Forgiveness

The Miracle of Forgiveness

"Don't put your eternal life at risk. Keep the commandments of God. If you have sinned, the sooner you begin to make your way back, the sooner you will find the sweet peace and joy that come with the miracle of forgiveness. Happiness comes from living the way the Lord wants you to live and from service to God and others." (Thomas S. Monson, "Preparation Brings Blessings," Ensign, May 2010)

Repentance and Forgiveness

"The fruit of true repentance is forgiveness, which opens the door to receive all of the covenants and ordinances provided on this earth and to enjoy the resulting blessings. When a repentant soul is baptized, all former sins are forgiven and need not be remembered. When repentance is full and one has been cleansed, there comes a new vision of life and its glorious possibilities. How marvelous the promise of the Lord: 'Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.' The Lord is and ever will be faithful to His words." (Richard G. Scott, "Finding Forgiveness," New Era, Mar. 2010)

Divine Forgiveness

“I testify that the Savior is able and eager to forgive our sins. Except for the sins of those few who choose perdition after having known a fulness, there is no sin that cannot be forgiven (see Boyd K. Packer, “The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 19). What a marvelous privilege for each of us to turn away from our sins and to come unto Christ. Divine forgiveness is one of the sweetest fruits of the gospel, removing guilt and pain from our hearts and replacing them with joy and peace of conscience. Jesus declares, ‘Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?’ (3 Nephi 9:13).” (Neil L. Andersen, “Repent . . . That I May Heal You,” Ensign, Nov. 2009)

The Need to Forgive

“Is there someone in your life who perhaps needs forgiveness? Is there someone in your home, someone in your family, someone in your neighborhood who has done an unjust or an unkind or an unchristian thing? All of us are guilty of such transgressions, so there surely must be someone who yet needs your forgiveness.” (Jeffrey R. Holland, “Amazed at the Love Jesus Offers Me,” New Era, Dec. 2008)

We Show Love through Our Actions

“When we truly love our Heavenly Father and His children, we demonstrate that love through our actions. We forgive one another and seek to do good, for ‘our old [self] is crucified with [Christ].’ We ‘visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,’ and we keep ourselves ‘unspotted from the vices of the world.’ ” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “We Are Doing a Great Work and Cannot Come Down,” Ensign, May 2009)

Of One Heart and One Mind

"As we consider the unity required for Zion to flourish, we should ask ourselves if we have overcome jarrings, contentions, envyings, and strifes (see D&C 101:6). Are we individually and as a people free from strife and contention and united 'according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom'? (D&C 105:4). Forgiveness of one another is essential to this unity. Jesus said, 'I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men' (D&C 64:10).

"We will become of one heart and one mind as we individually place the Savior at the center of our lives and follow those He has commissioned to lead us." (D. Todd Christofferson, "Come to Zion," Ensign, Nov. 2008)

Forgiveness Comes in and through Jesus Christ

"Of all the necessary steps to repentance, the most critically important is for you to have a conviction that forgiveness comes in and through Jesus Christ. It is essential to know that only on His terms can you be forgiven. You will be helped as you exercise faith in Christ. That means you trust Him and His teachings. Satan would have you believe that serious transgression cannot be entirely overcome. I testify that the Savior gave His life so that through repentance the effects of all sin can be put behind you, save the shedding of innocent blood and the denial of the Holy Ghost." (Richard G. Scott, "Peace of Conscience and Peace of Mind," Ensign, Nov. 2004)

" Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way." (Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2005)

Dieter F. Uchtdorf: "When our hearts are filled with the love of God, we become "kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving." (The Merciful Obtain Mercy, April 2012 General Conference)



President Spencer W. Kimball said, “If we have been wronged or injured, forgiveness means to blot it completely from our minds. To forgive and forget is an ageless counsel. ‘To be wronged or robbed,’ said the Chinese philosopher Confucius, ‘is nothing unless you continue to remember it.’”

(Ensign, Nov. 1977)

Forgiveness in Marriage is Essential

"Don't treasure up past wrongs, reprocessing them again and again. In a marriage relationship, festering is destructive; forgiving is divine (see D&C 64:9-10). Plead for the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord to forgive wrongs . . . , to overcome faults, and to strengthen relationships."(Dallin H. Oaks, "Divorce," Ensign, May 2007)

Experiencing the Sweet Peace of Forgiveness

"Sometimes we carry unhappy feelings about past hurts too long. We spend too much energy dwelling on things that have passed and cannot be changed. We struggle to close the door and let go of the hurt. If, after time, we can forgive whatever may have caused the hurt, we will tap 'into a life-giving source of comfort' through the Atonement, and the 'sweet peace' of forgiveness will be ours ("My Journey to Forgiving," Ensign, Feb. 1997. 43). Some injuries are so hurtful and deep that healing comes only with help from a higher power and hope for perfect justice and restitution in the next life. . . . You can tap into that higher power and receive precious comfort and sweet peace." (James E. Faust, "Instruments in the Hands of God," Ensign, Nov. 2005)

If there is a marriage or family in need of rescue—perhaps even our own—let’s not just wait and see. Rather, let us thank God for the plan of happiness that includes faith, repentance, forgiveness, and new beginnings. Applying priesthood doctrine will qualify us as husbands, as fathers, as sons who understand the why of the priesthood and its power to recapture and secure the beauty and holiness of eternal families. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Why of Priesthood Service, General Conference April 2012)