Doctrine and Covenants 58:2–4

President Brigham Young:

“We talk about our trials and troubles here in this life; but suppose that you could see yourselves thousands and millions of years after you have proved faithful to your religion during the few short years in this time, and have obtained eternal salvation and a crown of glory in the presence of God? Then look back upon your lives here, and see the losses, crosses, and disappointments; … you would be constrained to exclaim, ‘but what of all that? Those things were but for a moment, and we are now here. We have been faithful during a few moments in our mortality, and now we enjoy eternal life and glory’” (“Remarks,” Deseret News, Nov. 9, 1859, 1). (See also Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, 2nd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2001], 119–20.)

Doctrine and Covenants 58:3

Elder Neal A. Maxwell shared a statement by C. S. Lewis:

“C. S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, describes our relationship with God in a special way that can help us to appreciate how submitting ourselves to his will is the only way that spiritual growth can occur:

“‘Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. …’ (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1952, p. 160.)” (“The Value of Home Life,”Ensign, Feb. 1972, 5).

Doctrine and Covenants 58:8–11

“Two feast symbols from the Old Testament apply to the Supper of the Lord: the ‘feast of fat things,’ and the ‘wine on the lees well refined.’ Both are signs of richness, indicating that the feast mentioned here is of great importance (see also D&C 57:5–14; 65:3; Matthew 22:1–14; Revelation 19:7–9)” (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual [Church Education System manual, 2001], 120).

Doctrine and Covenants 58:14–15

Bishop Partridge argued with Joseph Smith about the quality of the land that had been selected in Missouri. He felt that different parcels of land should be purchased instead. The Lord chastened Bishop Partridge for his behavior.

Bishop Partridge accepted the Lord’s rebuke in Doctrine and Covenants 58 with humility. Just a few days after this revelation was given, he wrote to his wife: “You know I stand in an important station & as I am occasionally chastened I sometimes feel as though I must fall, not to give up the cause, but I fear my station is above what I can perform to the acceptance of my hevenly father” (letter to Lydia Partridge, Aug. 5–7, 1831, Church History Library, Salt Lake City). Minutes of a meeting in Zion that considered the argument between the Prophet Joseph and Bishop Partridge say that Partridge said that “he is & has always been sorry” for the disagreement (Minute Book 2, Mar. 10, 1832, 23, Church History Library, Salt Lake City; see also josephsmithpapers.org). A revelation given on September 11, 1831, indicated that Partridge had been forgiven for his conduct (Documents, Volume 2: July1831–January 1833, vol. 2 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers [2013], 62).

Doctrine and Covenants 58:27–28

Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone:

“When I was about ten or eleven, many of our relatives came to visit. There must have been 35 or 40. Mother had invited them all to dinner. After dinner everyone went in the other room and sat down to visit. There were piles of dirty dishes and silverware everywhere. The food had not been put away, and there were dirty pots and pans from all the preparations.

“I remember thinking that later on everyone would leave, and my mother would have all the cleaning up to do. An idea struck me. I started cleaning up. It was in the days before electric dishwashers. Mother had always been very clean, and she taught us how to wash and wipe dishes correctly. I started in on this mountain of work. Finally, about three hours later, I had finished drying the last dish. I had put away all the food, cleaned off all the counters, the sinks, and the floor. The kitchen was spotless.

“I will never forget the look on Mom’s face later on that night when all the guests had left and she came into the kitchen to clean up. I was wet from my chest to my knees. It was worth every particle of effort I had put into it just to see the look on Mom’s face. It was a mixture of emotion, relief, and pride. I made a decision then that I would try to put that look back on her face over and over and over again” (“We Love Those We Serve,” NewEra, Mar. 1988, 19).

Doctrine and Covenants 58:39

Elder D. Todd Christofferson:

“Attempts to create a list of specific steps of repentance may be helpful to some, but it may also lead to a mechanical, check-off-the-boxes approach with no real feeling or change. True repentance is not superficial. The Lord gives two overarching requirements: ‘By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them’ (D&C 58:43)” (“The Divine Gift of Repentance,” Ensign or Liahona,Nov. 2011, 40).

President Russell M. Nelson:

“The doctrine of repentance is much broader than a dictionary’s definition. When Jesus said ‘repent,’ His disciples recorded that command in the Greek language with the verb metanoeo. This powerful word has great significance. In this word, the prefix meta means ‘change.’ The suffix relates to four important Greek terms: nous,meaning ‘the mind’; gnosis, meaning ‘knowledge’; pneuma, meaning ‘spirit’; and pnoe, meaning ‘breath.’

“Thus, when Jesus said ‘repent,’ He asked us to change—to change our mind, knowledge, and spirit—even our breath. A prophet explained that such a change in one’s breath is to breathe with grateful acknowledgment of Him who grants each breath. King Benjamin said, ‘If ye should serve him who has created you … and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath … from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.’ [Mosiah 2:21.]

“Yes, the Lord has commanded us to repent, to change our ways, to come unto Him, and be more like Him. [See 3 Nephi 27:21, 27.] This requires a total change” (“Repentance and Conversion,”Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 103).

Doctrine and Covenants 58:42

President Boyd K. Packer:

“No matter what our transgressions have been, no matter how much our actions may have hurt others, that guilt can all be wiped out. To me, perhaps the most beautiful phrase in all scripture is when the Lord said, ‘Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more’ [D&C 58:42].

“That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement” (“The Atonement,” Ensign or Liahona,Nov. 2012, 77).

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

“Once we have truly repented, Christ will take away the burden of guilt for our sins. We can know for ourselves that we have been forgiven and made clean. The Holy Ghost will verify this to us; He is the Sanctifier. No other testimony of forgiveness can be greater” (“Point of Safe Return,”Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 101).

