Be Ye Clean: Steps to Repentance and Forgiveness

Spencer W. Kimball of the Council of the Twelve

"Go ye out from Babylon .

Be ye clean that bear the vessels

of the Lord." D&C 133:5

To The Returning Missionary

Dear fellow Missionary:

It is assumed that before you went into the mission field you were interviewed searchingly by your bishop, stake president, and some of you by General Authorities and that you were considered to be clean and worthy through having always remained clean or through repentance and adjustment.

For the period of your missions you have been preaching righteousness and, more specifically, the law of chastity and cleanliness of body and of mind. You are aware, of course, of the steady increased responsibility that you have assumed in your having represented the Lord Jesus Christ and having taught his doctrines.

Now as you return home to your further education, your life's work, and to your romantic experiences leading to your temple marriage and family life, it is hoped that you will strongly fortify yourself against any thought or actions which would be less dignified, less spiritual, or less righteous than the best experiences of your mission. We assume you have been on a high spiritual and moral plane. It is hoped that you will never be satisfied with any lower status.

To be more specific, it is the desire of your leaders that you may return to your home, to normal pursuits, to the furthering of your education, to satisfy your military requirements, to do your courting in reasonable time, and to find your way with your bride to the holy temple; and that in your courting and your associations that there will never be cause for regret on your part, that there will never be any necking or petting or deviations of any kind from the path of right, nor ugliness, nor deterioration that could limit your growth or leave scars.

The old adage, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," applies here and as you return to your home and normal life, it is hoped that you will chart your course in such a way that nothing ugly nor distressing will ever come into your life.

Spencer W. Kimball

This is a true story. The characters are real.

It was a long-distance call; that was quite apparent, for as I picked up the receiver I could hear the coins dropping in a faraway coin box, then a voice asking, "Brother Kimball?"

I answered, "Yes."

It was a young man's voice saying, "I have a serious personal problem. Could I bring my girl friend and come to see you?"

"Of course," I said, and a time was arranged.

It was not long until the young couple was announced. The deep, pleasant voice was just what one might expect from the tall, athletic youth who possessed it. He was well-proportioned, and like King David, "ruddy and withal of a beautiful countenance and goodly to look to." (1 Samuel 16:22.)

With him at his side was a lovely girl, slight of frame and beautiful of face and form. They were both dressed well, and it was evident that they were from cultured homes. It was obvious that they loved each other, for as they sat together across the desk from me he reached quietly for her hand and there were meaningful glances.

The melodious voice was hesitant and a bit choked with emotion as he introduced his girl friend, and there was pleading in their eyes. "We are in difficulty, Brother Kimball," he said, "we have broken the law of chastity. We have defiled ourselves. We prayed and fasted and agonized and finally came to the conclusion that we must try to make adjustments."

I asked them a few questions. It was evident they had been treading deep water. The girl took over the conversation, "I had convinced myself that I was able to take care of myself, that I would never commit this abhorrent sin. I have heard the brethren say repeatedly that necking and petting were sins in their own right, but I always rationalized and would not let myself believe it."

I let them tell the story without interruption feeling it would enable them partially to unload the heavy burden they were carrying.

The boy was now speaking. He was self-accusing. "That Junior Prom date was a very special one," he continued. "But it turned out to be a tragic one, the beginning of sorrows. When I saw my sweetheart coming downstairs that night, I thought no girl was ever so beautiful and so sweet. We danced through the evening; and then when we sat in the car, long and silently afterward, my thoughts became unruly as we became more and more intimate. Neither of us dreamed what was happening to us," he said, "but all the elements were there to break down resistance. We did not notice time—the hours passed. Our usual elementary necking gradually developed into petting. There were other nights—the bars were down. We loved each other so much that we convinced ourselves that it was not so wrong merely to pet since we sort of belonged to each other anyway. Where we ended that former night became the starting point for the next night, and we continued on and on, and finally it happened—the terrible thing happened. We had vowed it would never envelop us. And then when it was late—so late—so everlastingly late, we awakened to our plight. We hated ourselves. We mentally thrashed ourselves. She suggested we pray, but I told her I felt too unworthy. I wanted to hide from the Lord, from everybody. Oh, Brother Kimball, what can we do? Is it unpardonable? Are we lost forever? Can we gain forgiveness?"

