in black," the accumulated perspiration from honest toil, or the body odor resulting from heavy work. One may bathe hourly, perfume oneself often, have hair shampooed frequently, have fingernails Those who have received the Holy Ghost after baptism certainly know that all bodily contacts of this kind are pernicious and abominable. They recognize too that the God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow continues to demand continence and to require that people come to the marriage altar as virgins, clean and free from sex experience. Almost like twins, "petting" and especially "heavy petting" and fornication are alike. Also like twins, the one precedes the other, but most of the same characteristics are there. The same passions are aroused and, with but slight difference, similar bodily contacts are made. And from it are likely to come the same frustrations, sorrows, anguish, and remorse. All those who have slipped into the disgraceful and most reprehensible habit of transgressing through petting should immediately change their lives, their habits, and their thought patterns, repent sorely in "sackcloth and ashes," and by confession get so far as possible a clearance from the Lord and the leaders of his Church so that a measure of peace may accompany them through their lives. To those who have been properly taught and who have properly appraised the evils and have restrained and protected themselves from these foul acts, God bless them and help them to continue their virginity and cleanness, that they may never have the remorse and anguish which has or will come to their brothers and sisters who have indulged. The Curse of Adultery Through Moses came the solemn command, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Ex. 20:14.) This act between married people is a most heinous transgression, so serious that it has been the subject of sermons by prophets and leaders in all gospel dispensations. The death penalty was exacted for it in the days of Israel, as it was also for many of the sex sins so common in today's society. Perhaps in no other way could such sin be controlled. Generations of slavery had not helped Israel much in climbing toward exaltation. They were weak and needed to be disciplined. In all the lands into which they came they found the same cursed practices idolatry and adultery, intermingled and closely related. "The adulterer and the adulteress shall surely he put to death." (Lev. 20:10.) Apparently the death penalty was still on the law books in the days of Christ, for the scribes and Pharisees brought to the Lord the woman taken in adultery, seeking to trap him. They said Moses had commanded that such a person should be stoned to death, and asked him what he had to say of the matter. With his usual sublime understanding he put the tempters to rout and sent the woman to repent of her sin. (See John 8:1-11.) James E. Talmage wrote: ... The woman's accusers were "convicted by their own conscience"; shamed and in disgrace they slunk away. ... They knew themselves to be unfit to appear either as accusers or judges. ... "When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more."8 2 Note that the Lord did not forgive the woman of her serious sin. He commanded quietly, but forcefully. "Go, and sin no more." Even Christ cannot forgive one in sin. The woman had neither time nor opportunity to repent totally. When her preparation and repentance there complete she could hope for forgiveness, but not before then. According to a celebrated statistic quoted in a magazine article, more than half the nation's married men and over a quarter of its married women are untrue to their marriage vows. They are guilty of the notorious sin of adultery, which is encouraged by the approval and the "fun" image given to it in movies and on television. The article spoke of fifteen million divorced persons living in the United States and said there are 100,000 new divorces annually, creating 800,000 more divorced persons. Of these millions of divorced persons, many are opportunists and are on the prowl. Millions of married people, many of them unhappy, are the victims. Since divorce is often hard, inconvenient, or slow to get, impatient ones commit adultery; thus more homes are broken, more unhappy families result, and the population of divorced men and women climbs constantly. Some point to the 400,000 new divorces annually and see this as dramatic evidence of the sexual needs of the couples concerned. They note that many live the double life because they find that supporting a second family is intolerable, so the illegal romances go forward and the marriages stand as unhappy ones. But whatever the rationalizations and arguments, there are no circumstances which justify adultery. Regardless of what the world does, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must continue to fortify its people against sin and to stand firm for total fidelity and solid home and family life. Warning to Working Wives A word of warning is in order about wives going out to work. They leave their husbands each day and work often in the presence of other men where they are exposed to flirtations, displays of interest and affection, and confidences all in a situation freed from family concerns and thus inducing the relaxation in which romantic attractions can develop. This setup can be fraught with danger to the home. Of course it is recognized that some widows and occasionally wives with families at home must work to support their families. But this ought not to be done where avoidable. Mothers of unmarried children should come home and, where necessary, let standards of living and luxury reduce to a point where the salary of the husband will suffice. The numerous luxuries are far too costly when a marriage and children's welfare are on the scales. The point is underlined in a sermon by Elder Boyd K. Packer: ... I would go back to the home that has a mother there. I ask you ... what good is a big picture window and the lavish appointments and the priceless decor in a home if there is no mother there? The mother as a mother, not as a breadwinner, is an essential figure in this battle against immorality and wickedness. I would also go back to the family where children were accountable and where father was the head of the family. Would you think me naive if I were to propose that this battle ultimately will be won on such simple grounds as the children coming in after school to homemade bread and jam and Mama there? Or on such grounds as Daddy and Mama taking their youngsters to Sacrament meeting? Or that tender hug as they are put to bed and Daddy and Mama saying, "We need you in this family. You are a part of us, no matter what your troubles are, you can come home." Avoid Even the Thought The final act of adultery is not the only sin. For any man or woman to begin to share affection or romantic interest with any other than the spouse is an almost certain approach to ultimate adultery. There must be no romantic interest, attention, dating, or flirtation of any kind with anyone so long as either of the participating people is still legally married, regardless of the status of that marriage. Indeed, even the thought of adultery is sinful, as Jesus emphasized: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matt. 5:27-28.) And again, when Jesus amplified this thought to the Nephites: Behold, I give unto you a commandment, that ye suffer none of these things to enter into your heart For it is better that ye should deny yourselves of these things ... than that ye should be cast into hell. (3 Ne. 12:29-30.) The Adulteress One of the most inspiring of the Old Testament stories is the experience of our ancestor, Joseph a youth who set a great example to young and old. He stood� tall and stalwart as he resisted his evil temptress. Exerting the wiles of a wicked, voluptuous woman, displaying all her advantages of high station, beauty, and political power, she did everything she could to attract the handsome young leader. When all else failed she attempted force and intimidation and blackmail. But Joseph stood his ground. He refused to yield to her pleadings. Her clothing, or lack of it, her perfumes, her sexy advances, her pleadings all these bombarded a clean young man willing to suffer any penalty in order to keep his virtue. When all her womanly wiles failed, and he attempted to escape from her, she held to his clothes and tore them off his body, with lies of deceit she reported the incident, reversing the guilt to him. Joseph was thrown into prison to suffer unjustly for the very crime he had resisted to the end. (See Gen. 3:9.) Long afterwards, the writer of the Proverbs, knowing that this type of woman exists in all generations of time, warned man against her. Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour's wife whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. (Prov. 6:25-29.) And again the wise Solomon warned: And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart. So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him, I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves. For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey: With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering' of her lips she forced him. He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter. ... ... As a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life. ... Many strong men have been slain by her. Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death. (Pro. 7:10, 13, 16-19, 21-23, 26-27.) How much double standard was tolerated in those days we do not know, but certainly today there is no such double standard in the eyes of God, and men are often the greater offenders. Every man who compromises with decency and commits the heinous crimes will be dealt with by the Lord as severely as will the woman. And be it remembered that even though the blow often seems to fall most heavily upon the woman, no man will escape the total penalties of suffering and torture and remorse and deprivations. Excommunication the Penalty For the benefit of Latter-day Saints the Lord has given us a direct and well- defined statement on adultery. ... If a man receiveth a wife in the new and everlasting covenant, and if she be with another man, and I have not appointed unto her by the holy anointing she hath committed adultery and shall be destroyed. If she be not in the new and everlasting covenant, and she be with another man, she has committed adultery. And if her husband be with another woman, and he was under a vow, he hath broken his vow and hath committed adultery. (D&C 132:41-43.) The penalty in this life is similarly clearly defined: Thou shalt not commit adultery and he that committeth adultery, and repenteth not, shall be cast out. (D&C 42:24.) To be "cast out" is to be excommunicated. Excommunication hangs over the head of the adulterer on a very tiny thread, like Damocles' sword. The sin is forgivable providing the repentance is sufficiently comprehensive. "But if he doeth it again, he shall not be forgiven, but shall be cast out." (D&C 42:26.) Love in Marriage No men or women will bring on themselves this blight of adultery if they will strictly keep the law which follows: Thou shalt love thy wife [husband] with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her [him] and none else. (D&C 42:22. Italics added.) There are many aspects to love in marriage, and sex is an important one. Just as married partners are not for others, they are for each other. Paul knew the countries the act per se is not even illegal. This "liberalizing" process is reflected in the United States by communities of homosexuals in our larger cities who demand acceptance of their deviate beliefs and practices as "normal," who sponsor demonstrations and draw up petitions to this end, who are formally organized, and who even print their own perverted journals. All this is done in the open, to the detriment alike of impressionable minds, susceptible urges, and our national decency. But let us emphasize that right and wrong, righteousness and sin, are not dependent upon man's interpretations, conventions and attitudes. Social acceptance does not change the status of an act, making wrong into right. If all the people in the world were to accept homosexuality, as it seems to have been accepted in Sodom and Gomorrah, the practice would still be deep, dark sin. Those who would claim that the homosexual is a third sex and that there is nothing wrong in such associations can hardly believe in God or in his scriptures. If God did not exist, such an unnatural and improper practice might be viewed differently, but one could never justify it while accepting the holy scriptures. That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, Justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still. (D&C 88:35.) Paul pinpointed the problem relating to all sexual sins and perversions when he wrote: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. (1 Cor. 3:16-17.) Threat to Family Life Of the adverse social effects of homosexuality none is more significant than the effect on marriage and home. The normal, God-given sexual relationship is the procreative act between man and woman in honorable marriage. It was so expressed and commanded to the first man and woman on the earth: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. ... (Gen. 1:27-28.) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. (Moses 3:24.) Marriage is ordained of God to men, and Paul tells Timothy that those who forbid to marry have departed from the faith and have given heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. (1 Tim. 4:1, 3.) "Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord." (1 Cor. 11:11.) The concept has been reiterated in our own dispensation: And again, verily I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God for marriage is ordained of God unto man. Wherefore, it is lawful that be should have one wife, and they twain shall be one flesh, and all this that the earth might answer the end of its creation. (D&C 49:15-17.) The institution of marriage is further elevated in the 132nd Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, wherein the Lord makes clear that only through the eternal union of man and woman can they achieve eternal life. As an example, he says that the wife is given to the man "to multiply and replenish the earth, according to my commandment, and to fulfil the promise which was given by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men; for herein is the work of my Father continued, that he may be glorified." (D&C 132:63.) Such references of course relate to celestial marriage. In this context, where stands the perversion of homosexuality? Clearly it is hostile to God's purpose in that it negates his first and great commandment to "multiply and replenish the earth." If the abominable practice became universal it would depopulate the earth in a single generation. It would nullify God's great program for his spirit children in that it would leave countless unembodied spirits in the heavenly world without the chance for the opportunities of mortality and would deny to all the participants in the practice the eternal life God makes available to us all. As Grievous as Adultery Because of the seriousness of this sin it carries a heavy penalty for the unrepentant. The offender may realize that dis-fellowshipment or excommunication is the penalty for heavy petting, adultery, fornication and comparable sins if there is not adequate repentance, yet he often supposes that because his acts have not been committed with the opposite sex he is not in sin. Let it therefore be clearly stated that the seriousness of the sin of homosexuality is equal to or greater than that of fornication or adultery; and that the Lord's Church will as readily take action to disfellowship or excommunicate the unrepentant practicing homosexual as it will the unrepentant fornicator or adulterer. Church Program for Assistance Recognizing the seriousness of this problem in modern society and the need which offenders have to be assisted back to normal living, the Church has appointed two of its General Authorities to help on a Church level. Under the direction of the two Brethren many have been helped in faraway places, as well as in areas near the Church headquarters, through the bishops and stake presidents concerned. The success of this rehabilitation program has become known to the police, the courts and the judges, who refer many cases directly to the two Brethren, sometimes on a probation basis. Curable and Forgivable--With Effort After consideration of the evil aspects, the ugliness and prevalence of the evil of homosexuality, the glorious thing to remember is that it is curable and forgivable. The Lord has promised that all sins can be forgiven except certain ones enumerated, and this evil was not among those named. Thus it is forgivable if totally abandoned and if the repentance is sincere and absolute. Certainly it can be overcome, for there are numerous happy people who were once involved in its clutches and who have since completely transformed their lives. Therefore to those who say that this practice or any other evil is incurable, I respond: "How can you say the door cannot be opened until your knuckles are bloody, till your head is bruised, till your muscles are sore? It can be done." Of course it is not to be had merely for the asking. It involves mastering self. Plato had a word to say on this: "The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself; to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile." Our ills are usually of our own begetting. They must be corrected by ourselves. Man is the master of his destiny, be it good or bad. Man has the inherent capacity to heal himself physically. A doctor may cleanse a wound, sew it up, bandage it well, but the natural power of the body must do the healing. Likewise, a healing process in the spirit and mind must come from within from self-will. Others may help to cauterize the wound, suture it, and provide a clean, proper environment for the healing, but the body, with the aid of the Spirit, must heal itself. Accordingly some totally conquer homosexuality in a few months, others linger on with less power and require more time to make the total comeback. The cure is as permanent as the individual makes it and, like the cure for alcoholism, is subject to continued vigilance. Men have come to their Church leaders dejected, discouraged, embarrassed, terrified, and have gone out later full of confidence and faith in themselves, enjoying self-respect and the confidence of their families. In some cases, wives have come in to express tearful thanks for bringing their husbands back to them. They have not always known what the problem was, but they had sensed it and realized they had lost their husbands. Men have come first with downward glances and have left the final interview months later looking the interviewer straight in the eye. After the first interview, some have admitted: "I'm glad I was arrested. I have tried and tried to correct my error but knew I'd have to have help and had not the courage to ask for it." Of all the numerous people who have come through this special Church program, very few have been excommunicated. (These few were belligerent and rebellious and unyielding, and practically demanded such action.) Our method is one we think would be approved by the Savior. We remind the person of his likeness to and affinity with God: And I, God created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them. (Moses 2:27.) The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency. (Moses 7:32.) This kind of approach of helpfulness, not condemnation; of understanding, not accusations; of sympathy, not threats--this has brought many men to their knees in surrender and gratitude and helped them back to normality. With this inspiration a person has new hope. If he is in the image of God he is impelled to reach upward, for he must now be like God whose son he is. He has new handholds. He is no longer low and degenerate. He must climb up. Continued contact seems to be helpful. To have the man return to report success in his efforts or even to tell of partial failure is helpful, and to these continuing visits much credit is due for recoveries. An additional strength comes from the realization that they will be making reports, and people thus control themselves and their thoughts a day at a time, a week at a time; and soon the months have passed and their thoughts are under control and their actions are above reproach. Thus our approach is a positive one, dwelling upon the glories of the gospel and all its blessings, the happiness of proper family life, the joy in individual cleanliness. Its success is reflected in the numerous lives blessed with complete recovery. Acceptance of Personal Responsibility Vital As with any other sin, forgiveness and recovery are dependent upon the offender's repentance, which begins with recognition of the sin and acceptance of personal responsibility for it. There are those who are deeply entrenched in the habit and have no apparent desire to cleanse themselves and build toward a moral life. They are belligerent and totally uncooperative. One young man persistently lied. He kept insisting that he be told who had reported on him. It was made clear to him that the important thing was not who reported but how soon he placed himself in the way of spiritual medication. As he left the room, he was told kindly, "You apparently do not wish to discuss the problem tonight. You will before long, and you Bill find the door open and our hearts warm toward you." Several months passed and we heard nothing from him; then the phone rang one day, and there he was asking for an appointment. He came to see us and he unburdened his soul voluntarily, relief settled down upon him, and he began his comeback. Next in seriousness to nonrecognition of the sin is the attempt to justify oneself in this perversion. Many have been misinformed that they are powerless in the matter, not responsible for the tendency, and that "God made them that way." This is as untrue as any other of the diabolical lies Satan has concocted. It is blasphemy. Man is made in the image of God. Does the pervert think God to be "that way"? To those weaklings who argue this way, James answers: Blessed is the man that endureth [i.e., resisteth] temptation: for then he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted. I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. (Jas. 1:12-16.) Sometimes not heavenly but earthly parents get the blame. Granted that certain conditions make it easier for one to become a pervert, the Second Article of Faith teaches that a man will be punished for his own sins. He can, if normal, rise above the frustrations of childhood and stand on his own feet. