How Will Faith in Christ Make a Difference in My Life?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to 1 Samuel 17-18; 24-26; 2 Samuel 5-7 in a lesson titled “The Battle Is the Lord’s.” The lesson following information introduced the lesson. 

Ever since the tribes of Israel had settled in the promised land, the Philistines had been an ongoing threat to their safety. The Lord had delivered them many times in the past, but now the elders of Israel demanded, “We will have a king … [to] go out before us, and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:19-20)). So, Saul was anointed king. And yet when the menacing giant Goliath hurled his challenge to the armies of Israel, Saul—like the rest of his army—was “greatly afraid” (1 Samuel 17:11). On that day, it wasn’t King Saul who saved Israel, but a humble shepherd boy named David, who was wearing no armor but was clothed with impenetrable faith in the Lord. This battle proved to Israel, and to anyone who has spiritual battles to fight, that “the Lord saveth not with sword and spear” and that “the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Samuel 17:47).

The scripture block contains numerous principles, including (1) With the help of the Lord, I can overcome any challenge (1 Samuel 17); (2) One person with faith in Christ can make a difference (1 Samuel 17:26-50); (3) “Jonathan loved [David] as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18);

(4) Forgiveness is the sure path to peace and healing (1 Samuel 24-26); (5) The Lord can give me direction (2 Samuel 5:17-25), and (6) What is the “house” the Lord promised to David?

(2 Samuel 7.

This post will discuss principle # 2 about one person with faith in Christ can make a difference. In addition to personal challenges, we also face large, complex problems that affect the whole world. When forces of evil are “gathered together … to battle” against the forces of good

(1 Samuel 17:1), we might wonder how our individual efforts could possibly make a difference.

This scripture reference (1 Samuel 17:26-50) tells the story of David and Goliath. David’s father sent him to take food for his brothers who were serving in the army. When he arrived, there was a giant named Goliath threatening the Israelites, and no man in the Israelite army wanted to fight the giant. David volunteered to fight him, and King Saul offered to loan him his personal armor. David declined and went to fight Goliath with a sling shot and five stones. The applicable verses are as follows:

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

David took five smooth stones in his pouch to fight Goliath. What do we carry with us to fight the giants in our lives? Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, referred to the story of David and Goliath in her talk in the April 2024 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

While David used only one stone to kill Goliath, he was prepared with five. With five! This makes me think about how I can prepare myself to face the world.

What if each of David’s stones represented a strength we need to be triumphant in our lives? What could those five stones be? I thought of these possibilities: …

First, the stone of my love for God. Loving God is the first great commandment. The For the Strength of Youth guide teaches us: “God loves you. He is your Father. His perfect love can inspire you to love Him. When your love for Heavenly Father is the most important influence in your life, many decisions become easier.”

Our love for God and our close relationship with Him give us the strength we need to transform our hearts and more easily overcome our challenges.

Second, the stone of my faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ came to earth, He suffered for our sins, and He took upon Himself our sorrows, our pains, our weaknesses, and our physical and mental illnesses. That’s why He knows how to help us. Having faith in Jesus Christ means to fully trust His wisdom, His timing, His love, and His power to atone for our sins. The stone of faith in Jesus Christ will defeat any “giant” in our lives. We can overcome this fallen world because He overcame it first.

Number three, the stone of the knowledge of my true identity. Our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, taught us that our most important identities are as children of God, children of the covenant, and disciples of Jesus Christ.

Everything changes when I know who I really am. When I doubt my abilities, I often repeat to myself in my mind or out loud, “I am a daughter of God, I am a daughter of God,” as many times as I need until I again feel confident to keep going.

Fourth, the stone of my daily repentance. In the For the Strength of Youth guide, we read: “Repentance isn’t punishment for sin; it is the way the Savior frees us from sin. To repent means to change―to turn away from sin and toward God. It means to improve and receive forgiveness. This kind of change is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing process.”

Nothing is more liberating than feeling God’s forgiveness and knowing that we are clean and reconciled with Him. Forgiveness is possible for everyone.

The fifth stone is the stone of my access to God’s power. The covenants we make with God, such as those we make in the ordinance of baptism, give us access to the power of godliness. God’s power is a real power that helps us face challenges, make good decisions, and increase our capacity to endure difficult situations. It is a power with which we can grow in the specific abilities that we need.