His voice broke, and there was a heavy silence.

I sat deep in thought, praying fervently that the Lord would inspire me to assist them.

They seemed to want to talk. It was as though a great flood of emotions and feelings needed release.

"I am so ashamed," she said. "I was not guiltless. When we reached home, he turned off the engine. We became quiet; the conversation lagged; and the thing began to happen against which we had been warned and rewarned. The goodnight kiss was a warm, passionate, long-sustained one, and we lingered longer. When I knelt at my bed that night, I asked the Lord to forgive me, and I think (at that moment) I honestly intended never to repeat what I had done.

"I felt I loved him as no girl ever loved a man before. He was good, but he was human. The necking evolved into petting sooner each night, and a new pattern was being established. I felt unclean when I went to my room. I didn't feel much like praying. Why should I? What use was it to pray when I would likely continue. I wasn't so sure I wanted to quit. It wasn't so bad anyway, was it? We hadn't committed fornication and wouldn't—certainly we wouldn't. That we knew.

"Little did we realize that each time there were new excesses. And suddenly we were awakened to the fact that we had lost our virtue totally—had lost that most priceless thing—we had committed that most abominable sin. I loathed myself. Why had I not listened? Why had I disregarded counsel? Why had I not run, screamed, fought, died? There was no sleep for me that night. I was unclean. I bathed, scrubbed, washed my hair, put on fresh clothes. I was still filthy. I remembered the lepers in Bible days—how they stood afar off and cried to an approaching person, 'unclean, unclean.' I felt like a leper, like hiding, like avoiding everyone. My soul cried out in agony. Could I keep others from hearing the sobbing of my heart?

"In the sleepless nights were horrible dreams, nightmares? Why must I be so plagued? Other young people had done this terrible thing. It did not seem to wreck them. Some seemed to pass it off with a shrug of the shoulders, but I . . .

"Hell? Yes I think this is hell. We always thought of hell as a faraway, mythical, and abstract thing, but we've found it—we've tasted it—it is bitter, very bitter. Why weren't youth warned of these horrors? Then I remembered we had been warned, all our lives. Why did we remain in the car late at night after we should have said goodnight?"

She could not stop. It was like a flood of waters escaping from a broken reservoir. "A thousand thoughts ran through my mind," she said, "ugly accusing thoughts—when I ate, when I walked, when I prayed. The ghost memory haunted me."

And now they sat very still, very close, waiting, almost breathlessly. "Children of disobedience," I thought. My heart was sobbing for them; "Please, Father, bless me that I may help them."

"Can we ever be forgiven, Brother Kimball?" they asked plaintively.

"Yes, beloved youth," I replied, "the Lord and His Church can and will forgive, but not easily. 'The way of the transgressor is hard.' It ever has been—it always will be. The Lord Himself said:

I tell thee thou shalt not depart thence till thou hast paid the very last mite. (Luke 12:59.)

But, in His goodness, He provided for us a way to forgiveness. One may do as he pleases, but be cannot evade responsibility. He may break laws, but he cannot avoid penalties. One "gets by" with nothing. God is just.

Be not deceived, said Paul, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (Galatians 6:7.)

Again:

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence and covetousness . . . . for which things' sake, the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. (Colossians 3: 5-6.)

Serious as are these abominable things, there is forgiveness upon conditions of total repentance. The Prophet Amulek quoted the Lord:

. . . and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins. ( Alma 11:37.)

And Isaiah:

. . . Let the wicked forsake his way . . . and let him return unto the Lord . . . . for he will abundantly pardon. (Isaiah 55:6-7.)

Yes, the Lord will forgive. How grateful we all must be for this saving principle!

Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I the Lord remember them no more. (Doctrine & Covenants 58:42.)

How glorious this promise!

. . . though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (Isaiah 1:18.)