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. ... (Ezek. 18:20.) A man may rationalize and excuse himself till the groove is so deep he cannot get out without great difficulty. But temptations come to all people. The ( Rev. 22:14. Italics added.) Through that same apostle and prophet came the condemnatory words of the Lord to the Laodiceans, perhaps directed against the same kind of indifference, of apathy in spiritual matters, that we find among some Church members today: I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Rev. 3:15-16.) The symbolism of the barren fig tree (Matt. 21:19) is eloquent. The unproductive tree was cursed for its barrenness. What a loss to the individual and to humanity if the vine does not grow, the tree does not bear fruit, the soul does not expand through service! In this connection, that father and mother may be in serious sin who make no effort to live the principles of the gospel, who fail to give service, who do not attend their meetings and carry out their other duties in the kingdom. They set an improper example for their children, who consequently will very often follow in the parental footsteps of neglect. It is frequently difficult for the parents to recognize the effects of their example until the damage is done, until the barrenness of their spiritual tree is plain for all to see. On such parents will be a dreadful responsibility. To be passive is deadening; to stop doing is to die. Here then is a close parallel with physical life. If one fails to eat and drink, his body becomes emaciated and dies. Likewise if he fails to nourish his spirit and mind, his spirit shrivels and his mind darkens. Charles Steizle has pointed this out in graphic words: What must I do to be damned? Nothing. That's all. You're damned condemned if you just sit still. That is the law of this physical world. If you sit still long enough you'll never get up again. If you never lift your arm, you'll soon be unable to raise it at all. If you remain in darkness and never use your eyes, you'll soon become blind. It is the law in the mental world. If you never exercise your brain never read, study, nor talk to anyone, never permit anyone to talk to you your mind will became blank maybe you'll become insane. The most horrible punishment that could be inflicted upon you is not twenty years of hard labor, but twenty years of solitary confinement. It's the law in the spiritual world. Simply shut your heart to all truth, and after a while you won't be able to believe anything--that is the severest penalty for not accepting truth. The process of disintegration and death begins when a man shuts himself out from the forces that make for life. The body and mind and spirit are kept alive through constant constructive use.9 1 Of the spiritual apathy which this condition represents, President David O. McKay has spoken as follows: The peril of this century is spiritual apathy. As the body requires the sunlight, good food, proper exercise, and rest, so the spirit of man requires the sunlight of the Holy Spirit; proper exercise of the spiritual functions; avoiding of evils that affect spiritual health, which are more ravaging in their effects than typhoid fever, pneumonia, or other diseases that attack the body. As I have interviewed numerous young men for missions, I have asked them what grades they received in their college or in high school. Many times they have rather sheepishly admitted they could have done better. To be mediocre when only application and diligence would have netted superiority is an error akin to sin. It recalls the comment by Arnold Bennett: The real tragedy is the tragedy of the man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort, who never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature. Parenthetically, it is pleasing to note that many of those same young men, stimulated in the mission field, fired with purpose, went back to the same college and received high grades. We Covenant to Act To be baptized is to enter into a covenant of commission. But to fail to be baptized when one is convinced the work is divine is a sin of omission, and penalties will be assessed for failure to meet this requirement. Tens of thousands of people having heard the gospel have failed to be baptized, giving trivial excuses. This is a most serious sin. The Lord told Nicodemus that he and others would not even see the kingdom of God if they rejected the required baptism. The covenants we make with God involve promises to do, not merely to refrain from doing, to work righteousness as well as to avoid evil. The children of Israel made such covenants through Moses, saying, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do" (Exodus 19:8, italics added), though hardly was Moses' back turned until they had broken their promise through wrongdoing. In the baptismal waters we give a similar undertaking and we repledge it in the ordinance of the sacrament. Not to honor these pledges, to refuse to serve or to accept responsibility and do less than one's best at it, is a sin of omission. Nor can we with impunity seek to cancel such obligations, as one misguided man supposed he could when he wrote to me as follows: I will appreciate it if you will remove my name from the roster of the Church. I find the restrictions and the requirements of the Church too great. I am unable to forego the four no's tea, coffee, tobacco and liquor. To� refuse those things I desire causes me more anxiety than I am able to cope with. And my personality requires acceptance from the crowd, and I feel unaccepted when unable to partake of the pleasures of my companions. Also, I find that I cannot give from three to five hours on Sunday and one-tenth of my earnings. This is against my basic nature but some people overcome it.� Failure to act after one has made the covenant to do so, the shirking of responsibility in the kingdom, brings inevitable condemnation. This situation brings to mind the Savior's parable of the two sons. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. (Matt. 21:28-31.) Declining to serve when called may constitute a sin of omission as well as one of commission. Certainly it is a sin of omission to accept responsibility, to covenant with the Lord, and then fail to do the work as well as possible. Such a person is not following the light he sees, a sin which the Savior condemned in the Pharisees and by implication in all men who wilfully choose darkness or a lesser light: And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. (John 9:39-41.) Melchizedek Priesthood holders and those who have received their temple endowments have made further and specific pledges to do, to work righteousness. The Lord has expressed the mutual pledges between our Heavenly Father and the priesthood holders as an "oath and covenant," which is discussed in a later chapter. Suffice to say here that one breaks the priesthood covenant by transgressing commandments--but also by leaving undone his duties. Accordingly, to break this covenant one needs only to do nothing. Many Opportunities for Omission Clearly the potential for sins of omission is as broad as the converse opportunity for righteousness. Let us consider some examples. The home teacher who is assigned the responsibility of teaching families must not fail to teach or to fulfill his assignment. The penalty is more severe than he thinks. He will be held accountable for difficult situations which arise in an assigned family and which with diligence he could have controlled. Tithing is a law of God and is required of his followers. To fail to meet this obligation in full is to omit a weighty matter. It is a transgression, not an inconsequential oversight. The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side. Marriage is another example. The Lord has said that man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man in the Lord. In other words, to marry is an obligation as well as an opportunity. Every normal person should find a proper mate and be sealed for eternity in the temple of the Lord. Failure to do so is disobedience and a sin of omission, unless every proper effort is made. Once the marriage covenant is made, it is conceivable that a man might never be guilty of violence or of infidelity and yet could fail of the greatest blessings possible because of his failure in his covenant marriage. He should strive to be the perfect husband and the perfect father, and positively do all things to make his family relationships as the Lord would have them be. Similar requirements are made of the wife. To carry the responsibility further, the command to multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it comes from the Lord also. To refuse to bear or refrain from the bearing of children is an error of omission. Of course, the mere bringing of children into the world does not fulfill the obligation. Nor have parents met all their responsibilities when they feed and clothe and give schooling and entertainment to their offspring. The great parental responsibility is not met unless fathers and mothers do all in their power to train their children to pray and walk uprightly before the Lord, giving proper example and positive verbal teaching. The daily family life, if well charted and regulated, supplemented by the twice-daily family kneeling prayer and the home teaching and home evening, is almost certain to bring up the children to become stalwart sons and daughters of God and eligible for exaltation and eternal life. Any selfishness on the part of parents which would deprive the children of this training would be a sin of omission and answerable to the Great Judge when the time of judgment comes. To proselyte and warn our neighbors of the divinity of the gospel is a command reiterated by the Lord: "... It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor." (D&C 88:81.) More recently the living Prophet has emphasized "Every member a missionary." To sit passively by enjoying all the benefits of the gospel and the Church and not share them with others of God's children constitutes a serious sin of omission. Likewise, failing to fast is a sin. In the 58th chapter of Isaiah, rich promises are made by the Lord to those who fast and assist the needy. Freedom from frustrations, freedom from thralldom, and the blessing of peace are promised. Inspiration and spiritual guidance will come with righteousness and closeness to our Heavenly Father. To omit to do this righteous act of fasting would deprive us of these blessings. Consider the Ten Commandments. Some are negative, some are positive. This is significant. It is not sufficient to refrain from making other gods of stone or wood or gold, but one must actively love and serve the true and living God with total heart, might, mind and strength. Inherent in the "thou shalt not" is the inference "thou shalt." It is not enough not to worship the man-made creations, but it is incumbent upon man to bow down in humility to our Father in heaven and serve him. It is not enough not to curse and blaspheme the name of Deity and think of him irreverently, but man must call upon his name frequently in personal, family and public prayers in reverence and adoration. We should speak often of him and his program. We should read of him and his works. It is not sufficient that we do not kill or commit murder, but we should protect others from such crimes. Not only is suicide a crime, but one is obligated to protect and save and prolong his own life. Not only shall we not take life, but it is obligatory upon us to give life, both by bearing children into mortality and by leading people toward eternal life by teaching, proselyting and influencing them strongly toward that end. It is not good enough merely to refrain from injuring parents; we must honor them. Nor is it sufficient to refrain from adultery. One must be positive and This relationship of character to thought cannot be too strongly emphasized. How could a person possibly become what he is not thinking? Nor is any thought, when persistently entertained, too small to have its effect. The "divinity that shapes our ends" is indeed in ourselves. It is one's very self. In speaking of carving out a character, President David O. McKay has said: Your tools are your ideals. The thought in your mind at this moment is contributing, however infinitesimally, almost imperceptibly to the shaping of your soul, even to the lineaments of your countenance even passing and idle thoughts leave their impression. Trees that can withstand the hurricane, sometimes yield to destroying pests that can scarcely be seen except with the aid of a microscope. Likewise, the greatest foes of the individual are not always the glaring evils of humanity but subtle influences of thought and of continual association with companions. The cumulative effect of our thinking, and its power over life's circumstances, is strikingly expressed by James Allen: A man does not come to the almshouse or the jail by the tyranny of fate or circumstance, but by the pathway of grovelling thoughts and base desires. Nor does a pure-minded man fall suddenly into crime by stress of mere external force; the criminal thought had long been secretly fostered in the heart, and the hour of opportunity revealed its gathered power. Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself. No such conditions can exist as descending into vice and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious inclinations, or ascending into virtue and its pure happiness without the continued cultivation of virtuous aspirations, and man, therefore, as the lord and master of his thoughts is the maker of himself, the shaper and author of environment. ... Let a man radically alter his thoughts and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit and habit solidifies into circumstance.11 2 This "solidifying into circumstance" is the key to most of the success stories we read. The successful man thinks he can. As someone expressed it briefly and pointedly, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right." Allen enlarges on this idea: He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it. Columbus cherished a vision of another world, and he discovered it; Copernicus fostered the vision of a multiplicity of worlds and a wider universe, and he revealed it; Buddha beheld the vision of a spiritual world of stainless beauty and perfect peace, and he entered into it.12 3 Thoughts Govern Acts and Attitudes The statement, "As a man thinketh, so is he," could equally well be rendered "As a man thinketh, so does he." If one thinks it long enough he is likely to do it. A minister acquaintance of mine, whom I knew rather well, was found by his wife hanging in the attic from the rafters. His thoughts had taken his life. He had become morose and despondent for two or more years. Certainly he had not come to suicide in a moment, for he had been a happy, pleasant person as I had known him. It must have been a long decline, ever steeper, controllable by him at first and perhaps out of hand as he neared the end of the trail. No one in his "right mind," and especially if he has an understanding of the gospel, will permit himself to arrive at this "point of no return." Not only acts but attitudes rest on the thoughts we feed our minds. A young couple bickered and quarreled until their marriage was ended and divorce was final. They had been involved romantically with another erring couple. The man and the woman both wrote me, trying to smooth out the wrinkles and to make me feel justified and reconciled to their false conclusions. I acknowledged their letters in these terms: Old man rationalization finally has convinced two basically good people that "evil is good, and good evil," and threads are now broken and solemn contracts are voided and solemn promises are abrogated when minds became incubators in which little thoughts grew to become vicious thoughts, and small acts of impropriety become near unforgivable acts affecting adversely the lives of four adults and many children. You have fallen in step with the world which seems intent on believing that good is evil and evil is good, and that black is white and darkness is light. Our Thoughts Influence Others No one has a right arbitrarily to shape the thoughts of others, but that is not to say that one's thoughts are entirely his own affair. Each of us inevitably affects others by the character his thoughts and actions have shaped. Each of us is part of mankind and gives to others as well as receives from them. One perceptive comment, whose authorship I do not know, expressed it in this way: Into the hands of every individual is given a marvelous power for good or evil the silent, unconscious, unseen influence of his life. This is simply the constant radiation of what man really is, not what he pretends to be. ... Life is a state of constant radiation and absorption; to exist is to radiate; to exist is to be the recipient of radiation. Man cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others. He cannot evade the responsibility by saying it is an unconscious influence. He can select the qualities that he will permit to be radiated. He can select the calmness, trust, generosity, truth, justice, loyalty, nobility make them vitally active in his� character and by these qualities he will constantly affect the world.� Accountability for Our Thoughts Thus far we have considered mainly the effect thoughts have on our life here. But what of the hereafter? When I was about fourteen years of age I read the Bible through. It was a long, arduous task for me but I finished it with a degree of pride. When I read that all men would be judged according to their works, that seemed plausible and I thought I must mind my actions and my works. Then I read what the Savior said to the people of Palestine. ... Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Matt. 12:36-37.) This seemed to me far-fetched, for when I "cussed" the cows which struck me in the eyes with their cocklebur-matted tails or kicked over the milk bucket, I looked around and there was not a single soul in the corral to hear me; and though the cow could hear, perhaps she could not interpret. And when I quarreled with my brothers out in the field, I was sure there were no other ears within many blocks. How then could one be judged by his words? That was bad enough but there was worse to follow, for I later read in the Book of Mormon the words of a prophet saying that even our thoughts will condemn us. ... Our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us ... and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God. ... (Al. 12:14.) It is well for all of us to realize that our thought sins as well as all other sins are recorded in heaven. Modern revelation gives us this: 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.) And this: For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated. (D&C 1:2.) If men's secret acts shall be revealed it is likely that their secret thoughts will also be revealed, for the iniquities of the rebellious shall be spoken from the housetops. The one who harbors evil thoughts sometimes feels safe in the conviction that these thoughts are unknown to others and that they, like acts in the dark, are not discernible. The Revelator, John, seemed to clear this matter when he wrote: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (Rev. 20:12.) And in the last days an angel will "sound his trump, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts ." (D&C 88:109.) Accordingly, men's deeds and thoughts must be recorded in heaven, and recording angels will not fail to make complete recordings of our thoughts and actions. We pay our tithing and the bishop records it in his book and gives us a receipt. But even if the entry fails to get in the ward record, we shall have full credit for the tithes we paid. There will be no omissions in the heavenly records, and they will all be available at the day of judgment. President John Taylor emphasized this: Man sleeps the sleep of death, but the spirit lives where the record of his deeds is kept. Man sleeps for a time in the grave, and by and by he rises again from the dead and goes to judgment; and then the secret thoughts of all men are revealed before him with whom we have to do; we cannot hide them; it would be in vain then for a man to say, "I did not do so and so"; the command would be, unravel and read the record which he has made of himself and let it testify in relation to these things, and all could gaze upon it.13 4 At that day we may be sure that we shall receive fair judgment. The judges will have the facts as they may be played back from our own records, and our voices and the pictures of our acts and the recordings of our thoughts will testify against and for us. President J. Reuben Clark gave sober attention to this thought: But there is one whom you do not deceive, and that is Christ, our Lord. He knows all. Personally, I have felt that nobody need keep much of a record about me, except what I keep myself in my mind, which is a part of my spirit. I often question in my mind, whether it is going to require very many witnesses in addition to my own wrongdoing. Perhaps sometime all of us have felt that we were misjudged and that our sincere and well-intentioned efforts were not understood. How comforting it is to know that on judgment day we shall be treated fairly and justly and in the light of the total, true picture and the discernment of the Judge! Nothing Secret to God There are no corners so dark, no deserts so uninhabited, no canyons so remote, no automobiles so hidden, no homes so tight and shut in but that the all-seeing One can penetrate and observe. The faithful have always known this. The doubters should take a sober look at the situation in the light of the electronic devices which have come into increasing use in the last few years and which are often delicate and tiny but so powerful as almost to annihilate man's personal privacy. These devices can apparently be used to reveal actions and even to tap thoughts. The lie detector is almost commonplace. Dreams are analyzed. Wire tapping has come prominently into use. A certain paint has been used as a conductor of electricity. A tiny outlet can pick up anything said in a room. Transmitters are built into picture frames, door knobs, typewriters, clocks, and other things. A palm-size direction microphone with pocket receiver and "hearing aid" attachment is capable of picking up a whisper fifty feet away. An eight-year-old lad in an eastern city can pick up a conversation 100 feet away in other people's homes. A policeman aimed the device 150 feet and could understand much of what was being said. One specialist had his instrument in the olive in a nearby martini; another in the mouthpiece of a telephone; another in the glove compartment of the car dashboard, in the handle of his brief case, and even in the cavity of a tooth of an intimate associate. In the light of these modern marvels can anyone doubt that God hears prayers and discerns secret thoughts? A printer's camera can make a negative three feet square. What magnification! If human eyes and ears can so penetrate one's personal life, what may we expect from perfected men with perfected vision! Every day, we record our voices on recording machines. Every day, pictures are taken and voices recorded and acts portrayed in live transmission over television. The scriptures indicate the existence of records of our works and words. Surely it is not too great a stretch of the imagination in modern days to believe that our thoughts as well will be recorded by some means now known only to higher beings! When I was a little boy, some imaginative story teller in offering his "greatest yarn" told of some woodsmen in the far north who sat around the campfire in the far-below zero weather, and all at once their voices failed to register sound. It was so cold that the sounds were frozen. Later, when the warm rays of the 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid. 4. Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, pp. 78-79. ;;;Chapter Nine Point of No Return But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come.--Doctrine & Covenants 84:41 It is true that the great principle of repentance is always available, but for the wicked and rebellious there are serious reservations to this statement. For instance, sin is intensely habit-forming and sometimes moves men to the tragic point of no return. Without repentance there can be no forgiveness, and without forgiveness all the blessings of eternity hang in jeopardy. As the transgressor moves deeper and deeper in his sin, and the error is entrenched more deeply and the will to change is weakened, it becomes increasingly near-hopeless, and he skids down and down until either he does not want to climb back or he has lost the power to do so. Everlastingly Too Late Perhaps the Book of Mormon contains the best examples and references on this. In the words of Amulek: For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked. (Al. 34:35.) There is a sad note of finality in that last statement. It matches the words of Samuel the Lamanite to those who would procrastinate the day of their salvation-""it is everlastingly too late, and your destruction is made sure" (Hel. 13:38); and it recalls those of Mormon relative to his wicked contemporaries-""the sorrowing of the damned." (Morm. 2:13.) The key factor in such a situation is the withdrawal of the Lord's Spirit. In the final battle days of the Jaredites, "the Spirit of the Lord had ceased striving with them, and Satan had full power over the hearts of the people (Eth. 15:19.) And the Nephites at one point continued on in their wickedness until they were left by themselves to "kick against the pricks." And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples� Therefore the Lord did cease to preserve them by his miraculous and matchless power, for they had fallen into a state of unbelief and awful wickedness. ... (Hel. 4:24-25. Italics added.) Sins Unto Death In discussing the subject of sin and declaring that the Lord and his Church will forgive transgressions, it must be made clear that there are "sins unto death." John tells us: ... There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. (1 John 5:16-17.) In other words, sins are of different degrees of seriousness. There are those which can be forgiven and those for which one may not promise forgiveness. The sin unto death is of such a serious nature that of those who commit it we are told: ... their end no man knoweth on earth, nor ever shall know, until they come before me in judgment. (D&C 43:33.) The oft-mentioned unpardonable sin is of monumental import. Of this, the Prophet Joseph Smith has said: All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it; and from that time he begins to be an enemy. This is the case with many apostates of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When a man begins to be an enemy to this work, he hunts me, he seeks to kill me, and never ceases to thirst for my blood. He gets the spirit of the devil--the same spirit that they had who crucified the Lord of Life the same� spirit that sins against the Holy Ghost. You cannot save such persons; you cannot bring them to repentance; they make open war, like the devil, and awful is the consequence.14 1 As to the shedding of innocent blood, in one sense innocent blood might be thought of as the blood of those persons without guile, or of little ones who have not sinned. It might also be thought of as the blood of others whom the murderer deliberately kills. Surely the crucifixion of the perfect Son of God constituted the shedding of innocent blood. Joseph Smith's blood shed in Carthage Jail was innocent at least he said: "I am void of offense toward God and man." Modern scripture gives the following interpretation: The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which shall not be forgiven in the world nor out of the world, is in that ye commit murder wherein ye shed innocent blood, and assent unto my death, after ye have received my new and everlasting covenant, saith the Lord God. ... (D&C 132:27.) President Joseph Fielding Smith gives us further light on this: ... Shedding innocent blood is spoken of in the scriptures as consenting to the death of Jesus Christ and putting him to shame. For those who have had the witness of the Holy Ghost, fighting with wicked hate against his authorized servants is the same, for if this is done to them, it is also done against him. For men who have had the light of the Holy Ghost to turn away and fight the truth with murderous hate, and those who are authorized to proclaim it, there is no forgiveness in this world, neither in the world to come.15 2 This is in line with the teaching in Hebrews: For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Heb. 6:4-6.) During the Savior's ministry he made an instructive comment on the sin against the Holy Ghost, which is rendered as follows in Joseph Smith's Inspired Revision of the Bible: Wherefore, I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men who receive me and repent; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him; neither in this world, neither in the world to come. (Inspired Version, Matt. 12:31-32. Italics added.) The words italicized in the above passage seem to limit the unpardonable sins to those who have received the gospel. Thus "dead works" will not save anyone. Sincerity, faith, repentance, and worthiness must characterize the recipient of the ordinance. "Wherefore, although a man should be baptized an hundred times it availeth him nothing, for you cannot enter in at the strait gate by the law of Moses, neither by your dead works." (D&C 22:2.) Endure to the End Having received the necessary saving ordinances--baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, temple ordinances and sealings--one must live the covenants made. He must endure in faith. No matter how brilliant was the service rendered by the bishop or stake president or other person, if he falters later in his life and fails to live righteously "to the end" the good works he did all stand in jeopardy. In fact, one who serves and then falls away may be in the category spoken of by Peter, "the dog turning to his vomit or the sow returning to her wallowing in the mire." (See 2 Pet. 2:22.) And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father. (3 Ne. 27:17.) Corianton apparently was in danger of not enduring to the end (having been guilty of immorality) when his father Alma told him: For behold, if ye deny the Holy Ghost when it once has had place in you, and ye know that ye deny it, behold, this is a sin which is unpardonable; yea, and whosoever murdereth against the light and knowledge of God, it is not easy for him to obtain forgiveness. ... (Al. 39:6.) To what extent must the Holy Ghost have "had a place in you"? President Joseph F. Smith had this to say: No man can sin against light until he has it; nor against the Holy Ghost, until after he has received it by the gift of God through the appointed channel or way. To sin against the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter, the Witness of the Father and the Son, wilfully denying him and defying him, after having received him, constitutes this sin. ... 16 3 It is important for all men that they do not even approach the tragic point of the unpardonable sin. Numerous people have lost the Spirit through immorality and through rebellion brought about by the sophistry and philosophy of men, and sometimes through fancied offenses. Bitterness has a way of poisoning the mind and killing the spirit. One should take no chances of permitting such situations to become sore and gangrenous, for who can tell when one might slip across the line? To do so rather than enduring to the end is perhaps to be in the category Peter described: For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. (2 Pet. 2:20-21.) Sin Against the Holy Ghost The sins unto death may be thought of as somewhat difficult to define and limit with precision. From the words of Joseph Smith quoted above we note that "... many apostates of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" will fall into this category. We cannot definitely identify them individually since it is impossible for us to know the extent of their knowledge, the depth of their enlightenment, and the sureness of their testimonies before their fall. When one has received the Holy Ghost he has a companion who will constantly warn and teach and inspire him. (See Moro. 10:5.) If not driven away through uncleanness or other persistent wickedness the Holy Ghost will always bear increasing witness to gospel truth. The potency of his influence is emphasized in this explanation by President Joseph Fielding Smith: The reason blasphemy against the Son of God may be forgiven, even if the Son be made manifest in a vision or a dream, is that such manifestation does not impress the soul as deeply as does the testimony of the Holy Ghost. The influence of the Holy Ghost is spirit speaking to spirit, and the indelible impression is one that brings conversion and conviction to the soul as no other influence can. The Holy Spirit reveals the truth with a positiveness wherein there is no doubt and therefore is far more impressive than a vision given to the eye.17 4 The depth and durability of impressions made by "spirit speaking to spirit" perhaps explains the Lord's statement to Thomas after his resurrection: "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29.) Here was the reference to the surer witness. The eyes can be deceived, as can the other physical senses, but the testimony of the Holy Ghost is certain. The sin against the Holy Ghost requires such knowledge that it is manifestly impossible for the rank and file to commit such a sin. Comparatively few Church members will commit murder wherein they shed innocent blood, and we hope only few will deny the Holy Ghost. Wilson's book on the life of David W. Patten. From the book I quote an extract from a letter by Abraham O. Smoot giving his recollection of David Patten's account of meeting "a very remarkable person who had represented himself as being Cain." As I was riding along the road on my mule I suddenly noticed a very strange personage walking beside me. ... His head was about even with my shoulders as I sat in my saddle. He wore no clothing, but was covered with hair. His skin was very dark. I asked him where he dwelt and he replied that he had no home, that he was a wanderer in the earth and traveled to and fro. He said he was a very miserable creature, that he had earnestly sought death during his sojourn upon the earth, but that he could not die, and his mission was to destroy the souls of men. About the time he expressed himself thus, I rebuked him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by virtue of the Holy Priesthood, and commanded him to go hence, and he immediately departed out of my sight. ... 21 8 Another scriptural character responsible for murder--and this in conjunction with adultery--was the great King David. For his dreadful crime, all his life afterward he sought forgiveness. Some of the Psalms portray the anguish of his soul, yet David is still paying for his sin. He did not receive the resurrection at the time of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter declared that his body was still in the tomb. (See Acts 2:29-34.) President Joseph F. Smith made this comment on David's position: But even David, though guilty of adultery and murder of Uriah, obtained the promise that his soul should not be left in hell, which means, as I understand it, that even he shall escape the second death.22 9 The Prophet Joseph Smith underlined the seriousness of the sin of murder for David as for all men, and the fact that there is no forgiveness for it. A murderer, for instance, one that sheds innocent blood, cannot have forgiveness. David sought repentance at the hand of God carefully with tears, for the murder of Uriah; but he could only get it through hell: he got a promise that his soul should not be left in hell. Although David was a king, he never did obtain the spirit and power of Elijah and the fullness of the Priesthood; and the Priesthood that he received, and the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another by the name of David in the last days, raised up out of his lineage.23 10 Perhaps one reason murder is so heinous is that man cannot restore life. Man's mortal life is given him in which to repent and prepare himself for eternity, and should one of his fellowmen terminate his life and thus limit his progress by making his repentance impossible, it would be a ghastly deed, a tremendous responsibility for which the murderer might not be able to atone in his lifetime. Of course, the laws both of the land and of God recognize a great difference between murder or wilful slaughter and manslaughter which was not premeditated. Likewise men unfortunately must take others' lives in war. Some of our conscientious young men have been disturbed and concerned as they have been compelled to kill. There are mitigating circumstances but certainly the blame and responsibility rest heavily upon the heads of those who brought about the war, making necessary the taking of life. It is conceivable that even in war there may be many times when there is a legitimate choice and enemy combatants could be taken prisoner rather than be killed. Here is an excerpt from the message of the First Presidency dated April 6, 1942: The whole world is in the midst of a war that seems the worst of all time. The Church is a world-wide church. Its devoted members are in both camps. They are the innocent war instrumentalities of their warring sovereignties. On each side they believe they are fighting for home, country, and freedom. On each side, our brethren pray to the same God, in the same name, for victory. Both sides cannot be wholly right; perhaps neither is without wrong. God will work out in His own due time and in His own sovereign way the justice and right of the conflict but he will not hold the innocent instrumentalities of the war, our brethren in arms, responsible for the conflict. This is a major crisis in the world-life of man. God is at the helm. Even among wilful murderers there are grades and categories. There are the Herods and the Eichmanns and the Heydrichs, who kill for sadistic pleasure. There are those who kill in drunkenness, in rage, in anger, in jealousy. There are those who kill for gain, for power, for fear. There are those who kill for lust. They certainly will suffer different degrees of punishment hereafter. The proper earthly penalty for the crime is clearly set out in the scriptures and applied to all ages of the world. This penalty is the prerogative and responsibility of governmental authority, since no unauthorized person may take the law into his own hands and slay a fellow being: Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. (Gen. 9:6.) He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death. (Ex. 21:12.) And he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death. (Lev. 24:17.) ... Thou shalt not kill, but he that killeth shall die. (D&C 42:19.) Regrettably, too, there are people who, when finally discovered in their defalcations, in misappropriation of funds, in deep transgressions involving immorality and which affect families and friends, and in other sins, begin to think of suicide. Sometimes the temptation toward suicide comes when a person is bowed in grief at bereavement or feeling inadequate to meet and cope with the difficult situations he encounters. To end it all! But this great crime does not end it. In his right mind, only a fool would ever consider taking his own life. The Church and the Murderer Occasionally people who have murdered come to the Church requesting baptism, having come to some partial realization of the enormity of the crime. Missionaries do not knowingly baptize such people. Rather than assuming this great responsibility, they refer the problem to their mission presidents who in turn will wish to refer the matter to the First Presidency of the Church. This response is in line with Joseph Smith's comment on murderers, and particularly on those of the Savior: Peter referred to the same subject on the day of Pentecost, but the multitude did not get the endowment that Peter had; but several days after the people asked, "What shall we do?" Peter says, "I would ye had done it ignorantly," speaking of crucifying the Lord, etc. He did not say to them, "Repent and be baptized for the remission of your sins"; but he said, "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." This is the case with murderers. "They could not be baptized for the remission of sins, for they had shed innocent blood."24 11 To Church members the word is clear: And now, behold, I speak unto the church. Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not have forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come. (D&C 42:18.) And it shall come to pass, that if any persons among you shall kill they shall be delivered up and dealt with according to the laws of the land; for remember that he hath no forgiveness; and it shall be proved according to the laws of the land. (D&C 42:79.) When a member of the Church is adjudged guilty of murder or what seems to approach the terrible crime, consideration should be given to excommunication, which in most cases is the penalty required. Avoid the First Steps Even unpardonable sins should be repented of. The murderer does not have eternal life abiding in him, but a merciful God will grant to every soul adequate rewards for every good deed he does. God is just. He will compensate for every effort to do good, to repent, to overcome sin. Even the murderer is justified in repenting and mending his ways and building up a credit balance in his favor. Much better is it to avoid the steps which lead to unforgivable sin. Thus as a preventive measure against murder one should avoid anger and hatred, avarice and greed, and any of the other impulses which can spark the act. Nephi said his brothers were murderers at heart. One usually will commit the deed in his thoughts many times before he will deliberately commit the crime in actuality. Similarly the wise Church member will not take the first step in separating himself from the Church, as many do through apostasy. He will pray frequently and regularly, read the scriptures, and generally stay close to the Lord. He will diligently fulfill his Church and family duties and will follow the counsel of his spiritual leaders. By so doing he will always be able to repent of his sins as he pursues the upward road; he will never approach the unforgivable sin; he will never get anywhere near the point of no return. 1. Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 358. 2. Joseph Fielding Smith, "The Sin Against the Holy Ghost," The Improvement Era, (July, 1955) p. 494. 3. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.434 4. Smith, The Improvement Era (July, 1955), p. 494. 5. See Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 24. 6. Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 317. 7. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 433. 8. Lycurges A. Wilson, Life of David W. Patten (Salt Lake City. Deseret News, 1900), p. 50. 9. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 434. 10. Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 339. 11. Ibid. ;;;Chapter Ten Repent or Perish ... Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.--Luke 13:3 Repentance is the key to forgiveness. It opens the door to happiness and peace and points the way to salvation in the kingdom of God. It unlocks the spirit of humility in the soul of man and makes him contrite of heart and submissive to the will of God. "Sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4.), and for such transgression a punishment is affixed under eternal law. Every normal individual is responsible for the sins he commits, and would be similarly liable to the punishment attached to those broken laws. However, Christ's death on the cross offers us exemption from the eternal punishment for most sins. He took upon himself the punishment for the sins of all the world, with the understanding that those who repent and come unto him will be forgiven of their sins and freed from the punishment. Message of the Ages In these circumstances it is not surprising that through his prophets a loving God has constantly emphasized the call to repentance. It would be interesting if we could have a recording of each dispensation of the gospel in sequence, and hear the pleas and commands for repentance repeated through six millennia. It would be impressive to see the speaker and to hear the intonation of his voice-- loud, penetrating, soft, pleading, warning, calling. They would be portentous words. We would hear the voice of Jacob discharging the responsibility which weighed heavily upon him: "... It must needs be that I teach you the consequences of sin." (2 Ne. 9:48.) And from Mars Hill, where the sophisticated Athenians were debating over their numerous gods, we would hear Paul's words denouncing their deities and explaining their "unknown god": "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent." (Acts 17:30.) There would be also the voices of Adam, Noah, Lehi, Alma, Abraham and Isaiah and many others, all like a John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness: " Bring� forth fruits meet for repentance." (Matt. 3:8.) And prominent would be the� voice of Jesus Christ himself giving priority to this all-important call as he ushered in the dispensation of the meridian of time with the words, "Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. 4:17.) Penalties for Unrepentant The prophetic message has always carried the same penalty, for no one can reject with impunity the call from the God of law and justice. Hence the alternative the Lord has given--repent or perish! Abinadi gives solemn warning: But behold, and fear, and tremble before God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such that rebel against him and die in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began, out of existence. But Pompeii did not all burn. It was not in the way of the lava flow, but the cinders and ashes in the air gradually settled, covering the city completely. The people in their buildings were choked to death. Their bodies were later found clasping each other in deadly embrace. Cats and dogs were there in the buildings. They were found as they died covered with ashes, so that when the excavation was completed, the houses and contents were in place. There had been no general fire, but many of the roofs had burned off. Pompeii was destroyed. I think I know why. It was because of its wickedness and depravity. I think Pompeii must have been in much the same lamentable situation as Sodom and Gomorrah long before it. Modern Sinners Invite Similar Penalties It seems strange that with all these historical examples of peoples who were destroyed because of unrepented sin, so many pursue a similar course today, including many in America. Yet the promise has been given to the great nations of the Americas that they shall never fall if they will but serve God. Those in the service of the Lord in those nations are but a token number. The devil reigns; sin is rampant in political, religious and social circles. Evil is called good, and good evil. "Let us eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die," has been the theme song of the worldly wise since time began. "Let's live it up" is a more modern interpretation. It means, have fun today and let tomorrow take care of itself. There are the fun lovers who sit at the banquet table, drink their liquor in their homes and clubs, violate the moral laws. Then there is another class of people who have an obsession to accumulate worldly wealth, even at great costs of spirituality and morality. To such the Lord gave the parable of the rich fool: And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. (Luke 12:16-21.) Some are deceived by the prosperity of the wicked. They argue that many people gain their riches through crime, and that by ignoring the Lord's commandments they show a constant profit. This concept wrongly focuses on the short-term. The wicked may appear to be temporarily triumphant, as those seemed who crucified the Master, but the Savior's Parable of the Tares allows for this situation. Like the tares, the wicked are allowed to ripen for eventual destruction. Sin Brings Natural Consequences Should there be readers who think of the Lord as an angry, cruel God who brings vengeance on people for not complying with his laws, let them think again. He organized a plan which was natural--a cause-and-effect program. It is inconceivable that God would desire to punish or to see his children in suffering or pain or distress. He is a God of peace and tranquility. He offers joy and growth and happiness and peace. Through Ezekiel the Lord asks: "Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?" (Ezek. 18:23.) And the Psalmist adds: "Let the wicked fall into their own nets ." (Ps. 141:10.) Yes, causes inevitably bring effects. One may avoid high tension wires, having been told they are dangerous, or he may touch them and suffer the consequences. Similarly, one may learn by obeying God's laws gracefully or he may learn by suffering. And this applies in any era--4000 B.C., 2000 B.C., in the Savior's time, or in the twentieth century. Many people have a difficult time in assuming the blame for their misfortunes. There must always be a scapegoat. If they fall, they look about to see who pushed them. If they fail, they assess the failure to others who prevented them or did not help them. Thus if what they call "bad luck" attends them, they are prone to blame fortune rather than themselves. And in the ultimate, the Lord gets blamed for many of our woes and seldom gets thanked for our achievements. Two Book of Mormon prophets help to set the record straight on this. Alma told his son, Corianton: "... And thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil." (Al. 4:17.) And from Mormon we learn that "it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished." (Morm. 4:5.) But however he tries, a man cannot escape the consequences of sin. They follow as the night follows the day. Sometimes the penalties are delayed in coming, but they are as sure as life itself. Remorse and agony come. Even ignorance of the law does not prevent, though it may mitigate, the punishment. Remorse may be pushed aside with bravado and brainwashing, but it will return to prick and pinch. It may be drowned in alcohol or temporarily shocked into numbness in the increasing sins which follow, but the conscience will eventually awaken, and remorse and sorrow will be followed by pain and suffering and finally torture and distress in the exquisite degree spoken of by the Lord in the passage quoted previously in this chapter. And the longer repentance is pushed into the background the more exquisite will be the punishment when it finally comes to the fore. The words of Alma give us what is perhaps the best scriptural account of the exquisite suffering of the sinner. But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments. Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror. Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds. And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked even with the pains of a damned soul. (Al. 36:12-16.) If men would only let their sins trouble them early when the sins are small and few, how much anguish would be saved them! Those who have never suffered the pain and "gnashing of teeth" which the sinner goes through would hardly understand. Church leaders have many come to them who are beginning to have a realization of the seriousness of their errors. To see them mentally writhe and seethe in their suffering is to know something of what the Lord meant when he said their sufferings would be sore and exquisite. Unfortunately, many transgressors sear the conscience and continue on in their sins until a judgment day comes. Unfortunately too, the natural consequences of sin are not confined to the transgressor. One of the saddest features of wrongdoing is that it grievously affects the lives of those who love the wrongdoer innocent children, dutiful wife, wronged husband, and aged parents. All such suffer the penalties. Consequences Are Inescapable That person who attempts to escape from reality and to avoid the penalties, to avoid coping with the situation, is somewhat like that escapist who had committed serious crime and was incarcerated in the penitentiary with a life sentence. He felt he had been very clever in his manipulations and that only through some error or trick of fate had he been caught. In the long, merciless hours behind the bars, he planned his escape. With much organization and effort he created a tiny saw, and with this he worked almost ceaselessly in the dead of night until he eventually sawed a bar through. He waited until what he thought was a propitious moment in the stillness of the night to pull the bar aside and to squeeze his body out through the aperture, and as he cleared the bars the thought came into his mind, "Ah, at last I am free!" And then he realized that he was only in the inner passageways, and he had not yet freed himself. He stealthily moved down the hallway to the door and stood in the darkness of the corner until the guard came along. He knocked the guard unconscious and took his keys and opened the door. As he got a breath of the cool outside air the thought came to him again, "I am free! I am clever. No one can hold me; no one can force me to pay the penalties." As he quietly stepped out he noted that he was still in the outer courts of the prison compound. He was still a prisoner. But he had planned well. He found a rope, threw it over the wall and got the end caught, and pulled himself up by the rope to the top of the wall. "At last I am free," he thought, "I do not need to pay penalties. I am clever enough to evade the pursuers." About this time the lights went on from the wall towers, and guns began to shoot, and the alarm was given. He dropped quickly down on the outside in the dark and ran for cover. As he got farther from the prison he heard the bloodhounds baying, but his scent was lost for the dogs as he waded a distance in the creek. He found a hiding place in the city until his pursuers had lost his tracks. Eventually he found his way out into the eastern part of the state and hired himself out to a stockman, herding sheep. He was far out in the hills. No one had seemed to recognize him. He changed his appearance by letting his hair and beard grow. The months passed. At first he reveled in his freedom and prided himself on his cunning--on how he had eluded all pursuers and now had no witnesses and no accusers, and he was free and did not have to answer to anyone. But the months were barren and stale, the sheep were monotonous, time was limitless; his dreams would never terminate. He came to realize that he could not get away from himself and his accusing conscience. He came to know that he was not free, that he was in fact in fetters and bondage; and there seemed to be ears that heard what he said, eyes that saw what he did, silent voices that were always accusing him of what he had done. The freedom in which he had reveled had changed to chains. Finally this escapist left his sheep, went into town and terminated his employment. Then he found his way back to the big city and to the officers of the law and told them he was ready to pay so that he could be free. This man learned the cost of sin. Many do not learn that cost in this life, simply because the payments may be deferred. What effect would it have if the payments were always "in cash"? A thoughtful comment whose authorship I do not know considers that point: I am convinced that if each thing we did wrong had a price tag on it, the world would experience a phenomenal change. That is to say, if we could see what each such wrongdoing is costing, we might think twice before committing the act. Unfortunately, we often have only a vague notion of the terrible cost or allow Satan to sugar-coat our concept of circumstances. But, let us stop and look at some of these prices. It is quite certain that if all rewards for goodness were immediately available and all the penalties for evil were immediately assessed and suffered there would seldom be a second evil--but then, that would tamper with one's precious free agency. We might add that one's position makes no difference to the inescapability of the consequences of sin. In the Church, the bishop, the stake president, the apostle--all are subject to the same laws of right living, and penalties follow their sins just as for the other members of the Church. None are exempt from the results of sin, as regards either Church action against the offender or the effects of sin upon the soul. Do Not Die in Sin When we think of the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ and the sufferings he endured for us, we would be ingrates if we did not appreciate it so far as our power made it possible. He suffered and died for us, yet if we do not repent, all his anguish and pain on our account are futile. In his own words: For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I. Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit. (D&C 19:16-18.) Abinadi expressed the danger of delaying repentance: But remember that he that persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on must know something of its serious implications, and to learn this too we have the scriptures, the Church leaders, and teachings of parents. It is a grave matter if parents fail to instruct their children, as the Lord tells us in Doctrine and Covenants 68:25-28. Likewise we are to be exhorted constantly by our leaders: "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (Heb. 3:13.) Even very small children when properly taught in righteous homes come to know good from evil to a considerable degree, and the Lord says that when children are eight years old they are accountable for their acts and thoughts. At that point, in the providence of God children may be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost, thus opening the way to receive the guidance, comfort and truth promised through that heavenly influence. And as the child grows, his conscience is stimulated and his knowledge of right and wrong developed by the family home evening, the home teaching program, and the other organizations and programs of the Church. How wonderful that God should endow us with this sensitive yet strong guide we call a conscience! Someone has aptly re-marked that "conscience is a celestial spark which God has put into every man for the purpose of saving his soul." Certainly it is the instrument which awakens the soul to consciousness of sin, spurs a person to make up his mind to adjust, to convict himself of the transgression without soft-pedaling or minimizing the error, to be willing to face facts, meet the issue and pay necessary penalties and until the person is in this frame of mind he has not begun to repent. To be sorry is an approach, to abandon the act of error is a beginning, but until one's conscience has been sufficiently stirred to cause him to move in the matter, so long as there are excuses and rationalizations, one has hardly begun his approach to forgiveness. This is what Alma meant in telling his son Corianton that "none but the truly penitent are saved." (Al. 42:24.) The Holy Ghost can play an important role in convincing the sinner of his error. He helps in making known "the truth of all things" (Moro. 10:5); in teaching all things and bringing all things to one's remembrance (John 14:26); and in reproving the world of sin (John 16:8). Sorrow Not Enough Often people indicate that they have repented when all they have done is to express regret for a wrong act. But true repentance is marked by that godly sorrow that changes, transforms, and saves. To be sorry is not enough. Perhaps the felon in the penitentiary, coming to realize the high price he must pay for his folly, may wish he had not committed the crime. That is not repentance. The vicious man who is serving a stiff sentence for rape may be very sorry he did the deed, but he is not repentant if his heavy sentence is the only reason for his sorrow. That is the sorrow of the world. The truly repentant man is sorry before he is apprehended. He is sorry even if his secret is never known. He desires to make voluntary amends. The culprit has not "godly sorrow" who must be found out by being reported or by chains of circumstances which finally bring the offense to light. The thief is not repentant who continues in grave offenses until he is caught. Repentance of the godly type means that one comes to recognize the sin and voluntarily and without pressure from outside sources begins his transformation. Paul put it this way to the Corinthian saints: Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing. 