Doctrine and Covenants 108:1

True to the Faith:

“Full obedience brings the complete power of the gospel into your life, including increased strength to overcome your weaknesses. This obedience includes actions you might not initially consider part of repentance, such as attending meetings, paying tithing, giving service, and forgiving others. The Lord promised, ‘He that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven’ (D&C 1:32)” (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference [2004], 135).

Doctrine and Covenants 108:1–2

President Boyd K. Packer:

“[The] great morning of forgiveness may not come at once. Do not give up if at first you fail. Often the most difficult part of repentance is to forgive yourself. Discouragement is part of that test. Do not give up. That brilliant morning will come.

“Then ‘the peace of God, which passeth … understanding’ comes into your life once again. [Philip. 4:7.] Then you, like Him, will remember your sins no more. How will you know? You will know! [See Mosiah 4:1–3.]” (“The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 20).

President Harold B. Lee:

“If the time comes when you have done all that you can to repent of your sins, whoever you are, wherever you are, and have made amends and restitution to the best of your ability … , then you will want that confirming answer as to whether or not the Lord has accepted of you. In your soul-searching, if you seek for and you find that peace of conscience, by that token you may know that the Lord has accepted of your repentance” (Stand Ye in Holy Places [1974], 185).

Doctrine and Covenants 108:3

Elder Richard G. Scott:

“As you trust [the Lord], seek and follow His will, you will receive blessings that your finite mind cannot understand here on earth. Your Father in Heaven and His Holy Son know better than you what brings happiness. They have given you the plan of happiness. As you understand and follow it, happiness will be your blessing. As you willingly obey, receive, and honor the ordinances and covenants of that holy plan, you can have the greatest measure of satisfaction in this life. Yes, even times of overpowering happiness. You will prepare yourself for an eternity of glorious life with your loved ones who qualify for that kingdom” (“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 18).

Doctrine and Covenants 108:6

The Prophet Joseph Smith:

“The Seventies are at liberty to go to Zion if they please or go wheresoever they will and preach the gospel. Let the redemption of Zion be our object, and strive to affect it by sending up all the strength of the Lord’s house wherever we find them” (Journals, Volume 1: 1832–1839, vol. 1 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers [2008], 215; spelling, punctuation, and capitalization standardized; see also History of the Church, 2:432).

Doctrine and Covenants 137:5–6

Joseph Smith loved and admired his eldest brother, Alvin. Alvin loved Joseph too, and he supported Joseph in his preparation to receive the gold plates from the angel Moroni. In November 1823, when Alvin was 25 years old and Joseph was 17, Alvin suddenly became gravely ill. As his condition worsened and it became apparent that he would soon die, he counseled Joseph: “I want you to be a good boy and do everything that lies in your power to obtain the records. Be faithful in receiving instruction and keeping every commandment that is given you” (quoted in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 401; see also Church History in the Fulness of Times Student Manual, 2nd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 41–42).

Alvin’s death brought great sorrow to the Smith family. A Presbyterian minister in Palmyra, New York, officiated at Alvin’s funeral. “As Alvin had not been a member of the minister’s congregation, the clergyman asserted in his sermon that Alvin could not be saved. William Smith, Joseph’s younger brother, recalled: ‘[The minister] … intimated very strongly that [Alvin] had gone to hell, for Alvin was not a church member, but he was a good boy and my father did not like it’” (quoted in Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 401, 403).

Doctrine and Covenants 137:9

President Dallin H. Oaks:

“Are we sure to be guiltless under the law of God if we merely refrain from evil acts? What if we entertain evil thoughts and desires?

“Will hateful feelings go unnoticed in the day of judgment? Will envy? Will covetousness? …

“Our answers to such questions illustrate what we might call the bad news, that we can sin without overt acts, merely by our feelings and the desires of our hearts.

“There is also good news. Under the law of God, we can be rewarded for righteousness even where we are unable to perform the acts that are usually associated with such blessings.

“When someone wanted to do something for my father-in-law but was prevented by circumstances, he would say, ‘Thank you. I will take the good will for the deed.’ Similarly, I believe that our Father in Heaven will receive the true desires of our hearts as a substitute for actions that are genuinely impossible” (“The Desires of Our Hearts,” Ensign, June 1986, 66).

President Dallin H. Oaks:

“First, we must remember that desire is a substitute only when action is truly impossible. If we attempt to use impossibility of action as a cover for our lack of true desire and therefore do not do all that we can to perform the acts that have been commanded, we may deceive ourselves, but we will not deceive the Righteous Judge.

“In order to serve as a substitute for action, desire cannot be superficial, impulsive, or temporary. It must be heartfelt, through and through. To be efficacious for blessings, the desires of our hearts must be so genuine that they can be called godly.

“Second, we should not assume that the desires of our hearts can serve as a substitute for an ordinance of the gospel. Consider the words of the Lord in commanding two gospel ordinances: ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:5.) And in respect to the three degrees in the celestial glory, modern revelation states, ‘In order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage].’ (D&C 131:2.) No exception is implied in these commands or authorized elsewhere in the scriptures.

“In the justice and mercy of God, these rigid commands pertaining to essential ordinances are tempered by divine authorization to perform those ordinances by proxy for those who did not have them performed in this life. Thus, a person in the spirit world who so desires is credited with participating in the ordinance just as if he or she had done so personally. In this manner, through the loving service of living proxies, departed spirits are also rewarded for the desires of their hearts” (“The Desires of Our Hearts,” Ensign, June 1986, 67).

Doctrine and Covenants 137:10

Elder Shayne M. Bowen:

“While serving as young missionaries in Chile, my companion and I met a family of seven in the branch. The mother attended every week with her children. We assumed that they were longtime members of the Church. After several weeks we learned that they had not been baptized.

“We immediately contacted the family and asked if we could come to their home and teach them. …

“Sister Ramirez advanced rapidly through the lessons. She was anxious to learn all the doctrine that we taught. One evening as we were discussing infant baptism, we taught that little children are innocent and have no need for baptism. We invited her to read in the book of Moroni: …

“‘But little children are alive in Christ, even from the foundation of the world; if not so, God is a partial God, and also a changeable God, and a respecter to persons; for how many little children have died without baptism!’ [Moroni 8:12.]

“After reading this scripture, Sister Ramirez began sobbing. My companion and I were confused. I asked, ‘Sister Ramirez, have we said or done something that has offended you?’

“She said, ‘Oh, no, Elder, you haven’t done anything wrong. Six years ago I had a baby boy. He died before we could have him baptized. Our priest told us that because he had not been baptized, he would be in limbo for all eternity. For six years I have carried that pain and guilt. After reading this scripture, I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true. I have felt a great weight taken off of me, and these are tears of joy.’ …

“After she suffered almost unbearable grief and pain for six years, the true doctrine, revealed by a loving Father in Heaven through a living prophet, brought sweet peace to this tormented woman. Needless to say, Sister Ramirez and her children who were eight years and older were baptized” (“Because I Live, Ye Shall Live Also,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 15–16).