Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in his book ‘The Divine Gift of Forgiveness’ wrote:
“The Lord describes increasing of decreasing in spiritual power in terms of light and darkness: “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.”28 And there is the other side: ” and that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth through disobedience.”29
I have always taken comfort in this teaching of President Boyd K. Packer: “Save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the Atonement of Christ. . . . do not give up if at first you fail. . . . do not give up. That brilliant morning of forgiveness will come. “30
President Russell M. Nelson added, “There is always way back. . . . You have not committed any sin so serious that you are beyond the reach of the Savior’s love and atoning grace. As you take steps to repent and to follow God’s laws, you will begin to feel just how much Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son want you back home with Them!. . . . They will do anything within Their power that does not violate your agency or Their laws to help you come back..”(31 You Tube link)
Sins of Commission or Omission
We sometimes speak of sins of commission and sins of omission. Doing things we should not do are sins of commission, and not doing things we should do are sins of omission. Speaking of these two types of sin, Elder Neal Al Maxwell taught: “Once the telestial sins [of commission] are left behind and henceforth avoided, the focus falls evermore on sins of omission. These omissions signify a lack of qualifying fully for the celestial kingdom. Only greater consecration can correct these omissions, which have consequences just as real as sins of commission, but not enough faith to sacrifice our distracting obsessions or to focus on our omissions.
“Most omissions occur because we fail to get outside ourselves. We are so busy checking on our own temperatures, we do not notice the burning fever of others even when we can offer them some of the needed remedies, such as encouragement, kindness, and commendation.”32 In the restored gospel, we call this ministering.
Elder Neil L. Anderson, The Divine Gift of Forgiveness (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2019), 78-79.
To be continued. . . .