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.) How Wrong Is Wrong? Sometimes we hear a youth in the Church say with regard to sex sins, "I did not know it was wrong." This is unthinkable. Where were the teachings of the home, of Primary, of Sunday School, of MIA, and so on. Where were the whisperings of conscience, the guidance of the Holy Ghost to which he was entitled until he drove that Spirit away by sin? Some at least of these influences and promptings must have lingered in his heart to tell him that the act was wrong! Even if he did not know hob wrong it was he knew it was sin. Otherwise, why would he hide the act and keep secret the error? I had a young couple come to me with a problem. In the interview I said to them: "Yes, it is wrong for two members to marry out of the temple. But the thing which you did which prohibited you from going into the temple was infinitely worse." And the very fact that they still expected and insisted on an early entrance into the temple was an indication that they had not yet come to a realization of the seriousness of their sin. This transgression of which they were guilty is not merely a breach in etiquette. It is not only bad manners and a thing that "just is not done." It is breaking a law of God, a law that always since the beginning has been named by the Lord as most heinous. This is not something that can be set aside with a brushing-off gesture, or even with feigned sorrow, or even with a determination never to repeat the error. This is the violation of a fundamental law. Apparently these two young people had been taught through the years, quite properly, that they must be married in the temple. But they had not grasped the point that failure to do this at this time was a small error compared to the sin of fornication, and that the value of their temple marriage could be jeopardized by unrepentant sex sin. That heinous sin concerned them only little. Their values were distorted. There are many like them who, when the sin is as long as a mile, call it a yard, when the sin is as heavy as a ton, they call it a pound, when the sin is as voluminous as a hundred-gallon drum, they call it a pint. The soft-pedaling process is a damaging one, for it keeps people from repentance. And until there is real repentance there can never be forgiveness. "You mean that we cannot be married in the temple?" the couple asked. And I replied with a question, "Do you honestly think you should be permitted in the temple after such a despicable transgression? Do you not realize what you have done? If I were to give you the total responsibility with freedom to go, would you go? If you committed murder and then merely felt a little sorry, would you feel that you should be permitted immediately all privileges of freedom you formerly possessed, merely because you intended never to repeat the act? Do you think you should pay no price? no penalty? no adjustment? Analyze it. Do you think you yourselves would be better off if you went free?" If adultery or fornication justified the death penalty in the old days, and still in Christ's day, is the sin any less today because the laws of the land do not assess the death penalty for it? Is the act less grievous? There must be a washing, a purging, a changing of attitudes, a correcting of appraisals, a strengthening toward self-mastery. And these cleansing processes cannot be accomplished as easily as taking a bath or shampooing the hair, or sending a suit of clothes to the cleaners. There must be many prayers, and volumes of tears. There must be more than a verbal acknowledgment. There must be an inner conviction giving to the sin its full diabolical weight. "My sins are disgusting--loathsome" one could come to think about his baser sins, like the Psalmist who used these words: "My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness." (Ps. 38:5.) There must be increased devotion and much thought and study. There must be a re- awakening, a fortification, a re-birth. And this takes energy and time and often is accompanied with sore embarrassment, heavy deprivations and deep trials, even if indeed one is not excommunicated from the Church, losing all spiritual blessings. Another young couple showed a similar unawareness of the gravity of sin, and especially of sexual sin. They came to me in June, having become formally engaged with a ring the previous December, and in the six months' interval their sexual sin had been repeated frequently. In June they went to their respective bishops seeking recommends to the temple. The girl's bishop, knowing that she had always been active, did not searchingly question her as to cleanliness, and a recommend was soon tucked away in her purse for use in the planned June marriage. The bishop of the other ward questioned the young man carefully and learned of the six months of transgression. In my office the couple frankly admitted their sin and shocked me when they said: "That isn't so very wrong, is it, when we were formally engaged and expected to marry soon?" They had no comprehension of the magnitude of the sin. They were ready to go into the holy temple for their marriage without a thought that they were defiling the Lord's house. How lacking was their training! How insincere was their approach! They were very disturbed when their marriage had to be postponed to allow time for repentance. They had rationalized the sin nearly out of existence. They pressed for a date, the first possible one they could set up and on which they could plan their temple marriage. They did not understand that forgiveness is not a thing of days or months or even years but is a matter of intensity of feeling and transformation of self. Again, this showed a distortion of attitude, a lack of conviction of the seriousness of their deep transgression. They had not confessed their serious sin. They had but admitted it when it had been dug out. There is a wide difference between the two situations. This couple seemed to have no conception of satisfying the Lord, of paying the total penalties and obtaining a release and adjustment which could be considered final and which might be accepted of the Lord. I asked them the question: "As you weigh this transgression, do you feel that you should be excommunicated from the Church?" They were surprised at such a question. They had thought of their heinous sin as nothing more than an indiscretion. They had been born and reared in the Church and had received the gift of the Holy Ghost at eight years of age. But in the successive nights of their perfidy they had driven the Holy Spirit away. They had made him, unwelcome. They were not listening to his promptings. It is inconceivable that they did not know how wrong their sin was but they had convinced themselves against the truth. They had seared their consciences as with a hot iron. Conviction Opens Door to Repentance When we come to recognize our sin sincerely and without reservations, we are ready to follow such processes as will rid us of sin's effects. Enos sets us a good example. As he began to realize his true status before his Maker, he pondered upon his condition how he had been born in the faith and trained by a good father who had taught him righteousness and the nurture and admonitions of the Lord. When he found himself far out of hearing, deep in the forest where he was alone with himself, he began to convict himself of his sins. Eternal life began to loom up as something much to be desired, and he says: "... the words [of] ... eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart, and my soul hungered ..." Now that he had convinced himself that he was in desperate straits, he began to put his mind in order. "... I kneeled down before my Maker," he said, "and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul ..." The sincerity of his change of heart is manifested in his extended efforts to make his adjustment and get forgiveness: "... And all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens." (Enos 3-4.) When this spirit is in the transgressor and he has placed himself at the mercy of the Lord, he begins to receive the relief which will eventually develop into total repentance. Young Alma was so deep in his sin that it was most difficult for him to humble himself toward repentance, but when his experiences broke down his resistance, softened his rebellion and overcame his stubbornness, he began to see himself in his true light and appraise his situation as it really was. His hard heart was softened. His repentance was being born. Listen to his words of confession. Though these words of Alma are used in this book in connection with other phases of the gospel, they are repeated here as an indication of conviction of guilt: But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins. Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments. Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror. Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds. And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul. (Al. 36:12-16.) to escape the responsibility and work. It cannot be done. It is following the lines of least resistance that makes rivers and men crooked. Trying Is Not Sufficient Nor is repentance complete when one merely tries to abandon sin. To try with a weakness of attitude and effort is to assure failure in the face of Satan's strong counteracting efforts. What is needed is resolute action. A story will perhaps illustrate this. An army officer called a soldier to him and ordered him to take a message to another officer. The soldier saluted and said, "I'll try, sir! I'll try!" To this the officer responded: "I don't want you to try, I want you to deliver this message." The soldier, somewhat embarrassed, now replied: "I'll do the best I can, sir." At this the officer, now disgusted, rejoined with some vigor: "I don't want you to try and I don't want you to do the best you can.' I want you� to deliver this message." Now the young soldier, straightening to his full height, approached the matter magnificently, as he thought, when he saluted again and said: "I'll do it or die, sir." To this the now irate officer responded: "I don't want you to die, and I don't want you merely to do the best you can, and I don't want you to try. Now, the request is a reasonable one; the message is important; the distance is not far; you are able-bodied; you can do what I have ordered. Now get out of here and accomplish your mission." It is normal for children to try. They fall and get up numerous times before they can be certain of their footing. But adults, who have gone through these learning periods, must determine what they will do, then proceed to do it. To "try" is weak. To "do the best I can" is not strong. We must always do better than we can. This is true in every walk of life. We have a companion who has promised: "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matt. 7:7.) With the inspiration from the Lord we can rise higher than our individual powers, extend far beyond our own personal potential. No Forgiveness Without Repentance This connection between effort and the repentance which attracts the Lord's forgiveness is often not understood. In my childhood, Sunday School lessons were given to us on the 8th chapter of John wherein we learned of the woman thrown at the feet of the Redeemer for judgment. My sweet Sunday School teacher lauded the Lord for having forgiven the woman. She did not understand the impossibility of such an act. In my years since then I have repeatedly heard people praise the Lord for his mercy in having forgiven the adulteress. This example has been used numerous times to show how easily one can be forgiven for gross sin. But did the Lord forgive the woman? Could he forgive her? There seems to be no evidence of forgiveness. His command to her was, "Go, and sin no more." He was directing the sinful woman to go her way, abandon her evil life, commit no more sin, transform her life. He was saying, Go, woman, and start your repentance; and he was indicating to her the beginning step to abandon her transgressions.� The Lord's prophet Amulek had said emphatically: "... Ye cannot be saved in your sins." (Al. 11:37. Italics added.) It was this same Lord Jesus Christ who made the laws, and he must observe them. Accordingly, how could he have forgiven the woman in her deep sin? When she had had time to repent; when she had abandoned her evil ways and evil associates; when she had made restitution so far as she could; and when she had proved by her works and the living of the commandments that she was "born again" and was a new creature--when she had done these things the forgiveness of the Savior could overshadow her and claim her and give her peace. Another mistaken idea is that the thief on the cross was forgiven of his sins when the dying Christ answered: "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43.) These men on the cross were thieves. How could the Lord forgive a malefactor? They had broken laws. There was no doubt of the guilt of the two men, for the one voluntarily confessed their guilt. The Lord cannot save men in their sins but only from their sins, and that only when they have shown true repentance. The one thief did show some compassion, whether selfishly with hope we are not sure. He was confessing, but how could he abandon his evil practices when dungeon walls made evil deeds impossible? How could he restore the stolen goods when hanging on the cross? How could he, as John the Baptist required, "bring forth fruits meet for repentance"? How could he live the Lord's commands attend his meetings, pay his tithing, serve his fellowmen? All these take time. Time was the one thing he was running out of very rapidly. "No unclean thing can enter the kingdom of heaven." This thought has been repeated throughout the scriptures numerous times and is a basic truth. We may be sure that the Savior's instructions to the thief on the cross were comparable to his instructions to the woman caught in adultery: "Go your way and transform yourself and repent." As the hours passed, the thief's life would ebb out and his spirit would abandon the lifeless body and go into the spirit world, where Christ was going to organize his missionary program. (See 1 Pet. 3:18-20; 4 6.) There he would live� along with the antediluvians and all others who had died in their sins. All the Lord's statement promised the thief was that both of them would soon be in the spirit world. The thief's show of repentance on the cross was all to his advantage, but his few words did not nullify a life of sin. The world should know that since the Lord himself cannot save men in their sins, no man on earth can administer any sacrament which will do that impossible thing. Hence the mere display of death-bed faith or repentance is not sufficient. When the Lord, in his dying moments, turned to the Father and requested, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34), he was referring to the soldiers who crucified him. They acted under the mandate of a sovereign nation. It was the Jews who were guilty of the Lord's death. Again how could he forgive them, or how could his Father forgive them, when they were not repentant. These vicious people who cried, "... His blood be on us, and on our children" (Matt. 27:25) had not repented. Those who "reviled him" on Calvary (Matt. 27:39) had not repented. The Jewish leaders who tried Jesus illegally, demanded his crucifixion from Pilate, and incited the mob to their vilest actions had not repented. Nor had the Roman soldiers who, though no doubt obligated under their military law to crucify Jesus as instructed, were under no compulsion to add the insults and cruelties to which they subjected the Savior prior to his crucifixion. Could the Lord forgive Pilate? Certainly he could not without Pilate's repentance. Did Pilate repent? We do not know what Pilate did after the scripture drops him. He had a desire to favor the Savior. He did not display full courage in resisting the pressures of the people. Could he have saved the life of the Lord? Again, we do not know. We leave Pilate to the Lord as we do all other sinners, but remember that "to know and not to do" is sin. Repentance Takes Time Repentance is inseparable from time. No one can repent on the cross, nor in prison, nor in custody. One must have the opportunity of committing wrong in order to be really repentant. The man in handcuffs, the prisoner in the penitentiary, the man as he drowns, or as he dies such a man certainly cannot repent totally. He can wish to do it, he may intend to change his life, he may determine that he will, but that is only the beginning. That is why we should not wait for the life beyond but should abandon evil habits and weaknesses while in the flesh on the earth. Elder Melvin J. Ballard pinpointed this problem: A man may receive the priesthood and all its privileges and blessings, but until he learns to overcome the flesh, his temper, his tongue, his disposition to indulge in the things God has forbidden, he cannot come into the celestial kingdom of God--he must overcome either in this life or in the life to come. But this life is the time in which men are to repent. Do not let any of us imagine that we can go down to the grave not having overcome the corruptions of the flesh and then lose in the grave all our sins and evil tendencies. They will be with us. They will be with the spirit when separated from the body.26 1 Clearly it is difficult to repent in the spirit world of sins involving physical habits and actions. There one has spirit and mind but not the physical power to overcome a physical habit. He can desire to change his life, but how can he overcome the lusts of the flesh unless he has flesh to control and transform? How can he overcome the tobacco or the drink habit in the spirit world where there is no liquor nor tobacco and no flesh to crave it? Similarly with other sins involving lack of control over the body. Repentance Easier Before Sin Is Entrenched While repentance is possible at any stage in the process of sin it is certainly easier in the early stages. Sinful habits may be compared to a river which flows slowly and placidly at first then gains speed as it nears the falls over the precipice. Where it is slow and quiet, one can cross it in a rowboat with relative ease. As the stream flows faster it becomes more difficult to cross, but this is still possible. As the water nears the falls, it becomes almost a superhuman effort to row across without being swept mercilessly over the falls. The rowboat and its passenger have little chance when the speeding stream prepares to take its leap to the gorge below. But even now, with much external help, one might still be saved from destruction. Likewise, in the stream of sin, it is relatively easy to repent at first, but as the sin becomes more and more entrenched the overcoming becomes increasingly difficult. If one ignores the roar of the falls below, he is doomed; if he will not listen to the warnings given him, he is sucked into the swift current to destruction. We can use another analogy from nature. Early settlers in the Gila Valley in Arizona stated that when they first arrived they could jump across the little trickle of water running down the San Simon Valley, a small tributary of the Gila River. But the overgrazed valley yielded to erosion. The little freshets of water followed the cow trails and cut deep ruts. Each succeeding storm stream undermined the dirt walls, making the gorge ever deeper and wider. The undercut walls caved in and the cow trail became a rut. The rut became a deep wash, and the wash became a very wide and very deep and almost uncrossable chasm. So it is with transgression. When a sin is repeated again and again, the channel gets deeper and deeper. And even though the gash in the earth may be filled, any flood of water is likely again to find the bed of the wash and follow it, making it even deeper. Similarly, even though sin be abandoned and forgiven, careless or deliberate action can bring it back. Forgiveness Cancelled on Reversion to Sin Old sins return, says the Lord in his modern revelations. Many people either do not know this or they conveniently forget it. "Go your ways and sin no more," the Lord warned. And again, "... Unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return, saith the Lord your God." (D&C 82:7.) Would this mean