11/21/15

Faith, Repentance, & Forgiveness

This semester in college, I'm studying the Book of Mormon a lot, as I've talked about before, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm learning a lot. This week, I read the book of Enos. I've always loved this book, because the amazing story of repentance and forgiveness. Enos goes hunting and while wandering the woods starts to ponder about the current situation of his life. He feels like he hasn't lived well and that he needs to repent and seek forgiveness. It leads him to pour out his soul in prayer to God seeking forgiveness, which he received. He prayed for a day and a night and continued to pray for another day, seeking his own forgiveness, but also seeking blessing for the well-being of others. I'm going to point out verses that have stood out to me while reading. One is about truth. Enos is forgiven and God tells him so. Enos immediately responds with words that I love found in verse 6, "And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away." I love that phrase, "God could not lie." It is so true. God doesn't and can't lie to us. He is truth. I think that is amazing and really helps us turn to him to trust him.
This trust leads us to receive the forgiveness we seek when we repent. We learn in Enos that this forgiveness is possible because of our faith. After Enos is forgiven, he asks God how it was possible. God responds in verse 8 by saying, "Because of thy faith in Christ." His faith in Christ, our Savior, allowed him to repent of his sins. When we have faith in the atonement of Christ and in Christ we are able to be forgiven of all our sins. So that in the end we, "shall stand before Him; then shaall [we] see his face pleasure, and He will say unto [us]; Come unto me, ye bessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father." I'm thrilled for the day that we get to stand before God clean of our sins because we have repented of our sins through faith in him. Below is a modern day story, similar to Enos's story. Please watch. It is powerful and I love it!

https://youtu.be/K5xtixOQRCU