Cleansing from Sin

2 Nephi 31:17

…For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

3 Nephi 9:19-20

19 And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.

20 And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.

3 Nephi 27:20

Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

Doctrine and Covenants 59:9

And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;

Dallin H. Oaks (First Counselor in the First Presidency)

To be cleansed by repentance, we must forsake our sins and confess them to the Lord and to His mortal judge where required (see Doctrine and Covenants 58:43). Alma taught that we must also “bring forth works of righteousness” (Alma 5:35). All of this is part of the frequent scriptural invitation to come unto Christ.

We need to partake of the sacrament each Sabbath day. In that ordinance we make covenants and receive blessings that help us overcome all acts and desires that block us from the perfection our Savior invites us to achieve (see Matthew 5:48; 3 Nephi 12:48). As we “deny [ourselves] of all ungodliness, and love God with all [our] might, mind and strength,” then we may “be perfect in Christ” and be “sanctified” through the shedding of His blood, to “become holy, without spot” (Moroni 10:32–33). What a promise! What a miracle! What a blessing! (“Cleansed by Repentance,” April 2019 General Conference)

Jeffrey R. Holland (Quorum of the Twelve)

“When the sacred hour comes [referring to the sacrament] to present our sacrificial gift to the Lord, we do have our own sins and shortcomings to resolve; that’s why we’re there.” (“Behold the Lamb of God,” April 2019 General Conference)

Henry B. Eyring (First Counselor in the First Presidency)

Of all the blessings we can count, the greatest by far is the feeling of forgiveness that comes as we partake of the sacrament. We will feel greater love and appreciation for the Savior, whose infinite sacrifice made possible our being cleansed from sin. (“Gratitude on the Sabbath Day,” October 2016 General Conference).

David A. Bednar (Quorum of the Twelve)

The ordinance of the sacrament is a holy and repeated invitation to repent sincerely and to be renewed spiritually. The act of partaking of the sacrament, in and of itself, does not remit sins. But as we prepare conscientiously and participate in this holy ordinance with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, then the promise is that we may always have the Spirit of the Lord to be with us. And by the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, we can always retain a remission of our sins. (“Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins,” April 2016 General Conference)

Dale G. Renlund (Quorum of the Twelve)

Our theology does teach us, though, that we may be perfected by repeatedly and iteratively “relying wholly upon” the doctrine of Christ: exercising faith in Him, repenting, partaking of the sacrament to renew the covenants and blessings of baptism, and receiving the Holy Ghost as a constant companion to a greater degree. (“Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying,” April 2015 General Conference)

Boyd K. Packer (President of the Quorum of the Twelve)

I remember when I was “[baptized] by immersion for the remission of sins” (Articles of Faith 1:4). That was appealing. I assumed that all my past mistakes were now washed away, and if I never made any more mistakes in my life, I would be clean. This I resolved to do. Somehow it did not turn out that way. I found that I made mistakes, not intentionally, but I made them. I once foolishly thought maybe I was baptized too soon. I did not understand that the ordinance of the sacrament, administered by you of the Aaronic Priesthood, is in fact a renewing of the covenant of baptism and the reinstating of the blessings connected with it. I did not see, as the revelations tell us, that I could “retain a remission of [my] sins” (Mosiah 4:12). (“Counsel to Young Men,” April 2009 General Conference; Ensign, May 2009, 49–52)

Dallin H. Oaks (Quorum of the Twelve)

The sacrament is the ordinance that replaced the blood sacrifices and burnt offerings of the Mosaic law, and with it came the Savior’s promise: ‘And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost’ (3 Nephi 9:20). (“Sacrament Meeting and the Sacrament,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 19)

Boyd K. Packer (President of the Quorum of the Twelve)

Every Sunday when the sacrament is served, that is a ceremony to renew the process of forgiveness. Listen to the sacramental prayer, and you will not get too far away from righteousness, and living a good life. You cannot do too much bad in a week if you are going each Sunday. Every Sunday you cleanse yourself so that, in due time, when you die your spirit will be clean.” (Boyd K. Packer, Mine Errand from the Lord (2008), 196. Address at Salt Lake Hunter Copperhill Stake conference, 23 March 2008)

Dallin H. Oaks (Quorum of the Twelve)

The cleansing power of our Savior’s Atonement is renewed for us as we partake of the sacrament. (“The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament,” October 1998 General Conference)

Dallin H. Oaks (Quorum of the Twelve)

Not one of you young men and not one of your leaders has lived without sin since his baptism. Without some provision for further cleansing after our baptism, each of us is lost to things spiritual. We cannot have the companionship of the Holy Ghost, and at the final judgment we would be bound to be “cast off forever” (1 Ne. 10:21). How grateful we are that the Lord has provided a process for each baptized member of His Church to be periodically cleansed from the soil of sin. The sacrament is an essential part of that process.

We are commanded to repent of our sins and to come to the Lord with a brokenheart and a contrite spirit and partake of the sacrament in compliance with its covenants. When we renew our baptismal covenants in this way, the Lord renews the cleansing effect of our baptism. In this way we are made clean and can always have His Spirit to be with us. The importance of this is evident in the Lord’s commandment that we partake of the sacrament each week (see D&C 59:8–9).

We cannot overstate the importance of the Aaronic Priesthood in this. All of these vital steps pertaining to the remission of sins are performed through the saving ordinance of baptism and the renewing ordinance of the sacrament. Both of these ordinances are officiated by holders of the Aaronic Priesthood under the direction of the bishopric, who exercise the keys of the gospel of repentance and of baptism and the remission of sins. (“The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament,” October 1998 General Conference)

Melvin J. Ballard (Quorum of the Twelve)

As quoted by Cheryl A. Esplin

Elder Melvin J. Ballard taught how the sacrament can be a healing and cleansing experience. He said:

“Who is there among us that does not wound his spirit by word, thought, or deed, from Sabbath to Sabbath? We do things for which we are sorry and desire to be forgiven. … The method to obtain forgiveness is … to repent of our sins, to go to those against whom we have sinned or transgressed and obtain their forgiveness and then repair to the sacrament table where, if we have sincerely repented and put ourselves in proper condition, we shall be forgiven, and spiritual healing will come to our souls. …

“I am a witness,” Elder Ballard said, “that there is a spirit attending the administration of the sacrament that warms the soul from head to foot; you feel the wounds of the spirit being healed, and the load being lifted. Comfort and happiness come to the soul that is worthy and truly desirous of partaking of this spiritual food.” (Melvin J. Ballard, in Melvin R. Ballard, Melvin J. Ballard: Crusader for Righteousness (1966), 132–33) (“The Sacrament—a Renewal for the Soul,” October 2014 General Conference) (Also quoted by Elder L. Tom Perry, “As Now We Take the Sacrament,” April 2006 General Conference)

Gospel Topic – Sacrament

Partaking of the sacrament is a witness to God that the remembrance of His Son will extend beyond the short time of that sacred ordinance. Part of this ordinance is a promise to remember Him always and a witness of individual willingness to take upon oneself the name of Jesus Christ and to keep His commandments. In partaking of the sacrament and making these commitments, Church members renew the covenant they made at baptism (see Mosiah 18:8–10; Doctrine and Covenants 20:37).

In return, the Lord renews the promised remission of sin and enables Church members to “always have his Spirit to be with them” (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77). The Spirit’s constant companionship is one of the greatest gifts of mortality. (Gospel Topic – Sacrament)