Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote:
When I was a student at Brigham Young University, Professor Hugh W. Nibley was a respected intellectual who at times would speak very dramatically, but would also raise our vision and challenge our thinking. On one occasion I heard him say,[There are] two things and . . . only two things we are good at: we can forgive and we can repent. These are the two things angels envy us for.” In a funeral address for a friend he explained his reason for including repentance. “Who is righteous? Anyone who is repenting. No matter how bad he has been, if he is repenting he is a righteous man. There is hope for him. And no matter how good he has been all his life, if he is not repenting, he is a wicked man. The difference is which way you are facing.” He added, “The man on the stairs facing down is much worse off than the man on the bottom step facing up. The direction we are facing, that is repentance.”1
We have been powerfully commanded to forgive all those who have hurt or sinned against us, either intentionally or unintentionally, even those who may choose to make little or no attempt toward restitution. The Savior said, “For if ye forgive men their trespasses your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.”2
Jesus admonishes us: “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father is also merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not and ye shall not be condemned: forgive and ye shall be forgiven: . . . For with the same measure ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”3
In our day the Savior has been equally clear about the commandment to forgive: “Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord: for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.”4
The Book of Mormon teaches: “And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his neighbor’s trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation.”5
Forgiveness is not excusing accountability or failing to protect ourselves, our families and other innocent victims. Forgiveness is not continuing in a relationship with someone who is not trustworthy. Forgiveness is not condoning injustice. Forgiveness is not dismissing the hurt or disgust we feel because of the actions of others. Forgiving is not forgetting, but remembering in peace.
Forgiveness is putting more faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. In His time and in His way, His love and sacrifice for us will take away our pain and heal our souls. As we wait upon His healing, remembering how unjustly the Savior of the world was treated, we move forward in faith, believing that in this world or in the next, God will generously and justly bless all who have been treated unjustly. ~Neil L. Anderson, The Divine Gift of Forgiveness (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019),224-225