The For the Strength of Youth guide explains: “Covenants connect you to Heavenly Father and the Savior. They increase God’s power in your life” (“Faithful to the End,” emphasis added.). 

What Is Faith in Jesus Christ?

 My Come, Follow Me studies for this week took me to Hebrews 7-13 in a lesson titled “An High Priest of Good Things to Come.” This counsel preceded the lesson: “As you read Hebrews 7-13, you may receive impressions through the Holy Ghost. Consider ways you can record them; for example, you could record them in this outline, in the margins of your scriptures, or in a notebook or journal.” The lesson was introduced by the following information. 

Even faithful Saints at times suffer “reproaches and afflictions” that can shake their confidence (see Hebrews 10:32-38). Paul knew that Jewish converts to Christianity were experiencing severe persecution because of their new faith. To encourage them to stay true to their testimonies, he reminded them of the long tradition of faithful believers from their own history: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sara, Joseph, Moses – “a cloud of witnesses” that God’s promises are real and worth waiting for (see Hebrews 1; 12:1). This tradition is yours too. It’s a heritage of faith shared by all those who look “unto Jesus [as] the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Because of Him, whenever adversity makes us want to “draw back,” we can instead “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22, 38). For us, as for the ancient Saints, Jesus Christ is our “high priest of good things to come” (Hebrews 9:11).

I feel prompted to discuss the following principle found in Hebrews 11: “Faith requires trusting in God’s promises.” How would you describe faith?

Paul, the assumed writer of the letter to the Hebrews described faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

Alma, an ancient American prophet, described faith as “not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true” (Alma 32:21).

Sister Anne C. Pingree gave this definition for faith by drawing on the language of Hebrews: “The spiritual ability to be persuaded of promises that are seen ‘afar off’ but that may not be attained in this life” (“Seeing the Promises Afar Off,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2003, 14).

Moroni, another ancient American prophet, described faith as “things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith” (Ether 12:6) Moroni then proceeded to give numerous examples of men walking by faith.

For it was by faith that Christ showed himself unto our fathers, after he had risen from the dead; and he showed not himself unto them until after they had faith in him… (Ether 12:7).

Behold it was by faith that they of old were called after the holy order of God (Ether 12:10).

Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled (Ether 12:12).

Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth (Ether 12:13).

Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost (Ether 12:14).

Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites (Ether 12:15).

Yea, and even all they who wrought miracles wrought them by faith, even those who were before Christ and also those who were after (Ether 12:16).

And it was by faith that the three disciples obtained a promise that they should not taste of death; and they obtained not the promise until after their faith (Ether 12:17).

Moroni taught a little more about how faith works as pertaining to miracles: “For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith” (Ether 12:12). He continued the same thought a little later in the chapter:

And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.

And there were many whose faith was so exceedingly strong, even before Christ came, who could not be kept from within the veil, and truly saw with their eyes the things which they had beheld with an eye of faith and they were glad (Ether 12:18-19).

Moroni explained that one of the people “who could not be kept from within the veil” was another ancient American prophet known as the brother of Jared.

And behold, we have seen in this record that one of these was the brother of Jared; for so great was his faith in God, that when God put forth his finger he could not hide it from the sight of the brother of Jared, because of his word which he had spoken unto him, which word he had obtained by faith.

And after the brother of Jared had beheld the finger of the Lord, because of the promise which the brother of Jared had obtained by faith, the Lord could not withhold anything from his sight; wherefore he showed him all things, for he could no longer be kept without the veil (Ether 12:20-21).

How do you define faith? Have the above scriptural examples helped in your understanding of faith? What promises do you see in your future whose fulfillment depends on your faith? How can you show the Lord that your faith is strong enough to see miracles?

Why Do We Need the Grace of God to Be Saved?

My Come Follow Me studies for this week took me to Romans 1-6 in a lesson titled “The Power of God unto Salvation.” The lesson was preceded by this counsel: “Recording promptings will help you remember what the Spirit is teaching you. Consider also recording how you feel about these promptings.” The lesson was then introduced by the following paragraph: 

By the time Paul wrote his epistle to Roman Church members, who were a diverse group of Jews and Gentiles, the Church of Jesus Christ had grown far beyond a small band of believers from Galilee. About 20 years after the Savior’s Resurrection, there were congregations of Christians almost everywhere the Apostles could reasonably travel --- including Rome, the capital of a powerful empire. Still, compared to the vastness of the Roman empire, the Church was small and often the object of persecution. In such conditions, some might feel “ashamed of the gospel of Christ” – but, of course, not Paul. He knew and testified that true power, “the power of God unto salvation,” is found in the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16).

