Joy in Repentance: 4rth Sunday Service

JOY IN REPENTANCE
Genard U. Gomez
4rth Sunday Service
Such joy is one of the inherent results of repentance. The word repent connotes “to
perceive afterwards” and implies “change. Changing our behavior and returning to the
“right road” are part of repentance, but only part. Real repentance also includes a turning
of our heart and will to God and a renunciation of sin. As explained in Ezekiel, to repent is
to “turn from … sin, … do that which is lawful and right; … restore the pledge, … [and]
walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity.”
Real repentance must involve faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, faith that He can change us,
faith that He can forgive us, and faith that He will help us avoid more mistakes. This kind
of faith makes His Atonement effective in our lives. When we “perceive afterwards” and
“turn around” with the Savior’s help, we can feel hope in His promises and the joy of
forgiveness. Without the Redeemer, the inherent hope and joy evaporate, and repentance
becomes simply miserable behavior modification. But by exercising faith in Him, we
become converted to His ability and willingness to forgive sin.
We can—and sometimes do—make different choices. Such choices may not seem
intrinsically wrong, but they prevent us from becoming truly penitent and thus preclude our
pursuit of real repentance. For instance, we may choose to blame others. But blaming
others, even if justified, allows us to excuse our behavior. By so doing, we shift
responsibility for our actions to others. When the responsibility is shifted, we diminish both
the need and our ability to act. We turn ourselves into hapless victims rather than agents
capable of independent action.13
Another choice that impedes repentance is minimizing our mistakes. It would have been
easy to say that there was no reason to repent. But minimizing our mistakes, even if no
immediate consequences are apparent, removes the motivation to change. This thinking
prevents us from seeing that our mistakes and sins have eternal consequences.
Yet another way is to think that our sins do not matter because God loves us no matter
what we do. It is tempting to believe what the deceitful Nehor taught the people of
Zarahemla: “That all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear
nor tremble, … and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.”14 But this seductive idea
is false. God does love us. However, what we do matters to Him and to us. He has given
clear directives about how we should behave. We call these commandments. His
approbation and our eternal life depend on our behavior, including our willingness to
humbly seek real repentance.15
Additionally, we forgo real repentance when we choose to separate God from His
commandments. We should be wary of discounting sinful behavior by undermining or
dismissing God’s authorship of His commandments. Real repentance requires recognizing
the Savior’s divinity and the truthfulness of His latter-day work.
Instead of making excuses, let us choose repentance. Through repentance, we can come
to ourselves, like the prodigal in the parable,16 and reflect on the eternal import of our
actions. When we understand how our sins can affect our eternal happiness, we not only
become truly penitent but we also strive to become better. Jesus Christ can forgive
because He paid the price for our sins. Our Redeemer chooses to forgive because of His
incomparable compassion, mercy, and love.Our Savior wants to forgive because this is
one of His divine attributes.And, like the Good Shepherd He is, He is joyful when we
choose to repent.20Even as we feel godly sorrow for our actions,21 when we choose to
repent, we immediately invite the Savior into our lives. As Amulek taught, “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.”22 We can feel godly sorrow for our
actions and, at the same time, feel the joy of having the Savior’s help.
The fact that we can repent is the good news of the gospel!23 Guilt can be “swept
away.”24 We can be filled with joy, receive a remission of our sins, and have “peace of
conscience.”25 We can be freed from feelings of despair and the bondage of sin. We can
be filled with the marvelous light of God and be “pained no more.”26 Repentance is not only
possible but also joyful because of our Savior. I still remember the feelings that washed
over me in the branch president’s office after the firecracker episode. I knew I had been
forgiven. My feelings of guilt vanished, my gloomy mood lifted, and my heart felt light.
Brothers and sisters, feel more joy in your life: joy in the knowledge that the Atonement of
Jesus Christ is real; joy in the Savior’s ability, willingness, and desire to forgive; and joy in
choosing to repent. Let us follow the instruction to “with joy … draw water out of the wells
of salvation.”27 May we choose to repent, forsake our sins, and turn our hearts and wills
around to follow our Savior.

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JOY IN REPENTANCE

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