• Home
  • Blog
  • Blog Archives
    • Post By Speaker >
      • Current First Presidency >
        • Nelson
        • Oaks
        • Eyring
      • Current Quorum of the Twelve >
        • Ballard
        • Holland
        • Uchtdorf
        • Bednar
        • Cook
        • Christofferson
        • Andersen
        • Rasband
        • Stevenson
        • Renlund
        • Gong
        • Soares
      • Previous Apostles and Prophets >
        • Monson
        • Hales
    • Posts By Conference >
      • April 2018 General Conference
      • October 2017 General Conference
      • April 2017 General Conference
      • October 2016 General Conference
      • April 2016 General Conference
    • First Presidency Messages >
      • Thomas S. Monson
      • Henry B. Eyring
      • Dieter F. Uchtdorf
    • Christmas Devotionals >
      • December 2016
    • Bookshelf Plus >
      • Devotional Talks
  • Stories
    • Stories - Apr 2017
    • Stories - Oct 2016
    • Stories - Apr 2016
  • Donate
LDSCONF.BLOG
Follow Us

Renlund - Repentance: A Joyful Choice - October 2016

3/26/2017

Comments

 
Elder Renlund speaks about repentance.  He shares a personal story of setting off a firecracker with a friend in the chapel of his church in Sweden.  He describes the knowledge that what he had done had disappointed God and made him feel terrible.
  • The word repent connotes “to perceive afterwards” and implies “change.” In Swedish, the word is omvänd, which simply means “to turn around.” The Christian writer C. S. Lewis wrote about the need and the method for change. He noted that repentance involves “being put back on the right road. A wrong sum can be put right,” he said, “but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on.” 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.”

But the definition of respentance does not get to the heart of the issue.  To truly repent, the Savior has to be included in the process.  It is only through the Savior that repentance is possible.
  • 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.

Elder Renlund talks about President Packers last conference talk before he passed away.
  • President Packer said: “The Atonement leaves no tracks, no traces. What it fixes is fixed. … It just heals, and what it heals stays healed.”  He continued: “The Atonement, which can reclaim each one of us, bears no scars. That means that no matter what we have done or where we have been or how something happened, if we truly repent, [the Savior] has promised that He would atone. And when He atoned, that settled that. … The Atonement … can wash clean every stain no matter how difficult or how long or how many times repeated.”

Repentance will never be forced upon us.
  • The reach of the Savior’s Atonement is infinite in breadth and depth, for you and for me. But it will never be imposed on us.
  • Repentance is a choice.

We should not make excuses on why we will not sin.  We should not assume that God is great and will forgive us without any effort on our part.  We have to participate in the atonement with the Savior for it to be effective in our lives.
  • 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.
  • Instead of making excuses, let us choose repentance. Through repentance, we can come to ourselves, like the prodigal in the parable, 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.

Elder Renlund talks about giving away our eternal blessings for something of little importance.  We need to focus on the ultimate prize and return to God and seek His forgiveness for pursuing a toy of no eternal value.
  • If we have lost sight of eternity for the sake of a toy, we can choose to repent. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we have another chance. Metaphorically, we can exchange the toy we so ill-advisedly purchased in the first place and receive again the hope of eternity. As the Savior explained, “For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.”

Forgiveness is real and only provided by the Savior.
  • Jesus Christ can forgive because He paid the price for our sins.
  • Our Savior wants to forgive because this is one of His divine attributes.
  • When we choose to repent, we immediately invite the Savior into our lives.

The atonement is the point of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We can be forgiven and put on the path to return to our Father in Heaven time and time again.  We should always remember that repentance is not a back up plan when we fail to be perfect in life.  Repentance is the gospel of Jesus Christ and essential to our salvation.
  • The fact that we can repent is the good news of the gospel! Guilt can be “swept away.” We can be filled with joy, receive a remission of our sins, and have “peace of conscience.” 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.” Repentance is not only possible but also joyful because of our Savior.