“Satan will try to make us believe that our sins are not forgiven because wecan remember them. Satan is a liar; he tries to blur our vision and lead us away from the path of repentance and forgiveness. God did not promise that we would not remember our sins. Remembering will help us avoid making the same mistakes again. But if we stay true and faithful, the memory of our sins will be softened over time. This will be part of the needed healing and sanctification process” (“Point of Safe Return,” 101).

For the Strength of Youth:

“Repentance is more than simply acknowledging wrongdoings. It is a change of mind and heart. It includes turning away from sin and turning to God for forgiveness. It is motivated by love for God and the sincere desire to obey His commandments” (Forthe Strength of Youth [booklet, 2011], 28).

Elder F. Burton Howard:

“One final story—once again from when I was a bishop. One night, while I was in a sound sleep, the doorbell rang. I stumbled to answer it and found a young member of my priests quorum at the door. I knew him well, well enough to have gone on outings with him, to have prayed with and about him, and to have taught him. I knew him as well as a good bishop knows any active eighteen-year-old priest, which was well enough for me to ask what he was doing at my front door in the middle of the night.

“He said, ‘I have to talk to you, bishop. I’ve just done something serious, and I can’t go home.’

“He was right. It was serious. I invited him in, and we talked. He talked and I listened, then I talked and he listened, until dawn. He had many questions. He had committed a terrible sin. He wanted to know if there was hope. He wanted to know how to repent. He wanted to know if repentance included telling his parents. He wanted to know if there was any chance of his going on a mission. He wanted to know many other things.

“I didn’t have all of the answers, but I told him there was hope. I told him the way back would be difficult, but it was possible. I explained what I knew about the process of repentance and helped him see what he must do. I told him if he really wanted to go on a mission that that decision could only be made in the future after he had repented. Then I told him to go home, and he did.

“He made his peace with his parents. He asked forgiveness from those he had wronged. He put sin and bad company behind him and did everything he could to repent.

“A year or so later, five young men from that quorum went on missions. He was one of them. I was close to them all. I attended each of their farewells. They all served honorable missions. Within a brief time after returning home, they all were married in the temple. My wife and I attended each of the ceremonies. I could take a piece of paper, even today, and write their names and the names of their wives and some of their children. That is how well I knew them.

“But now let me tell you something—something very private and very important. I cannot remember the name of the young man who came to my home in the middle of the night. I know he was one of the five, but I don’t remember which one.

“There was a time I used to worry about that. I thought perhaps my memory might be failing. I consciously tried to recall who it was that had the problem, but I could not.

“I was eventually released, and I put the entire incident out of my mind. On a late evening walk some years later, I found myself in the ward where I had once been bishop. The shadowy quiet brought back many memories. I was deep in thought when I realized I was walking in front of a house where one of my priests had lived years before. Suddenly, the story of the young man I have mentioned came to mind, and again I tried to remember which of the five he had been. Had he lived in that house? I wondered. Why couldn’t I remember?

“As I continued on my way, something happened—something difficult to explain, but real to me. I seemed to hear a voice which said: ‘Don’t you understand, my son? I have forgotten that. Why should you remember?’

“I was chagrined. There was no satisfactory answer to the question. I have never wondered about it again. And I knew more surely then than I had ever known before that the Lord is pleased when his children return to him.

“All who are shepherds and all lost sheep should note this one last thing. The Lord really meant it when he said, ‘He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more (D&C 58:42)’” (“Come Back to the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 77–78).

Doctrine and Covenants 58:43

Elder D. Todd Christofferson:

“Confessing and forsaking are powerful concepts. They are much more than a casual ‘I admit it; I’m sorry.’ Confession is a deep, sometimes agonizing acknowledgment of error and offense to God and man” (“The Divine Gift of Repentance,”Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 40).

Elder Richard G. Scott:

“You always need to confess your sins to the Lord. If they are serious transgressions, such as [sexual] immorality, they need to be confessed to a bishop or stake president. Please understand that confession is not repentance. It is an essential step but is not of itself adequate. Partial confession by mentioning lesser mistakes will not help you resolve a more serious, undisclosed transgression. Essential to forgiveness is a willingness to fully disclose to the Lord and, where necessary, His priesthood judge all that you have done” (“Finding Forgiveness,” Ensign,May 1995, 76).

President Spencer W. Kimball:

“No one can ever be forgiven of any transgression until there is repentance, and one has not repented until he has bared his soul and admitted his intentions and weaknesses without excuses or rationalizations” (Love versus Lust,Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Jan. 5, 1965], 10).

Elder Richard G. Scott:

“Serious transgression such as immorality requires the help of one who holds keys of authority, such as a bishop or stake president, to quietly work out the repentance process to make sure that it is complete and appropriately done” (“The Power of Righteousness,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 69–70).

Elder Neil L. Andersen:

“The forsaking of sins implies never returning. Forsaking requires time. To help us, the Lord at times allows the residue of our mistakes to rest in our memory. It is a vital part of our mortal learning.

“As we honestly confess our sins, restore what we can to the offended, and forsake our sins by keeping the commandments, we are in the process of receiving forgiveness. With time, we will feel the anguish of our sorrow subside, taking ‘away the guilt from our hearts’ [Alma 24:10] and bringing ‘peace of conscience.’ [Mosiah 4:3.]

“For those who are truly repentant but seem unable to feel relief: continue keeping the commandments. I promise you, relief will come in the timetable of the Lord. Healing also requires time” (“Repent … That I May Heal You,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2009, 42).