The young couple seemed to relax a bit. Hope was returning. "That is certainly comforting," said the young man, "but how may we obtain this forgiveness which we so much desire?"

I explained: One must come to a realization of the seriousness of the error. There are sins which cannot be forgiven, but fortunately most can be remitted. Transgressions range from the simple improprieties and indiscretions to the shedding of innocent blood and denying the Holy Ghost, both of which are unpardonable. Neither of you has committed the sin against the Holy Ghost for that requires more knowledge than either of you has. Neither of you has committed murder, and therefore we may say that every error that you may have committed is in the forgivable category.

Since Cain killed his brother Abel, there have been in the world all these accumulating vices. There are sins which are known to others and those which are secretly hidden. Every one is against ourselves and God, for they limit our progress, curtail our development, and estrange us from good people, good influences and from our Lord.

The early apostles and prophets mention sins which seemed completely reprehensible to them. Some of them were adultery, being without natural affection, lustfulness, infidelity, incontinence, filthy communications, impurity, inordinate affection, inventors of evil things. Today we call them necking, petting, fornication, sex perversion, masturbation. Included are every hidden and secret sin, and all unholy and impure thoughts and practices.

Next to the unpardonable sins come the diabolical crimes of sexual impurity which raise their ugly heads in many different forms, including aberrations of self-pollution and the abhorrent and unnatural practices involving other people. Conscience tells the individual when he is entering forbidden worlds and continues to prick until silenced by the will or by sin's constant pressures.

Can anyone truthfully say he did not know such things were wrong? These unholy practices, whatever may be their unmentionable names with all their approaches and numerous manifestations, are condemned by the Lord and His Church. Some may be more heinous than others, but all are sin, in spite of statements to the contrary of those who falsely pretend to know.

The Lord's prophets declare they are not normal. The world may have its norm; the Church has a different one. It may be considered normal by the people of the world to use tobacco; the Church's norm is a high plane where smoking is not done. The world's norm may permit men and women social drinking and cocktail parties; the Lord's Church lifts its people to a norm of total abstinence. The world may countenance pre-marital sex experiences, but the Lord and His Church condemn in no uncertain terms any and every sex relationship outside of marriage, and even indecent and uncontrolled ones within marriage. And so, though many self-styled authorities justify these practices as a normal release, the Church condemns them and could not knowingly send such people, unrepentant, into the mission field or give them places of trust or positions or responsibility nor temple privileges. Such unholy practices were condemned by ancient prophets and are today condemned by the Church.

Paul lashed out against these unholy evidences of the vulgar mind and of uncontrolled passion and desire:

Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. (Romans 1:24.)

There are those who with vicious tendencies or weak wills say: "The Lord made me this way, gave me these desires and passions, and He will not condemn me." This is untrue.

James said:

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. (James 1:13.)

Let him who has evil tendencies be honest and acknowledge his weakness. I tell you the Lord places no sin in our lives. He has made no man wicked. We are sons and daughters of God, possessing seeds of Godhood. We are not limited by instinct as are the beasts. We have Godly power to grow and to overcome and become perfect. Sin was permitted in the world, and Satan permitted to tempt us, but we have our free agency. We may sin or live righteously, but we cannot escape responsibility. To blame our sin upon the Lord, saying it is inherent and cannot be controlled, is cheap and cowardly. To blame our sins upon our parents and our upbringing is the way of the escapist. One's parents may have failed; our own backgrounds may have been frustrating, but as sons and daughters of a living God we have within ourselves the power to rise above our circumstances, to change our lives. Man can change human nature. Man must transform his life. We will be punished for our sins. We must accept responsibility for our sins. We can overcome. We must control and master ourselves.

The lovely girl now said, "While we knew our intimacies were indiscreet, we did not fully realize the implications."

"I am sure of that," I said, "that is why I elaborate on them. Since courtship is prelude to marriage and encourages close associations, many have convinced themselves that intimacies are legitimate—a part of the courting process. Many have cast off bridle and harness and have relaxed the restraints. Instead of remaining in the field of simple expressions of affection, some have turned themselves loose to fondling, commonly called 'necking' with its intimate contacts and its passionate kissing. It is an insidious practice leading to other vices. Necking is the younger member of this unholy family. Its bigger sister is called 'petting.' When the intimacies have reached this stage, they are surely the sins condemned by the Savior:

"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.)