Elder Renlund presents the atonement in such an inspirational way.  The reason we have the gospel is because of the Savior's atonement.  In our premortal life, the atonement was the central point of the Father's plan.  Without the atonement, all would be lost.  There was never a way for anyone to be perfect, to not make mistakes, to not throw away their divine inheritance.  God knew this.  He provided the Savior to make us whole again and allow us the chance to return to His presence, clean, humble, and full of hope.  This is the gospel of Jesus Christ and provides hope and joy in an otherwise miserable world.
Comments

    Our Mission

    Wherefore we search the prophets... and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken. (Jacob 4:6)

    Upcoming Blogs:

    Oaks - October 2000
         The Challenge to Become
    Oaks - April 2001
         Focus and Priorities
    Oaks - October 2001
         Sharing the Gospel
    Oaks - April 2002
         The Gospel in Our Lives
    Soares - October 2005
         "Feed My Sheep"
    Picture
    Google
    Custom Search

    Categories

    All
    Aburto
    Alonso
    Andersen
    April 1975
    April 1976
    April 1979
    April 1980
    April 1981
    April 1983
    April 1985
    April 1986
    April 1987
    April 1988
    April 1989
    April 1990
    April 1991
    April 1992
    April 1993
    April 1994
    April 1995
    April 1996
    April 1997
    April 1998
    April 1999
    April 2000
    April 2001
    April 2002
    April-2003
    April-2004
    April 2005
    April 2006
    April 2007
    April 2008
    April 2009
    April 2010
    April 2011
    April 2012
    April 2013
    April 2014
    April 2015
    April 2016
    April 2017
    April 2018
    Ardern
    Arnold
    Ashton
    Ballard
    Bangerter
    Bassett
    Bednar
    Bingham
    Bookshelf Plus
    Bragg
    Brough
    Burton
    Bytheway
    Callister
    Carl B. Cook
    Causse
    Choi
    Christensen
    Christmas Devotional
    Christofferson
    Clayton
    Clayton-W
    Cook
    Cordon
    Cornish
    Costa
    Curtis
    Davies
    December 2016
    De Feo
    Duncan
    Dunn
    Durham
    Durrant
    Echo Hawk
    Ellis
    Esplin
    Eubank
    Evans
    Eyring
    First Presidency Message
    Godoy
    Gong
    Grow
    Guest Blogger: @pattypooh67
    Haleck
    Hales
    Hallstrom
    Holland
    Holmes
    Hoyos
    January 2017
    Johnson
    Jones
    Kearon
    Koch
    Marriott
    Maynes
    Mazzagardi
    McConkie
    Meurs
    Monson
    Nattress
    Nelson
    Oaks
    October 1975
    October 1976
    October 1978
    October 1980
    October 1981
    October 1983
    October 1984
    October 1985
    October 1986
    October 1987
    October 1988
    October 1989
    October 1990
    October 1991
    October 1992
    October 1993
    October 1994
    October 1995
    October 1996
    October 1997
    October 1998
    October 1999
    October 2000
    October 2001
    October 2002
    October 2003
    October 2004
    October 2005
    October 2006
    October 2007
    October 2008
    October 2009
    October 2010
    October 2011
    October 2012
    October 2013
    October 2014
    October 2015
    October 2016
    October 2017
    October 2018
    Oscarson
    Owen
    Palmer
    Parrella
    Pingree
    Rasband
    Reeves
    Renlund
    Richards
    Robbins
    Sabin
    Schmutz
    Snow
    Soares
    Stephens
    Stevenson
    Su'a
    Taylor
    The Living Christ
    Uceda
    Uchtdorf
    VCordon
    Waddell
    Wakolo
    Wilson
    Worldwide Devotional
    Yamashita
    Zivic
    Zwick

    Archives

    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Contact Us

    Contact SuperScriptures at SuperScriptures@gmail.com

    RSS Feed

    Visit our sponsors
    Missionary Care Packages by Called2Serve.com
    Freshly baked cookies, cinnamon rolls, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, candy, and much more. Create your own missionary care package including a free letter or greeting card. Free MTC and discounted FedEx delivery.
Home
About
Contact