that the person who has returned to the sins he has professedly abandoned must start the process of repentance again from the beginning? that one cannot return to sin and then start repentance from where he left off? To return to sin is most destructive to the morale of the individual and gives Satan another hand-hold on his victim. Those who feel that they can sin and be forgiven and then return to sin and be forgiven again and again must straighten out their thinking. Each previously forgiven sin is added to the new one and the whole gets to be a heavy load. Thus when a man has made up his mind to change his life, there must be no turning back. Any reversal, even in a small degree, is greatly to his detriment. The reformed alcoholic who takes "just a little sip" again may have lost all the ground he has gained. The pervert who relaxes and returns to old companions or situations is in grave danger again. The former cigarette addict who smokes just one more cigarette is on his way back to addiction. It was Mark Twain who said he knew he could quit smoking because he had done it a thousand times. When one quits, he must quit. Generally, those who try to taper off find it an impossible task. One man who had been a slave to alcohol most of his adult life became convinced through the various Church programs that he must give up the habit and prepare himself for the temple program. With great effort he quit drinking. He moved many miles away from the area where his drinking friends lived and, though his body craved and ached and gnawed for the long-depended-on stimulant, he finally conquered. He was at all his Church meetings, and was paying his tithing. His new friends in the Church seemed to fortify him. He felt good in the new activity, and life was glorious. His wife was beaming, because now the whole family were always together. This is what she had dreamed about all their married life. They got their temple recommends and the happy day arrived and they drove to the temple city for this great event. They arrived early and each had some errands two years exclusively in the service of converting people from error to truth, of teaching men to leave the employ of Lucifer and serve the Lord, of bringing people out of the dark where they are most vulnerable into the light where there is a measure of protection and where new strengths can be developed. Satan takes a special interest in all such workers. We Can Do What We Will While changing one's life from evil to good is admittedly not easy, we cannot emphasize too strongly that every person endowed with normal faculties can do it. Elder Richard L. Evans has said: ... In life no road can be re-traveled just as once it was. We can't begin where we were. But we can begin where we are, and in an eternity of existence, this is a reassuring fact. There is virtually nothing that a man cannot turn away from if he really wants to. ... There is virtually no habit that he cannot give up if he sincerely sets his will to do so. ... Setting the will is the key. There must be resoluteness and determination. Discontinuance of sin must be permanent. The will to do must be strong and kept strengthened. Napoleon is said to have coined the phrase: "He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." If one fears he cannot win, if he merely tries, he may fail. Someone gave us this truth: The height of a min's success is gauged by his self-mastery; the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment. There is no other limitation in either direction and this law is the expression of eternal justice. He who cannot establish a dominion over himself will have no dominion over others. He who masters himself shall be king. The Spirit Aids the Repentant James gave a formula for conquering: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (Jas. 4:7.) In abandoning evil, transforming lives, changing personalities, molding characters or remolding them, we need the help of the Lord, and we may be assured of it if we do our part. The man who leans heavily upon his Lord becomes the master of self and can accomplish anything he sets out to do, whether it be to secure the brass plates, build a ship, overcome a habit, or conquer a deep-seated transgression. He who has greater strength than Lucifer, he who is our fortress and our strength, can sustain us in times of great temptation. While the Lord will never forcibly take anyone out of sin or out of the arms of the tempters, he exerts his Spirit to induce the sinner to do it with divine assistance. And the man who yields to the sweet influence and pleadings of the Spirit and does all in his power to stay in a repentant attitude is guaranteed protection, power, freedom and joy. 1. Ballard, "Three Degrees of Glory." 2. Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 5, p. 368. ;;;Chapter Thirteen Lifting Burdens through Confession ... I, the Lord, forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts.--Doctrine & Covenants 61:2 The confession of sin is a necessary element in repentance and therefore in obtaining forgiveness. It is one of the tests of true repentance, for, "By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins behold, he will confess them and forsake them." (D&C 58:43. Italics added.) Confession Required Now, as Formerly Elders Ezra Taft Benson and Mark E. Petersen of the Council of the Twelve, in a study made for the Brethren, expressed themselves as follows with regard to confession: It seems to be clearly set forth in the New Testament and in modern scriptures that acknowledgment of sin is an important condition to receiving forgiveness and making restitution. The Apostle James admonished the saints to "confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another." (Jas. 5:16.) The Apostle Paul counseled the Romans as follows: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 10:10.) Several of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants refer to the obligations of those who have sinned, to confess their evil deeds. In Section 59, in which the Lord gives counsel regarding the keeping of the Sabbath Day holy, he mentions the offering of oblations and sacraments "unto the Most High, confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord." (D&C 59:12.) However, Section 42 seems to carry the fullest instruction on this matter found in the holy writ. In this revelation men are not only commanded to love their wives and "cleave unto her and none else," but are condemned for looking "upon a woman to lust after her." The sins of adultery and fornication are emphasized and the principles of confession and forgiveness set forth. Perhaps confession is one of the hardest of all the obstacles for the repenting sinner to negotiate. His shame often restrains him from making known his guilt and acknowledging his error. Sometimes his assumed lack of confidence in mortals to whom he should confess his sin justifies in his mind his keeping the secret locked in his own heart. Notwithstanding the difficulty the repenting sinner may experience, the requirement remains, as the Lord has emphasized to his Church in modern days: And him that repenteth not of his sins, and confesseth them not, ye shall bring before the church, and do with him as the scripture saith unto you, either by commandment or by revelation. (D&C 64:12. Italics added.) It has been so in all dispensations of the gospel. The Book of Mormon provides us concrete, specific examples. Directly from God, Alma received instructions on dealing with the repentant sinner in the Church, on which point it was later recorded: And whosoever repented of their sins and did confess them, then, he (Alma) did number among the people of the church; And those that would not confess their sins and repent of their iniquity; the same were not numbered among the people of the church, and their names were blotted out. (Mos. 26:35-36.) And under the pattern established following the Savior's personal ministrations on the American continent the same pattern of Church discipline prevailed: And they were strict to observe that there should be no iniquity among them; and whoso was found to commit iniquity, and three witnesses of the church did condemn them before the elders, and if they repented not and confessed not, their names were blotted out, and they were not numbered among the people of Christ. (Moro. 6:7. Italics added.) Major Sins Confessed to Church Authority Knowing the hearts of men, and their intents, and their abilities to repent and regenerate themselves, the Lord waits to forgive until the repentance has matured. The transgressor must have a "broken heart and a contrite spirit" and be willing to humble himself and do all that is required. The confession of his major sins to a proper Church authority is one of those requirements made by the Lord. These sins include adultery, fornication, other sexual transgressions, and other sins of comparable seriousness. This procedure of confession assures proper controls and protection for the Church and its people and sets the feet of the transgressor on the path of true repentance. Many offenders in their shame and pride have satisfied their consciences, temporarily at least, with a few silent prayers to the Lord and rationalized that this was sufficient confession of their sins. "But I have confessed my sin to my Heavenly Father," they will insist, "and that is all that is necessary." This is not true where a major sin is involved. Then two sets of forgiveness are required to bring peace to the transgressor one from the proper authorities of the Lord's Church, and one front the Lord himself. This is brought out in the Lord's clarification of Church administration as he gave it to Alma: Therefore I say unto you, Go and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also. (Mos. 26:29. Italics added.) From this, and from the Lord's word to modern Israel " ... confessing thy sins� unto thy brethren, and before the Lord" (D&C 59:12) it is plain that there are� two confessions to make: one to the Lord and the other to "the brethren," meaning the proper ecclesiastical officers. From the following scriptural passages it might be argued that the confession is to be to the Lord, but in none of them is there evidence that the confession is not also to be made to the local authorities. ... I, the Lord, forgive sins unto those who confess their sins before me and ask forgiveness, who have not sinned unto death. ... (D&C 64:7. Italics added.) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) Confession to Be Complete In a statement to the Roman saints Paul underlines that the heart should be totally involved in the vocal confession from the lips: "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 10:10. Italics added.) Thus one must not compromise or equivocate he must make a clean, full confession. When the apples in a barrel rot, it is not enough to throw away half of the spoiled apples from the barrel and replace them with fresh apples on top. This would result in all the apples rotting. Instead it would be necessary to empty the barrel and completely clean and scrub--perhaps disinfect the entire inside. Then the barrel could be safely filled again with apples. Likewise in clearing up problems in our lives it is well also to go to the bottom and confess all the transgressions so that repentance begins with no half-truths, no pretense, no unclean residue. The Prophet Joseph Smith counseled: Again, let the Twelve and all Saints be willing to confess all their sins, and not keep back a part: and let the Twelve be humble, and not be exalted, and beware of pride, and not seek to excel one above another, but act for each other's good, and pray for one another, and honor our brother or make honorable mention of his name, and not backbite and devour our brother.28 1 Voluntary Confession Is Best It follows that the ideal confession is voluntary, not forced. It is induced from within the offender's soul, not sparked by being found out in the sin. Such confession, like the voluntary humility of which Alma spoke (Al. 32:13-16), is a sign of growing repentance. It indicates the sinner's conviction of sin and his desire to abandon the evil practices. The voluntary confession is infinitely more acceptable in the sight of the Lord than is forced admission, lacking humility, wrung from an individual by questioning when guilt is evident. Such forced admission is not evidence of the humble heart which calls forth the Lord's mercy: "... For I, the Lord, forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts." (D&C 61:2. Italics added.) The wicked Cain denied his guilt when first accused. He never did confess his grievous sin, but finally admitted it after he was discovered. Even when he was confronted with his dastardly act he still tried to evade it by saying, "Am I my brother's keeper?" Years ago, a missionary in South America wrote a long letter of confession. He had broken the law of chastity. No one but the young girl and himself knew of the transgression, but he had promptly gone to his mission president and confessed it in total. This missionary had been a member of the Church but a few months, and his many years of adulthood while "of the world" had produced a weakness hard to overcome. He quoted, "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." He did not excuse himself, nor claim any special immunities, nor rely on extenuating circumstances. He said: "I knew I had to pay the full penalty, I knew that in life or death I had to answer for the sin. I wanted to get it over with and be on my way to eventual forgiveness. I would rather confess, take my punishment, and get back as soon as possible on the road to forgiveness, and I did not want my eternity cluttered with these blemishes." He was excommunicated from the Church. After what seemed an eternity to him, through his faithfulness and repentance he was baptized and finally his priesthood and temple blessings were restored to him. He found peace through complete repentance of which his total, voluntary confession was a vital part. Unfortunately, many have to be brought to the involuntary or forced admission of should be made public, and in keeping to yourselves that which should be kept. If you have your weaknesses, keep them hid from your brethren as much as you can. You never hear me ask the people to tell their follies ... do not tell about your nonsensical conduct that nobody knows of but yourselves.29 2 President Young's statement suggests that he was annoyed by many people coming to confess follies of a minor nature. In my own experience there have been those who seemed to have an obsession to confess their weaknesses, and time and time again they have returned to my office to add another little confession or another little detail of the earlier confession. Undoubtedly, President Young had people like this who would be willing to confess sins to be able to get an audience with the Prophet. His advice here is to keep to oneself follies which do not concern others. Certainly it is not necessary to parade one's minor errors. However, a major sin involves more than the two contracting parties. The law of God has been broken; the law of the Church has been involved. The transgressors have offended their God, the Church, the people of the Church. Thus the confession of major sins should be made to the appropriate Church leaders, while less grave sins should be confessed to the persons offended. Generally it is unwise and quite unnecessary to confess the same sin over and over again. If a major transgression has been fully confessed to and cleared by the proper authority, the person may usually clear himself in any future interview by explaining that this is so and giving the authority's name. Providing there has been no repetition of the offense, nor a commission of any other serious transgression, usually the matter may be considered settled. Peace Through Confession Confession brings peace. How often have people departed from my office relieved and lighter of heart than for a long time! Their burdens were lighter, having been shared. They were free. The truth had made them free. Having warned of excruciating pain and punishments, the Lord said: "... Confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken ." (D&C 19:20.) There is substantial psychological strength in confession. Confession is not only the revealing of errors to proper authorities, but the sharing of burdens to lighten them. One lifts at least part of his burden and places it on other shoulders which are able and willing to help carry the load. Then there comes satisfaction in having taken another step in doing all that is possible to rid oneself of the burden of transgression. Those who take the course of honest confession of their sin further the process of repentance, of adjustment in their lives, of reconciliation with God. To illustrate this I quote below a letter received from one young transgressor who, following excommunication, was finding his way back to the blessings of the gospel and the Church. I am writing this letter hoping I may soon be rebaptized into the Church. I was excommunicated. I was very sorry for my sins and sickened by them. I read a great deal in the Book of Mormon, seeking somewhat to justify myself not going to the mission president to confess. I read about Alma and Corianton and tried to convince myself that, since I had repented (I thought), I would not need to confess to anyone but God. I did pray a great deal. After everyone else had gone to bed, I would remain up reading and praying. Finally one night, a voice from within me said, "You know what you must do, so do it." A few days later at a conference, I confessed to the mission president. ... I had no choice if I was to ever obtain forgiveness. After I had confessed, even knowing I would be excommunicated, I felt an extremely sweet peace in my soul ... and I thank God ... that he gave me courage to do it. When I came home, humiliated and fearful, my family was extremely kind and understanding as was the bishop who ... gave me an opportunity to get up in priesthood meeting ... and ... ask ... forgiveness. It was extremely difficult ... but I am thankful I did it. Then the bishop told me I should ... shake hands with the people and not slink away. I'm thankful I did that also for it made things easier for me. They seemed to forgive me and they accepted me back. Their true Christianity helped me to have strength to go to all the meetings I could attend. Since this weekend was fast Sunday, I started fasting Friday after supper and Saturday I went into the mountains and spent about five hours by myself, thinking and praying, and I read part of the Book of Mormon, particularly the Book of Enos. While praying aloud to my Father, I tasted the most bitter sorrow that I have ever felt. I had a slight indication of what it really is to suffer godly sorrow for sin. ... I had pleaded that I would be forgiven for my sins and for being such a great cause of suffering to my family and to the Lord jesus Christ. I understood ever so vaguely that Christ did take upon himself my sins and He suffered untold sorrow for me. I begged for forgiveness, and for release from the deadening, prisoner-like effects of sin, and to know that I was forgiven. I felt impressed ... that I would receive forgiveness if I did continue to be humble, fast, and pray. I fear I will have to suffer sorrow as I did yesterday many times again before all the evil effects of sin will be lifted out of me and I will feel that freedom that my spirit craves. I ask in all humility, realizing that the responsibilities of membership are great, that I might be accepted back into the Church and back onto the path I departed from. I know God lives and that his Son Jesus Christ really did take upon himself our sins and that he lives today. I know the Church was restored through the beloved joseph Smith and that all the keys remain with the Church today. ... Sincerely, P.S. I observe the Word of Wisdom and I have been giving my tithing to my mother. She pays it to the bishop in my father's name. I felt that the money was the Lord's and I could not steal it. I have also been clean in mind and act since my excommunication. The Miracle of Forgiveness, 13: Lifting Burdens through Confession, Peace Through Confession This young man had received a conviction of his guilt; he had abandoned the sin; he had confessed the transgression in the proper way. He was well on the way to complete forgiveness and to the peace of soul which it brings. 1. Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 155. 2. Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, p.326. ;;;Chapter Fourteen Restitution If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him. ... --Ezekiel 33:15-16 In previous chapters we have traced some of what are perhaps the more obvious steps in repentance the awakening conviction of sin, the renouncing or abandoning of sin, the confession of sin. When a person has experienced the deep sorrow and humility induced by a conviction of sin; when he has cast off the sin and resolutely determined to abhor it henceforth; when he has humbly confessed his sin to God and to the proper persons on earth--when these things are done there remains the requirement of restitution. He must restore that which he damaged, stole, or wronged. President Joseph F. Smith put restitution in its proper place as a part of the pattern of repentance. His statement is quoted previously in this book but is repeated here by way of emphasis: True repentance is not only sorrow for sins, and humble penitence and contrition before God, but it involves the necessity of turning away from them, a discontinuance of all evil practices and deeds, a thorough reformation of life, a vital change from evil to good, from vice to virtue, from darkness to light. Not only so, but to make restitution, so far as it is possible, for all the wrongs we have done, to pay our debts, and to restore to God and man their rights that which is due them from us.30 1 Restitution, Restitution Always Part of Repentance There are many scriptures which show that restitution is an important part of true repentance. Some of them even go so far as to prescribe the amount of restitution which should be made in return for a wrong. For example, Moses taught: If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If the theft be certainly found in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or sheep; he shall restore double. If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution. If fire break out, and catch in thorns, so that the stacks of corn, or the standing corn, or the field, be consumed therewith; he that kindled the fire shall surely make restitution. (Exod. 22:1, 4, 5, 6. Italics added.) It is true that Moses was concerned with governing and controlling a population larger than many of our modern cities, and to that extent some think of his laws as being secular in purport. But observe that in the quotation which follows, the Lord equates actions against one's neighbor with committing "a trespass against the Lord" or, as he goes on to say, with sin. Thus the restoration spoken of was to be not merely a legal requirement for the maintenance of earthly justice but also part of the process of repentance from sin. If a soul sin, and commit a trespass against the Lord, and lie unto his neighbor in that which was delivered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbor; Or have found that which was lost, and lieth concerning it, and sweareth falsely; in any of all these that a man doeth, sinning therein: Then it shall be, because he hath sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertaineth, in the day of his trespass offering. (Lev. 6:2-5.) There is frequent mention of a four-fold restitution for wrongdoing. In a law given in previous gospel dispensations and reiterated in our own time the Lord provides as follows: And again, verily I say unto you, if after thine enemy has come upon thee the first time, he repent and come unto thee praying thy forgiveness, thou shalt forgive him, and shalt hold it no more as a testimony against thine enemy� And so on unto the second and third time; and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven. And if he trespass against thee and repent not the first time, nevertheless thou shalt forgive him. And if he trespass against thee the second time, and repent not, nevertheless thou shalt forgive him. And if he trespass against thee the third time, and repent not, thou shalt also forgive him. But if he trespass against thee the fourth time thou shalt not forgive him, but shalt bring these testimonies before the Lord; and they shall not be blotted out until he repent and reward thee four-fold in all things wherewith he has trespassed against thee. And if he do this, thou shalt forgive him with all thine heart; and if he do not this, I the Lord, will avenge thee of thine enemy an hundred-fold. (D&C 98:39-45. Italics added.) One may trespass in ignorance. Should anyone be in sin yet be unaware of the evil nature of his actions, he should be required to make restitution so far as possible when brought to a realization of his sin. A classic example of restitution as part of repentance is that of Zacchaeus. This rich publican was small of physical stature but mighty in moral size. From his special vantage point in the sycamore tree he could see the Lord who was passing that way in the midst of a multitude. Not only was he to see the Master but to be actually his host, for the Savior commanded him to climb down in haste, "... for today I must abide at thy house." (Luke 19:5.) The inhabitants of Jericho who saw this incident complained that Christ was to He was quite willing to marry when the two came in alone at first, but when he came the second time he had been brainwashed by his parents and he would not consider it. I urged marriage by the bishop at the home. The girl, beginning now to realize her predicament, was willing in spite of her fast-diminishing respect or affection for the weakening, selfish boy. Not so the boy! He asked: "Why? Why should we marry? How could we marry? I have no job. I haven't finished my education. Where would we live? How could I pay doctor and hospital bills? How could we get along without a car? How could we assume the responsibilities of a family and parenthood?" Then I asked some questions: "Why did you precipitate yourselves into this demanding situation? Why did you do the act which would make you parents? Why did you engage in associations which demand home, employment, status? Your completely irresponsible act and your reaction to it brand you immediately as immature. You do not know the meaning of responsibility. You seem to be highly interested in yourself and your conveniences, and your desires. Are you going to run and leave the girl to carry your baby with all your penalties too? It is time you both grew up and matured and faced realities. This situation is not the intention of either of you but it is the result of your loose actions. You made the choice when you broke the law of chastity. You knew it was wrong. You knew this problem could result. Now if you are going to grow up and meet life's issues; if you are going to be fair and just; if you are going to start out a good life on a straight road, start now to meet your responsibilities. When you gave up your virtue that hour your freedom was replaced with tyrannical fetters (for transgression is a ball and chain, it is handcuffs, hard and heavy) you accepted shackles and limitations and sorrows and eternal regrets when you could have had freedom with peace. "Today is a good day to start a new life of mature responsibility. Cease blaming others, start to accept your own responsibility. Make up your own mind. You brought this about together, now solve your problems together. Forgive each other and move along and make the best of a difficult situation, but do not run away from it. "You two have committed a heinous sin. Do you wish to carry this terrible burden all your days or would you like to be forgiven for it? To be forgiven one must repent. Repentance means not only to convict yourselves of the horror of the sin, but to confess it, abandon it, and restore to all who have been damaged to the total extent possible; then spend the balance of your lives trying to live the commandments of the Lord so he can eventually pardon you and cleanse you." Restoring and Forgiving I have known many young couples who slipped in their courtship and committed the serious sin, but who married and made a good life of it and largely "lived down" the embarrassment of their youth. In a difficult situation wherein complete restitution was impossible they did the best they could at that point and, having repented, were forgiven. In the process of repentance we must restore completely where possible, otherwise restore to the maximum degree attainable. And through it all we must remember that the pleading sinner, desiring to make restitution for his acts, must also forgive others of all offenses committed against him. The Lord will not forgive us unless our hearts are fully purged of all hate, bitterness and accusation against our fellowmen. 1. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, pp.100-101. ;;;Chapter Fifteen Keeping God's Commandments Brings Forgiveness Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven.--Doctrine & Covenants 1:32 And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments.-- Doctrine & Covenants 59:21 In his preface to modern revelation, the Lord outlined what is one of the most difficult requirements in true repentance. For some it is the hardest part of repentance, because it puts one on guard for the remainder of his life. The Lord says: ... I the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance; Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven. (D&C 1:31-32. Italics added.) This scripture is most precise. First, one repents. Having gained that ground he then must live the commandments of the Lord to retain his vantage point. This is necessary to secure complete forgiveness. No step in the process of repentance is universally easy, which is one reason why it is preferable to stay clear of the chains of sin. The degree of difficulty in each step varies with the participant. Devotion and Effort Required Under the humiliation of a guilty conscience, with perhaps the possibility of detection and consequent scandal and shame, with a striving spirit urging toward adjustment--with such motivation the first steps of sorrow, abandonment, confession and restitution may be less difficult for some. But keeping God's commandments is a challenge to the faith and will power of the most resolute soul. Doing the Lord's commandments, as the above scripture requires, is an effort extending through the balance of life. "Unto the end" is a phrase used often in the scriptures, and it means, literally, to the end of life. This phrase now takes on new and added meaning and significance to the repentant one: "... He only is saved who endureth unto the end." (D&C 53:7.) And again: "If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God." (D&C 6:13. Italics added.) Since all of us sin in greater or lesser degree, we are all in need of constant repentance, of continually raising our sights and our performance. One can hardly do the commandments of the Lord in a day, a week, a month or a year. This is an effort which must be extended through the remainder of one's years. To accomplish it every soul should develop the same spirit of devotion and dedication to the work of the Lord as the bishop and the Relief Society president enjoy. Most often theirs is near total devotion. This devotion needs to be applied as much in mental as in spiritual and physical effort. To understand the gospel so that true obedience can be intelligently given to its requirements takes time and application. The child born in the Church goes to Primary and Sunday School; later attends MIA and seminary and institute; works in scouting and exploring; later participates in Relief Society and much other specialized works, besides serving and attending and participating in other meetings and conferences, and all this in addition to the study of the gospel and many hours on his knees in prayer. The adult convert can make up much of this training by intensive study and pondering and prayer. Yet many people expect to get a knowledge and understanding of the whole gospel plan and its eternities of implications and associations in a very short period of time. They are quite willing to go years and years with intense study to partly master one of the rudiments of total knowledge--to become a dentist, a doctor, a judge, a professor, a specialist in any line--yet many reject the gospel because it may not be discerned and understood in a few easy lessons. They are not "doing the commandments," hence they do not repent. Repentance Must Be Wholehearted In connection with repentance, the scriptures use the phrase, "with all his heart" (see D&C 42:25). Obviously this rules out any reservations. Repentance must involve an all-out, total surrender to the program of the Lord. That transgressor is not fully repentant who neglects his tithing, misses his meetings, breaks the Sabbath, fails in his family prayers, does not sustain the authorities of the Church, breaks the Word of Wisdom, does not love the Lord nor his fellowmen. A reforming adulterer who drinks or curses is not repentant. The repenting burglar who has sex play is not ready for forgiveness. God cannot forgive unless the transgressor shows a true repentance which spreads to all areas of his life. The Lord knows, as does the individual concerned, the degree of contrition exhibited, and the reward will be received accordingly, for God is just. He knows the heart. He knows whether or not one is making but a show of repentance. Feigning repentance or bluffing is futile, for both the transgressor and the Lord know the degree of sincerity. Bringing Gospel to Others Aids Repentance "Doing the commandments" includes the many activities required of the faithful, only a few of which are mentioned above. General good works and devotion accompanied by constructive attitudes are what is needed. In addition, a sound way to neutralize the effects of sin in one's life is to bring the light of the gospel to others who do not now enjoy it. This can mean working with both inactive members of the Church and nonmembers--perhaps more usually the latter. Note how the Lord has related the forgiveness of sins to the bearing of testimony respecting the latter-day work: 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. (D&C 84:61). Italics added.) The Lord seemingly is disappointed with many who fail to bear their testimonies, as he says: But with some I am not well pleased, for they will not open their mouths, but they hide the talent which I have given unto them, because of the fear of man. Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them. (D&C 60:2.) This failure to bear testimony would be particularly serious with those who have deadly sins to overcome and neutralize. Of special note is the scripture given in 1831 through the Prophet Joseph Smith to himself and his associated elders en route to Zion. Addressing them, the Lord said: Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; ... and your sins are forgiven you. (D&C 62:3.) Here he promises a forgiveness of sins to those elders who had been valiant in proselyting and bearing testimony. The angels as well as the Father in heaven would certainly rejoice over those members who with great sincerity would overcome their sins and receive remission of them, partly through their efforts to raise the spiritual standard of their fellow creatures by bearing testimony of the restored gospel. Another statement of the Lord--this one through James--reinforces the value of the testimony in overcoming sins. The testimony comes from study, prayer, and living the commandments, and the repetition of the testimony builds and stabilizes it. James says that through this missionary work of saving souls of others, one comes to the point of bringing salvation and sanctification to himself. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 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. (Jas. 5:19-20.) Every person who is beginning the long journey of emancipating himself from the thralldom of sin and evil will find comfort in the thought expressed by James. We could expand it somewhat and remind the transgressor that every testimony he bears, every prayer he offers, every sermon he preaches, every scripture he reads, every help he gives to stimulate and raise others--all these strengthen him and raise him to higher levels. The proper motivation for missionary work of any kind, as for all Church service, is of course love for fellowmen, but always such work has its by- product effect on one's own life. Thus as we become instruments in God's hands in changing the lives of others our own lives cannot help being lifted. One can hardly help another to the top of the hill without climbing there himself. Not all of us can engage in full-time missionary work, where one might have opportunity to explain the gospel and bear testimony of its divinity many times every day. Nor can we all be formally set apart as stake missionaries, where opportunities like those of the full-time missionaries occur, though to a somewhat lesser degree. But what every member most definitely can do is follow President McKay's inspired slogan, "Every member a missionary." He can befriend and fellowship nonmember neighbors, friends and acquaintances, and by his interest and association strive to bring those nonmembers to the point where be a longer time in which to perfect the body and, especially, the spirit looking toward eternal status and eternal joys. The Lord made solemn promises to "... all Saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments." (D&C 89:18. Italics added.) Here the commitments of the Lord were two-fold. First, he promised to such who obey that they shall "... receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones ... ," that as a consequence of good health physically they "shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint." This is a glorious promise. But the spiritual promises greatly exceed the physical. For those who observe these particular instructions and are obedient to all the Lord's commandments, the blessings really are increased and magnified. Such saints, he promises, shall be passed over by the angel of death and shall not be slain. This promise returns us to Exodus where we read that the Lord tested the faith of the children of Israel to see if they would follow the great Moses. Now the promise in the revelation above quoted is similar and dissimilar to ancient Israel's test, as comparisons generally are. In both circumstances there would be the element of passover, the element of obedience of faith without knowing all the reasons why. The "obedience of faith" is basic. Without it the miracle cannot happen. Had Israel not obeyed, their firstborn sons would not have been protected. For observing the Word of Wisdom the reward is life, not only prolonged mortal life but life eternal. No promise is made through the Word of Wisdom that the faithful observer will not die: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Cor. 15:22.) With ancient Israel it was physical life or physical death. In our modern promise, it is spiritual life or spiritual death. If one ignores "thence sayings" and fails in "obedience to the commandments" his death is certain, but if he obeys implicitly, his eternal life through perfection is assured. The angel of death cuts one short of mortal life for disobedience; the angel of light makes the way clear for the spiritual life eternal. Initiative Is With the Individual We have discussed elsewhere that other class of people who are basically unrepentant because they are not "doing the commandments." They are Church members who are steeped in lethargy. They neither drink nor commit the sexual sins. They do not gamble nor rob nor kill. They are good citizens and splendid neighbors, but spiritually speaking they seem to be in a long, deep sleep. They are doing nothing seriously wrong except in their failures to do the right things to earn their exaltation. To such people as this, the words of Lehi might well apply: O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even from the sleep of hell and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound, which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe. (2 Ne. 1:13.) The third chapter of the Book of Revelation contains these words of the Savior: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and lie with me. (Rev. 3:20.) Holman Hunt, the artist, felt inspired to capture this stirring scripture on canvas. One day he was showing his picture of "Christ Knocking at the Door" to a friend when the friend suddenly exclaimed: "There is one thing wrong about your picture." "What is it?" inquired the artist. "The door on which Jesus knocks has no handle," replied his friend. "Ah," responded Mr. Hunt, "that is not a mistake. You see, this is the door to the human heart. It can only be opened from the inside." And thus it is. Jesus may stand and knock, but each of us decides whether to open. The Spirit is powerless to compel a man to move. The man himself must take the initiative. He must himself desire to repent and take the specific steps. He must, as Paul counseled, "put on the whole armour of God," and thus insure that he is "able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Eph. 6:11.) That armor is incomplete without steadfast effort to live God's commandments. Without