Sin is integral to the human condition. As Paul said to the Romans, “"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). John put it another way, but the message is the same: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8).
While sin is universal, repentance and forgiveness are not. The Savior paved the way for us to be forgiven of our sins. However, we must repent to receive this priceless gift. While Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins, no one else can complete the steps of repentance for us. We must do so ourselves.
In those cases where we have committed a serious transgression, it is necessary to confess it to our bishop and seek his help in the repentance process. Once we have fully repented, it is vital that we know that we have been forgiven.
The Savior described to Alma the senior two kinds of forgiveness: Forgiveness from the Church, as conveyed by the applicable priesthood leader and forgiveness from the Lord: “...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” (Mosiah 26:29).
How do we know when we have been forgiven? Forgiveness from the Church will come from the bishop. He will tell us that we are free from the need for further discipline. A confirmation that we have been forgiven by the Lord comes from the peace and calm assurance that come only from the Prince of Peace--He who suffered for our transgressions. Alma the younger had the following experience when he was forgiven:
17 ...I was . . . racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
18 Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
19 And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
21 Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy. (Alma 36:17-21)
Note the indicators of forgiveness that Alma experienced. Alma could still remember his sins, but his recollection wasn’t painful any longer. Some think that if they still remember their sin they haven’t fully repented. This isn’t true. Remembrance of our transgressions is for our own safety--as insurance that we will resist the temptation to do something similar in the future.
When Alma was forgiven of the Lord, he felt the joy that comes from having been cleansed of sin. However, notice that joy didn’t come until he had repented and let go of his sin, as indicated the the lack of a painful remembrance of it.
Some who have truly repented continue to feel the pain of their sin, because they won’t let go of it. They continue to experience the anguish of their sin, perhaps because they feel so badly about what they have done that they refuse to forgive themselves. Or it could be that their faith in the Atonement isn’t sufficient for them to believe that it is possible for them to be forgiven.
The adversary of all righteousness doesn’t want us to repent in the first place. However, if he has lost that battle, he will discourage us from feeling forgiven. He will do anything to thwart the path of righteousness. Accordingly, Alma the younger counseled his son, Corianton as follows: "And now, my son...let these things trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance" (Alma 42:29). Apparently Alma felt that Corianton would persist in feeling guilty even after he had completely repented.
Elder Richard G. Scott shared these comforting words: "To you who have sincerely repented yet continue to feel the burden of guilt, realize that to continue to suffer for sins when there has been proper repentance and forgiveness of the Lord is prompted by the master of deceit" (Richard G. Scott, "The Path to Peace and Joy," Ensign, Nov. 2000).
Forgiveness of oneself requires faith—faith in the Savior and faith in His atoning sacrifice. To forgive ourselves after we have repented, we must let go of our sin by exercising our faith in the Savior and His atoning sacrifice. The Savior respects our agency, so He won’t take away the pain of our sin if we don’t let it go.
Many years ago, while serving as a stake president (a stake is similar to a diocese), a man came to me who had committed a serious transgression decades in the past. He had gone to his bishop and confessed and had done all that the bishop required of him. He was restored to full fellowship in the Church and had lived a faithful, obedient life of service to the Lord, his family and his fellowman. Yet he continued to feel the guilt of his past transgression. I told him that the Lord had paid for his sin and that the only step he needed to complete was to turn his burden over to the Lord--to let go of his past transgression.
May we each put our trust in the Lord and His Atonement. He paid a terrible price (see Doctrine and Covenants 19:15-19) for our sins. He showed His love for us in doing so. Let us show our love for Him by fully repenting of our sins and allowing Him to remove the anguish of our transgressions.
“Please don’t see the temple as some distant and perhaps unachievable goal. Working with their bishop, most members can achieve all righteous requirements in a relatively short period of time if they have a determination to qualify and fully repent of transgressions. This includes being willing to forgive ourselves and not focus on our imperfections or sins as disqualifying us from ever entering a sacred temple” (Quentin L. Cook, “See Yourself in the Temple,” Ensign, May 2016).
