Agency and responsibility are inseparably connected. You cannot avoid responsibility without also diminishing agency. Mercy and justice are also inseparable. You cannot deny the Lord’s justice without also impeding His mercy.
So you see, the rigorous change required by the gospel of Jesus Christ is not meant to be disheartening or exhausting; it is exciting and exhilarating! The plan of salvation is the ultimate adventure.
This is a very strong statement: if we refuse to forgive, there remaineth in us the greater sin. How can this be? As I hope to explain, our salvation is conditioned on forgiving others because when we refuse to forgive, what we are really saying is that we reject, or don’t quite trust, the Atonement. And it is our acceptance of the Atonement that ultimately saves us.
Book of Mormon prophets teach that Christ’s Atonement was infinite, eternal, and all-encompassing. Christ’s Atonement covered all sin, all transgression, all wrongdoing. And because He suffered for our sins, He can come before the Father in the Day of Judgment on behalf of those who have repented of their sins to offer intercession,
Besides a sincere apology, repentance includes striving to forsake our shortcomings and weaknesses. We strive to keep our promises to do the dishes. We focus on not being grumpy and not snapping at our spouse. We endeavor to become better listeners and less judgmental. As we continually repent, we constantly try to improve ourselves.
Reconciliation with God is at the core of the gospel. Reconciliation is, after all, the object of the Atonement wrought by the Son of God. Reconciliation with each other through words and acts of kindness and through caring service is also at the core of the gospel.
I am honored and deeply humbled to address you today. I pray that I may be a servant through whom our Lord’s words can flow. I seek that spirit identified in 2 Nephi 32:3, that spirit which empowers the speech of angels, even the Holy Ghost. I pray that that same spirit might flow from my words to your hearts and that together we will be edified and our testimonies…
Do we miserly measure out the flour of forgiveness, or give it freely? We must forgive in order to be forgiven—knowing that God will take care of justice.
Rabbi Harold S. Kushner describes gifts of faith cultivated on the human soul's quest for God. Inspiration and guidance come to those who follow Him.
Without ever minimizing the seriousness of some of our mistakes, I want to give to you today the message that we can be washed and pronounced clean if we will but honor the Lamb of God.