Who would say that he or she who pets has not become lustful, has not become passionate? Who would say that there has not been mental adultery? Is it not this most abominable practice which God rebuked in His modern reiteration of the Ten Commandments:

Thou shalt not steal; neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like unto it.

What, may I ask you, is like unto adultery if it is not petting? Did not the Lord recognize that this heinous sin is but the devil's softening process for the final acts of adultery? Can a person in the light of the Lord's scriptures pursue the path of petting with clear conscience? Can anyone convince himself that this is not deep sin?

The youthful pair now had many questions which carried me on into further explanation. "Are fornication and adultery the same?" they asked.

An older sister in this unholy family, most destructive in her diabolical effects and requiring severe punishment, is sexual impurity called fornication when committed by the unmarried and adultery when committed by those who are wed. The two terms are often interchanged in scripture. Another vicious sister, hiding behind expediency, is the ugly one of illegal abortion. One crime seems to demand another, and sometimes cowardly adulterous folks, because of possible scandal and social ostracism and who have not the courage to meet and solve problems, add to their sexual sin that crime of destroying a child. These twin crimes rate very high in the category of horrible ones.

When we say that the sexual sins are forgivable, this does not mean they are easily overcome or forgivable. Paul said:

. . . no whoremonger, nor unclean person, . . . hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with them. (Ephesians 5: 5-7.)

And Nephi writes:

. . . the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God ; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy . . . . (1 Nephi 15:34.)

The Lord commands:

Thou shalt not commit adultery . . . and he that committeth adultery and repenteth not, shall be cast out. (D & C 42:24.)

The young man was agitated now and asked: "Does 'cast out' mean excommunication? And must we suffer that penalty?"

And I answered:

The Lord has indicated that "the plaster must be the size of the sore"; if one has offended many, he must be chastised before many, and if the offense is known to few, then the adjustment involves few. Every unrepentant transgressor should be handled, and if he continues rebellious, should be disfellowshipped or excommunicated. One disfellowshipped is usually forbidden to exercise his priesthood and is denied the blessings of the Church such as Sacrament, temple privileges, and church activity. Excommunication is a complete severing of all ties. One loses membership, the Holy Ghost, priesthood, sealings, and all church privileges. If the transgression is generally and widely known and is a public scandal, the individual is sometimes permitted to make a public adjustment "not to the members but to the elders" so that all who have heard of the sin may also know of the repentance. This is a clearing privilege which those involved in a publicly known scandal should grasp gladly.

The young woman asked: "Then repentance and publicity are controlling factors?"

"Yes, my sister, a transgressor whose sin is secret and has voluntarily confessed and whose repentance is without reservation can be forgiven in secret by proper authorities. Even the Lord could not forgive one without sincere repentance."

And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins. ( Alma 11:37.)

"And being transgressors, we are condemned."

For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence. (Ibid., 12: 14.)

"That is just the way I feel now," the boy whispered.

Christ postulated:

And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the the end. (3 Nephi 27:19.)

The young folks were listening intently, but with growing apprehension, and she finally asked: "How then can we, being so unclean, ever get into the kingdom of heaven?"

I answered: It is true—no unclean thing can enter the kingdom, but a totally repentant thing is no longer an unclean thing; a fully purged and forgiven adulterer is no longer an adulterer. He who has "washed his garments" is presumed to be free from filth.

This splendid young couple had made their decision. They were ready to comply with any requirement no matter how severe. They drew a little closer to each other and asked: "Brother Kimball, what must we do?"

I continued: You must repent.. May I explain briefly.

Repentance could well fall into five steps:

1. Conviction of and sorrow for sin.

2. Abandonment of sin.

3. Confession of sin.

4. Restitution for sin.

5. Doing the will of the Lord.

1. Sorrow For Sin

To be sorry for our sin we must know something of its serious implications. When fully convicted, we condition our minds to follow such processes as will rid us of the effects of the sin. We are sorry. We axe willing to make amends, pay penalties, to suffer even to excommunication if necessary. Paul wrote:

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. (2 Corinthians 7: 10.)