There are numerous principles in Romans 1-6. I will discuss a principle taken from the Sunday School manual for this lesson: “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 3-6). We may feel overwhelmed in our efforts to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. We may be working hard to do everything commanded and still worry that our efforts are falling short. We may wonder if we are good enough to be accepted by God. 

On the other hand, we may not worry much about making righteous choices. We may think that attending church meetings and being a loving parent and a good neighbor is enough. We may think that the ordinances of the temple are not necessary because we believe that faith in Jesus Christ is all that we need. After all, we know that Christ paid the price for our sins and will not keep us out of the celestial kingdom over minor issues.

Paul taught truths that can help us to understand if we are good enough (none of us are without the grace of God). Truths will also help us to understand that faith in Jesus Christ alone will not save us. What truths do you find in the following verses that can help you in your spiritual journey back into the presence of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?

            Romans 3:20-31

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Romans 5:1-2

1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 6:1-2 21-23

1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Modern-day prophets and apostles, like the Apostle Paul, teach the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The following quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, then a counselor in the First Presidency, gave me comfort because I am often guilty of feeling overwhelmed.

Salvation cannot be bought with the currency of obedience; it is purchased by the blood of the Son of God. … Grace is a gift of God, and our desire to be obedient to each of God’s commandments is the reaching out of our mortal hand to receive this sacred gift from our Heavenly Father” (“The Gift of Grace,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 109-10). 

If you believe that faith in Jesus Christ is all that you need to enter the celestial kingdom, you may need to study this statement from President Uchtdorf:

If grace is a gift of God, why then is obedience to God’s commandments so important? Why both with God’s commandments – or repentance, for that matter? … Our obedience to God’s commandments comes as a natural outgrowth of our endless love and gratitude for the goodness of God. This form of genuine love and gratitude will miraculously merge our works with God’s grace” (“The Gift of Grace,” 109). 

The Apostle Paul taught that we are saved by grace and that grace is a gift of God. None of us can be saved in the celestial kingdom without the grace of God, but He expects us to keep His commandments and to receive certain ordinances, such as baptism and the ordinances of the temple. However, our obedience cannot save us without faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of God. However, merging faith in Jesus Christ with obedience to the commandments will lead to receiving the grace of God.

What Wonders of the Lord Have You Seen in Your Life?

            My studies for this week’s Come, Follow Me lesson took me to Joshua 1-8; 23-24. Moses was taken to heaven, and Joshua was called to lead the Israelites. How would you like to be the one to follow in the footsteps of Moses? I would question my ability and feel inadequate. We know that Joshua felt the same way because the Lord told him numerous times, “Be strong and of a good courage.” This lesson began with the following statement:

It had taken several generations, but the Lord’s promise was about to be fulfilled: the children of Israel were on the verge of inheriting the promised land. But in their way stood the Jordan River, the walls of Jericho, and a wicked but mighty people who had rejected the Lord (see 1 Nephi 17:35). On top of that, their beloved leader Moses was gone. The situation may have made some Israelites feel weak and fearful, but the Lord said, “Be strong and of a good courage.” Why should they feel this way? Not because of their own strength – or even Moses’s or Joshua’s – but because “the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:9). When we have our own rivers to cross and walls to bring down, wonderful things can happen in our lives, because it is “the Lord [who] will do wonders among [us]” (Joshua 3:5).

            Like most of the Come, Follow Me lessons, this lesson contains numerous principles. The principle that I have chosen to discuss is based on Joshua 3-4 “I can experience God’s “wonders” if I have faith in Jesus Christ.” The Lord commanded the Israelites to cross the Jordan River and conquer the land of Canaan. This is the first time that the children of Israel have faced the Jordan River, but this river plays a part in numerous scriptural stories over hundreds of years, including the Savior’s baptism.

            Joshua 3 tells us that Joshua led Israel to the Jordan River, and they camped next to the river for three days. After three days, leaders went through the huge crowd of people to instruct them about what was going to happen. They told the children of Israel to watch and be ready to follow the ark of the covenant of the Lord. However, they were not to follow it too closely. Joshua instructed the people, “Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you” (Joshua 3:5).