such effort repentance too is incomplete. And incomplete repentance never brought complete forgiveness. ;;;Chapter Sixteen Avoiding Pitfalls Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. --Matthew 26:41 Paul speaks in these words about the need for raising positive, unequivocal voices in the cause of truth: For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air. There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification. (1 Cor. 14:8-10.) Trumpets have sounded, warnings have been given, voices have been recorded in the chapters of this book. Pitfalls which beset youth and others, lurking dangers and forbidden paths for all have been pointed out. To know where the danger is and to be able to recognize it in all of its manifestations provides protection. The evil one is alert. He is always ready to deceive and claim as his victims every unwary one, every careless one, every rebellious one. Paul warned the Ephesians, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph. 6:12.) Insidiousness of Sin Whether or not one is repenting from grave sin, the true spirit of repentance which all should exhibit embraces a desire to stay away from sin. One cannot simultaneously be repentant and flirt with transgression. Sin, like a journey, begins with the first step; and wisdom and experience teach that it is easier to resist the first temptation than later ones, when a pattern of transgression has begun to develop. This is demonstrated in the story of the lark. Sitting in the high branches of a tree safe from harm, he saw a traveler walking through the forest carrying a mysterious little black box. The lark flew down and perched on the traveler's shoulder. "What do you have in the little black box?" he asked. "Worms," the traveler replied. "Are they for sale?" "Yes, and very cheaply, too. The price is only one feather for a worm." The lark thought for a moment. "I must have a million feathers. Surely, I'll never miss one of them. Here is an opportunity to get a good dinner for no work at all." So he told the man he would buy one. He searched carefully under his wing for a tiny feather. He winced a bit as he pulled it out, but the size and quality of the worm made him quickly forget the pain. High up in the tree again he began to sing as beautifully as before. The next day he saw the same man and once again he exchanged a feather for a worm. What a wonderful, effortless way to get dinner! Each day thereafter the lark surrendered a feather, and each loss seemed to hurt less and less. In the beginning he had many feathers, but as the days passed he found it more difficult to fly. Finally, after the loss of one of his primary feathers, he could no longer reach the top of the tree, let alone fly up into the sky. In fact he could do no more than flutter a few feet in the air, and was forced to seek his food with the quarrelsome, bickering sparrows. The man with the worms came no more, for there were no feathers to pay for the meals. The lark no longer sang because he was so ashamed of his fallen state. This is how unworthy habits possess us first painfully, then more easily, until at last we find ourselves stripped of all that lets us sing and soar. This is how freedom is lost. This is how we become enmeshed in sin. Serious sin enters into our lives as we yield first to little temptations. Seldom does one enter into deeper transgression without first yielding to lesser ones, which open the door to the greater. Giving an example of one type of sin, someone said, "An honest man doesn't suddenly become dishonest any more than a clean field suddenly becomes weedy." It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the devil to enter a door that is closed. He seems to have no keys for locked doors. But if a door is slightly ajar, he gets his toe in, and soon this is followed by his foot, then by his leg and his body and his head, and finally he is in all the way. This situation is reminiscent of the fable of the camel and his owner who were traveling across the desert sand dunes when a wind storm came up. The traveler quickly set up his tent and moved in, closing the flaps to protect himself from the cutting, grinding sands of the raging storm. The camel was of course left outside, and as the violent wind hurled the sand against his body and into his eyes and nostrils he found it unbearable and finally begged for entrance into the tent. "There is room only for myself," said the traveler. "But may I just get my nose in so I can breathe air not filled with sand?" asked the camel. "Well, perhaps you could do that," replied the traveler, and he opened the flap ever so little and the long nose of the camel entered. How comfortable the camel was now! But soon the camel became weary of the smarting sand on his eyes and ears, and he was tempted to ask again: "The wind-driven sand is like a rasp on my head. Could I put just my head in?" Again, the traveler rationalized that to acquiesce would do him no damage, for the camel's head could occupy the space at the top of the tent which he himself was not using. So the camel put his head inside and the beast was satisfied again--but for a short while only. "Just the front quarters," he begged, and again the traveler relented and soon the camel's front shoulders and legs were in the tent. Finally, by the same processes of pleading and of yielding, the camel's torso, his hind quarters and all were in the tent. But now it was too crowded for the two, and the camel kicked the traveler out into the wind and storm. Like the camel, Lucifer readily becomes the master when one succumbs to his initial blandishments. Soon then the conscience is stilled completely, the evil power has full sway, and the door to salvation is closed until a thorough repentance opens it again. The Savior's Example The importance of not accommodating temptation in the least degree is underlined by the Savior's example. Did not he recognize the danger when he was on the mountain with his fallen brother, Lucifer, being sorely tempted by that master tempter? He could have opened the door and flirted with danger by saying, "All right, Satan, I'll listen to your proposition. I need not succumb, I need not yield, I need not accept--but I'll listen." Christ did not so rationalize. He positively and promptly closed the discussion, and commanded: "Get thee hence, Satan," meaning, likely, "Get out of my sight-- get out of my presence-I will not listen-I will have nothing to do with you." Then, we read, "the devil leaveth him." This is our proper pattern, if we would prevent sin rather than be faced with the much more difficult task of curing it. As I study the story of the Redeemer and his temptations, I am certain he spent his energies fortifying himself against temptation rather than battling with it to conquer it. Don't Flirt with Temptation Bringing this into practical, modern terms, what does the principle mean? Among other things it means that to be unequivocally a teetotaler, one does not frequent bars or taverns, one never takes the first drink. To avoid the tobacco habit, one does not tamper with it nor associate in his leisure hours with those who smoke. One may perhaps work with sex deviates and be little damaged, but to play and relax with them is to invite temptation which may eventually be overpowering. It means that the boy who dates a girl of questionable morals, even just for once, is taking chances. He is dealing with a powerful temptation. The girl who has even one date with a vicious fellow is in danger. The youth who takes one cigarette or one drink is "playing with fire." The young person who begins to yield to sexual intimacies is in a perilous position. One step calls for perceptive friendships can be the basis for wise, selective, occasional dating for those of sufficient age and maturity, this to be followed later in proper timing by steady dating, and later by proper courtship which culminates in a happy, never-ending marriage. On the other hand, for a youth to dance all evening with one partner, which we might call "monopolistic" dancing, is not only anti-social but it circumscribes one's legitimate pleasures and opportunities. Also it can encourage improper intimacies by its exclusiveness. Dancing with dates, single or steady, should presuppose the exchange of partners, which we could call "multiple" dancing. Serious minds will recognize the wisdom of this course. Young people who pair off early in dating and monopolistic dancing are opening wide one door into dangerous caverns and closing numerous doors which lead to interesting, wholesome, and progressive experiences. To skip the proper, natural experiences of youth, or to ignore the warning signals, is to bring distortion in life with its troubles and tribulations, and to limit and damage, if not ruin, the later periods of the normal life and development. To, be more specific, for children to receive undue untimely pressure to assume the role of youth; for the younger teen-ager to skip the days of that period and rush into the experiences of the later teen-age; or for the later teen-agers to enter into the marriage state before proper preparation these things bring frustration and the loss of an important part of one's life. Dangers of Steady Dating Steady dating of people too young leads to, early marriage before adequate preparation is made for the future, before one's education is even near complete, and before the young life has had its many glorious training experiences. Someone wrote an extended article entitled "Marriage Is Not for Children," which gave much evidence of the need for mature planning and charting for youth. It stated that up to 90 percent of the high school marriages end in divorce. It pointed out that very youthful marriages tend to terminate educational and vocational preparation of the participants and that resultant unemployment brings to the acute level the already serious problems of a youthful marriage. Dating in the earlier teen-age years leads to early steady dating with its multiplicity of dangers and problems, and frequently to early and disappointing marriage. This too-young dating is not uncommon and is often done with parental approval. Yet it is near criminal to subject a tender child to the temptations of maturity. Early marriages, which are almost certain of failure, are usually the result of steady, early dating, whereas a proper preparation for marriage is a well-timed courtship. My heart bleeds almost every day when I see the children involved in too early dating. Two parents came to me with a problem. They did not know what to do with their little girl. She was only sixteen years old, yet she was a "woman" who had been through deep sin, youthful marriage, humiliating childbirth, and searing divorce. What was left in life for her? Questions came to my mind such as: "Mother, where were you when she was dating steady at fourteen? Were you off to work or were you just asleep? Or were you trying to have another young romance for yourself, by proxy? Where were you when your little girl started dating?" Automobile--Blessing and Curse Early dating usually demands a car and seems to imply exclusive mutual possessiveness in date and dance. What an erroneous and stultifying concept! In former days, youth walked with their dates; later they rode horseback or rode in carriages; but now they seem to need the automobile. Some girls are like the one who asked the boy who requested a date: "Do you have a car?" The answer was negative. She responded, "Come around again when you have one." I can only reflect that if a youth's desirability and popularity lie in dangling earrings, money to spend, and a glamorous car, indeed a thin and perishable veneer has been substituted for standards of basic goodness and character. Since the ultimate goal in every young life should be successful and happy marriage and family life, the dating period becomes the important era in which to appraise and evaluate, and to find the companion who will be compatible, agreeable, and engaging, and has the other necessary qualities. Perhaps those with wealth, convertibles and feigned vivacity suffer the greatest disadvantage in the real courting values. Does not the young man with the most luxurious car have the greatest handicap? How can he determine how much of his popularity is the result of the car, and how much of his own personality and character? The girl who has wealth a luxurious car, and "money to burn" may have difficulty in knowing how much of her popularity is due to the veneer and how much to her own personal charm and loveliness. The automobile may be a blessing or a curse like water which can save a dying man or drown him; like fire which can warm freezing bodies or burn them to death; like atomic power which can drive vessels or despoil cities. The car can transport its occupants to home, school or temple. It can also take them to remote places, to moral dangers where consciences are silenced, righteous inhibitions deadened and guardian angels anesthetized. In short order, the car can transport a couple, youthful or otherwise, great distances from safe harbors. It can impart dangerous privacy and stimulate temptation. The car is properly for drivers mature in judgment. Lawmakers have sensed this in denying licenses to those under certain ages. Teen-age car accidents far exceed those for other ages. But these physical hazards are the lesser ones. The dead may live again, the crippled may be resurrected with whole bodies; but the blighted soul, the scarred life, the violated youth with virtue lost--these are the real tragedies. Lane ends, canyon defiles, desert wastes, and quiet streets at late hours--these are places where people discuss little of art, music, or gospel doctrines, but where they think often of baser things, talk in lower veins. And when talk wears thin there are things to do, the doing of which brings dust and ashes where roses should be blooming. In interviewing repenting young folks, as well as some older ones, I am frequently told that the couple met their defeat in the dark, at late hours, in secluded areas. Troubles, like photographs, are developed in the dark. The car was most often the confessed seat of the difficulty. It became their brothel. At first they intended no evil, but the privacy made easy the passionate intimacies which crept upon them stealthily as a snake slithers through the grass. "Where have you been?" asked the fond parent. The answer was startling. "Up to a drive-in, the passion-pit,' and oh, boy, was that picture a hot number!" There� in the car, in dark privacy, with suggestive, voluptuous acting on the screen, was Satan's near-perfect setting for sin. With outward appearances of decency and respectability, with an absence of holy influences and with legions of vicious, hovering tempters, even good youth are trapped into immoral acts which would at least be much less likely in the living room or in the formal theater on Main Street. No one but the participants witnesses the sin done in the dark--no one on earth, that is. But the prophets have had a word to say about sin done in the dark. Job, for Instance, recorded the words of Eliphaz: "And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?" (Job 22:13.) Isaiah warned: "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" (Isa. 29:15.) Likewise our Lord suggested that men "loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light." (John 3:19-20.) Immodesty Other things besides cars and darkness encourage unchastity and immorality. One of them is immodesty. The young people today seem to talk about sex glibly. They hear it in the locker rooms and on the street, they see and hear it in shows and on television, they read it in the pornographic books everywhere. Those who do not resist this influence absorb and foster it. The spirit of immodesty has developed until nothing seems to be sacred. One factor contributing to immodesty and the breakdown of moral values is the modern dress worn by our young women and their mothers. I see young women, and some older ones, on the streets wearing shorts. This is not right. The place for women to wear shorts is in their rooms, in their own homes, in their own gardens. I see some of our LDS mothers, wives, and daughters wearing dresses extreme and suggestive in style. Even some fathers encourage it. I wonder if our sisters realize the temptation they are flaunting before men when they leave their bodies partly uncovered or dress in tight-fitting, body-revealing, form- fitting sweaters. There is no reason why a woman needs to wear an immodest gown because it is the style. We can be in style yet not be extreme. We can create styles of our own. A woman is most beautiful when her body is properly clothed and her sweet face adorned with her lovely hair. She needs no more attractions. Then she is at her best and men will love her for it. Men will not love her more because her neck is bare. Girls, if the young man is decent and worthy of you, he will love you the more when you are properly dressed. Of course, if he is a vicious man he will have other ideas. It would almost seem that some phases of immodesty in dress, in both men and women, border on exhibitionism, the perverted behavior in which people satisfy their lustful desires in displaying their bodies to others. One has indeed slipped a long way down the ladder when he resorts to this detestable expression, though fortunately he can regenerate and restore and transform himself with total repentance, and can be forgiven. Still, no one but a depraved person could approve of the practice or grant its acceptance. But is this ugly displaying of one's private body to others so far removed from those instances of men who do their yard work wearing only pants and shoes, and those who drive about in cars with the upper part of their bodies uncovered? Is this exhibitionism so different and far removed from that of those young and older women who resort to wearing tight-fitting clothes which accentuate the human body, and those who show their backs and bosoms and lower limbs? Style is blamed for these extremes, but we wonder again if there might not be some satisfactions, sexual and otherwise, in what seems a wanton disregard of modest decency. Are the very scant bathing suits worn for style or to shock or stir or tempt? Can there be in all these expressions total innocence and total modesty? There are laws against indecent exposure, but why jail the man who exhibits his body so very little more than the women who show so little less? Is it possible that in all these immodesties there might be at least some of the same desires which prompt the exhibitionist to uncover his body and flaunt it before people? We cannot overemphasize immodesty as one of the pitfalls to be avoided if we would shun temptation and keep ourselves clean. Lewdness, Written and Spoken Closely allied to the pitfall of immodesty, and partly springing from it, is that of pornography. Pornography has become a most profitable business in the peddling of ugly, vicious, sexy magazines, books and pictures. There is an immense trade in such things, and very often the boys and girls of our high schools and of younger ages are the victims of this vicious business. Of recent years, this same lewdness has been found in the evil songs and stories put onto phonograph records. An editorial writer in the Deseret News wrote: The pernicious prongs of pornography, clawing into the phonograph records business presents a new and ugly angle to this nagging problem. Repressive action by aroused parents and organizations has greatly reduced the amount of obscene literature on the magazine racks hereabouts, but the filth peddlers seem to have found another alluring and remunerative field. In circulation now are upward of a score of recordings in songs and recitations containing the vilest material. One such record was discovered in her home by a zealous mother. The waxing had been hidden in the room of her daughter, age 15. It was placed in the hands of members of the Youth Protection Committee in consideration of its fight against pornography. It was so obscene that some of the listeners could bear to hear no more than one or two of the ten selections of the two sides of the record. Yet this filthy thing had been purchased by two 15-year-old girls at a supposed reputable music store. Parents should be warned of these evils, and do all they can to protect their sons and daughters from a corruption which is designed to stimulate sex passions and open the doors to more serious offenses. By a cooperative effort, they can eradicate these things from the newsstands and from the mails, and bring to justice those who would sell the morals of a generation for personal gain. Lewd talk and jokes constitute another danger which lurks seeking as its prey any who will entertain it as the first step to dirtying the mind and thus the soul.