If one is sorry only because his sin was uncovered, his repentance is not complete. Godly sorrow causes one to harness desire and to determine to do right regardless of consequences—this kind of sorrow brings righteousness and will work toward forgiveness.

2. Abandonment of Sin

One discontinues his error when he has a full realization of the gravity of his sin and when he is willing to comply with the laws of God. The thief may abandon his evil in prison, but true repentance would have him forsake it before his arrest and return his booty without enforcement. The sex offender as well as any other transgressor who voluntarily ceases his unholy practices is headed toward forgiveness.

Alma said:

. . . Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble . . . . ( Alma 52: 16.)

And the Lord in our dispensation said:

By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will . . . forsake them. (D & C 58:43.)

The discontinuance must be a permanent one. True repentance does not permit repetition. Peter said:

And if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world . . . they are again entangled therein . . . 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 . . . (like) the dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. (2 Peter 2:20-22.)

Forgiveness is not assured if one reverts to early sins. The Lord said:

. . . go your ways and sin no more; but unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return . . . . (D & C 82:7.)

The Savior said to the adulteress taken in the act of sin: "Go thy way and sin no more."

And Paul commanded:

Let him that stole, steal no more . . . (Ephesians 4:28.)

3. Confession of Sin

The confession of sin is an important element in repentance. Many offenders have seemed to feel that a few prayers to the Lord were sufficient and that they have thus justified themselves in hiding their sins.

The Proverbs give us:

He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy . . . (Proverbs 28: 13.)

By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them. (D & C 58:43.)

Especially grave errors such as sexual sins shall be confessed to the bishop as well as to the Lord. There are two remissions which one might wish to have. First, the forgiveness from the Lord, and second, the forgiveness of the Lord's Church through its leaders. As soon as one has an inner conviction of his sins, he should go to the Lord in "mighty prayer" as did Enos and never cease his supplications until he shall, like Enos, receive the assurance that his sins have been forgiven by the Lord. It is unthinkable that God absolves serious sins upon a few requests. He is likely to wait until there has been long sustained repentance as evidenced by a willingness to comply with all His other requirements. No priest nor elder is authorized to perform this act for the Church. The Lord has a consistent, orderly plan. Every soul in stakes is given a bishop who, by the very nature of his calling and his ordination, is a "judge in Israel ." The bishop may be one's best earthly friend. He will hear the problems, judge the seriousness thereof, determine the degree of adjustment and decide if it warrants an eventual forgiveness. He does this as the earthly representative of God, who is the master physician, the master psychologist, the master psychiatrist. If repentance is sufficient, he may waive penalties which is tantamount to forgiveness. The bishop claims the authority to absolve sins, but he does share the burden, waive penalties, relieve tension and strain, and he may assure a continuation of activity. He will keep the whole matter most confidential.

Some missionaries have foolishly carried with them their secret, unadjusted guilt into the field and suffered seriously in the effort to get and retain the spirit of the mission. The conflict in the soul was most frustrating. But he who totally repented, voluntarily confessed and cleared his difficulty so far as possible, triumphed in his work and enjoyed sweet peace.

We read:

. . . for I, the Lord, forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts . . . . (D & C 61:2.)

The Lord says:

By this ye may know that a man repenteth of his sins, behold he will confess them . . .(Ibid., 58:43.)

And Paul:

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:10.)

In the days of the Nephites the church leaders received confessions and forgave or excommunicated according to merit.

4. Restitution For Sin

When one is humble in sorrow, has unconditionally abandoned the evil, confessed to those assigned by the Lord, he should next restore insofar as possible that which was damaged. If he burgled, he should return to the rightful owner that which was stolen. Perhaps one reason murder is unforgivable is that having taken a life, the murderer cannot restore it. Restitution in full is not always possible. Also having robbed one of virtue, it is impossible to give it hack.