            Why did the Lord command the Israelites to sanctify themselves? Sanctify means to set something apart or to declare it as holy. It means to consecrate or to make sacred. By following the instructions, the children of Israel prepared themselves to be a part of a sacred experience.

            The next day, Joshua told the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over [the river] before the people” (Joshua 3:6). The priests were obedient and took up the ark of the covenant to walk before the people.

7 And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.

9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.

10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.

11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.

12 Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.

13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap. (Joshua 3:7-13)

            It came to pass that the priests carrying the ark of the covenant stepped into the river that was overflowing its banks – flooding. When their feet dipped into the water, the waters coming down the river “stood and rose up upon an heap” (Joshua 3:16). The priests carrying the ark of the covenant stood in the middle of the Jordan River on dry ground until all the people had crossed the river.

            What is significant about the fact that the water parted as the feet of the priests stepped into the river? The act of stepping into the flooding waters showed that the priests had faith in God. They exercised their faith in God and witnessed a miracle.

            The story continues in Joshua 4. When all the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River on dry ground, the priests remained standing in the middle of the river on dry ground. Then Joshua, under direction from God, instructed that twelve men -- one man from each of the twelve tribes -- should be selected to go into the middle of the river and pick up twelve stones – one per man. When the task was completed, Joshua told the priests to come out of the Jordan River. When the priests were on the river bank, the waters of the Jordan River returned and flowed over the banks, just as they were doing prior to the experience. So, what did God want the Israelites to do with the twelve stones?

19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.

20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.

21 And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?

22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.

23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:

24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever. (Joshua 4:19-24)

            The Lord wanted the posterity of the Israelites to know about the great wonders that were done for them when crossing the Jordan River. He also desires that “all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is might” (Joshua 4:24).

            Latter-day leaders have counseled us to remember the wonders of the Lord that we have seen in our lives. Bishop Gérald Caussé, the First Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, taught the following:

For us, as Latter-day Saints, wonders also occur in our individual lives. They include our own personal conversion, the answers we receive to our prayers, and the tender blessings God showers upon us daily.

To marvel at the wonders of the gospel is a sign of faith. It is to recognize the hand of the Lord in our lives and in everything around us. Our amazement also produces spiritual strength. It gives us the energy to remain anchored in our faith and to engage ourselves in the work of salvation.

But let us beware. Our ability to marvel is fragile. Over the long term, such things as casual commandment keeping, apathy, or even weariness may set in and make us insensitive to even the most remarkable signs and miracles of the gospel.

Bishop Caussé taught that we can do three things to continue to consider the gospel as wonderful to us: (1) “never tire of discovering or rediscovering the truths of the gospel” and “hunger and thirst every day after spiritual knowledge” by “study, meditation, and prayer,” (2) “anchor your faith in the plain and simple truths of the gospel. Our amazement should be rooted in the core principles of our faith, in the purity of our covenants and ordinances, and in our most simple acts of worship,” (3) “seek and cherish the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Most wonders of the gospel cannot be perceived by our natural senses…. When we have the Spirit with us, our spiritual senses are sharpened and our memory is kindled so we cannot forget the miracles and signs we have witnessed” (April 2015 General Conference).

            I know that each of us can experience God’s “wonders” as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ. I have never crossed a flooding river on dry ground, but I have witnessed God’s miracles in my life on many occasions.

Faith in Jesus Christ

            More than 175 years ago a young man by the name of Joseph Smith wrote a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. Many people write letters to the editors of their local newspapers, but this letter was different. It was written in response to a request made by John Wentworth, and the letter is now referred to as the Wentworth Letter. Wentworth wrote to the young prophet requesting information about what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believed. The information was published in Church periodicals and is now considered to be scripture and can be found in the Pearl of Great Price.  “The Articles of Faith outline 13 basic points of belief of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” 

            Article of Faith 1:4 states, https://www.lds.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng “We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.” This post will discuss only the first principle, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

            What does it means to have faith in Jesus Christ? According to a lesson manual, it means that we trust Him enough to obey His commandments and become His obedient disciples. This is a good, basic explanation, but there is more to having faith in Christ.

            Then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks wrote about faith in Jesus Christ in an article published in April 2010. This post will be a review of Elder Oaks’ article. He begins with the reminder that faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of His the gospel.