However, the truly repentant soul will usually find things which can be done to restore to some extent. The true spirit of repentance demands this. Ezekiel taught:

. . . if the wicked give again that he has robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall live. (Ezekiel 33: 14-15.)

Moses taught:

If a man shall steal an ox or a sheep . . . he shall restore five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep . . . . (Exod. 22: 1.)

A pleading sinner must also forgive all people of all offenses committed against himself. The Lord is under no obligation to forgive us unless our hearts are fully purged of all hate, bitterness, and accusations against all others.

5. Do The Will of The Father

The Lord in His preface to modern revelations gave us the fifth and one of the most difficult requirements to forgiveness. He 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.)

Under the humiliation of a guilty conscience, with the possibility of detection and consequent scandal and shame, with a striving spirit urging toward adjustment, the first steps of sorrow, abandonment, confession and restitution must now be followed by the never-ending requirement of doing the commandments. Obviously this can hardly be done in a day, a week, a month or a year. This is an effort extending through the balance of life. "Unto the End," is an often-used phrase in the scriptures.

If thou wilt do good, yea, and hold out faithful to the end, thou shalt be saved in the kingdom of God . . . . (Ibid., 6:13.)

. . . he only is saved who endureth unto the end. Even so. Amen. (Ibid., 53:7.)

Good works are the evidences and the fruits of repentance. The Redeemer expresses this thought:

Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit . . . Wherefore by their fruits shall ye know them. (Matthew 7: 16.-20.)

The Lord said:

But he that has committed adultery and repents with all his heart and forsaketh it and doeth it no more, thou shalt forgive. (D & C 42:25.)

Now the phrase "with all his heart" is vital. There can be no reservations. It must be an all-out unconditional surrender. The mere abandonment of the specific sin, and even the confession of it are not sufficient to save. If the transgressor neglects his tithing, misses his meetings, breaks the Sabbath or fails in his family prayers and other responsibilities, he is not wholly repentant. The Lord knows, as does the individual, the degree of contrition, and the reward will be according to deserts, for God is just. Feigning repentance or bluffing is futile, for both the transgressor and the Lord can evaluate and recognize insincerity and hypocrisy. One may fool his fellow men sometimes, but himself and his Lord never. Yet the devout, repenting soul has claim upon the mercy of the Lord.

Doing the commandments includes many activities. General good works and constructive attitudes are supplemented by the bearing of testimony and the saving of souls. The Lord says:

For I will forgive you of your sins with this commandment . . . remain steadfast in your minds in solemnity and the spirit of prayer, in bearing testimony to all the world . . . (Ibid., 84:61.)

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. (Ibid., 62:3.)

And James indicated that each good deed, each testimony, each proselyting effort, each safeguard thrown about others is like a blanket over one's own sins, or like a deposit against an overdraft in the bank.

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. (James 5: 19-20.)

And unto him that repenteth and sanctifieth himself before the Lord shall be given eternal life. (D & C 133:62.)

Not everyone that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. (Matt. 7:21.)

I commend to you the book of Enos which records in inspiring detail how a transgressor after long strugglings and continuous crying mightily unto the Lord through the long hours of the day and then extending into the night, finally obtained forgiveness from the Lord.

And so my beloved young couple, as you leave my office, do not fail to obtain forgiveness from the Lord and His Church and retain for yourselves the blessings—Remember one must be convicted of sin, bow the knee in monumental humility, forsake the sin and fortify himself against repetition. He must confess the error to his bishop or other church authority, cleansing, and purging himself of all that was vile. He must make restitution by restoring so far as possible that which was damaged and must forgive all who have forgiven him offense, and finally he must live all of the commandments of the Lord, bringing forth fruits meet for repentance. And when he has fasted enough, prayed enough, and suffered enough and when his heart is right, he may expect that forgiveness will come and with it that glorious peace that passeth understanding.

We knelt and each prayed fervently. The young couple—mellowed, repentant, and determined—thanked me and departed hand in hand.

God bless you, all my brothers and sisters, that you may see with your eyes and hear with your ears and understand with your hearts and protect yourselves from the sins of the world. This I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.