Faith in the Lord is trust in the Lord. We cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s timing. As a result, no matter how strong our faith is, it cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him in whom we have faith. Remember that when your prayers do not seem to be answered in the way or at the time you desire. The exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is always subject to the order of heaven, to the goodness and will and wisdom and timing of the Lord. When we have that kind of faith and trust in the Lord, we have true security and serenity in our lives.

            According to Elder Oaks, we have to be willing to accept the answer that the Lord gives and to wait until He is ready to give it. I remember praying for a special blessing many years ago and receiving the answer, “It will done in my own time and in my own way.” The blessing has not come, but I feel confident that it will at the right time and in the right way.

            Elder Oaks says that Jesus Christ is our model – “our first priority.” “We must testify of Him and teach one another how we can apply His teachings and His example in our lives.” He reminds us that “God creates and organizes,” while Satan’s only plan is to destroy. “Jesus Christ always builds us up and never tears us down.” Elder Oaks continues by saying that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the “central idea in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are His servants, and it is critical that we understand the role of the Atonement in our own lives and in the lives of those we teach. Essential to that understanding is an understanding of the relationship between justice and mercy and the Atonement, and the role of suffering and repentance in this divine process.

The awful demands of justice upon those who have violated the laws of God – the state of misery and torment described in the scriptures – can be intercepted and swept away by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This relationship between justice on the one hand and mercy and the Atonement on the other is the core idea of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

            Faith in Jesus Christ is more than belief in Him. It is more than a willingness to be obedient and to follow Him. It is more than a readiness to wait for His time and His way. It is a belief that He truly is the Son of God and He really did complete the Atonement in our behalf. We know, of course, that He did not redeem us in our sins but from our sins. (See Helaman 5:11.) He redeems us from our sins on the condition that we repent.

            Elder Oaks continues, “One of those conditions of repentance is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, including faith in and reliance upon His atoning sacrifice.” Did you notice that repentance is the second principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ? If we do not have enough faith in the Lord to repent, we will have to suffer for our own sins.

            When a prophet quotes another prophet, we should pay close attention. Elder Oaks quotes President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) as saying “that personal suffering is a very important part of repentance. `One has not begun to repent until he has suffered intensely for his sins…. If a person hasn’t suffered,’ he said, `he hasn’t repented.’” 

            Elder Oaks quoted another prophet named Lehi who taught this same principle. Lehi said that the Atonement of Jesus Christ was for “all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered” (2 Nephi 2:7). Elder Oaks continues with this statement.

The truly repentant sinner who comes to Christ with a broken heart and a contrite spirit has been through a process of personal pain and suffering for sin…..

There is a big difference between the godly sorrow that worketh repentance (see

2 Corinthians 7:10), and the easy and relatively painless sorrow for being caught, or … `the sorrowing of the damned’ …” (Mormon 2:13).

            Continuing with his explanation about repentance, Elder Oaks says that the necessity for suffering is not being cleansed from sin.

… A person who sins is like a tree that bends easily in the wind. On a windy and rainy day, the tree bends so deeply against the ground that the leaves become soiled with mud, like sin. If we focus only on cleaning the leaves, the weakness in the tree that allowed it to bend and soil its leaves may remain. Similarly, a person who is merely sorry to be soiled by sin will sin again in the next high wind. The susceptibility to repetition continues until the tree has been strengthened.

When a person has gone through the process that results in what the scriptures call “a broken heart and a contrite spirit,” the Savior does more than cleanse that person from sin. He gives him or her new strength. That strengthening is essential for us to realize the purpose of the cleansing, which is to return to our Heavenly Father. To be admitted to His presence, we must be more than clean. We must also be changed from a morally weak person who has sinned into a strong person with the spiritual stature to dwell in the presence of God. We must, as the scripture says, become “a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord” (Mosiah 3:19). This is what the scripture means in its explanation that a person who has repented of his sins will forsake them. Forsaking sins is more than resolving not to repeat them. Forsaking involves a fundamental change in the individual….

Repentance has been the message in every dispensation….

            Lest we become discouraged, Elder Oaks closes his article with a “message of hope.” He says that  message is “true for all” people, but he says that it is particularly “needed by those who think that repentance is too hard. Repentance is a continuing process needed by all” because we are all sinners. “Repentance is possible, and then forgiveness is certain."

            The Lord promises us through numerous prophets that repentance will not only cleanse us but will sweep away our guilt.  When we repent, the Savior takes upon Him our sins, leaves us free of them, and makes forgiveness certain.