If you repent daily, take a moment to consider why you repent. If you don't repent, why is that?
One of the motivations for the Nephites' repentance was to avoid the "never-ending torment" that comes as a natural consequence of sin. This consequence applies both in this life and in the life to come. Thankfully, when our Savior Jesus Christ performed the Atonement, He suffered on our behalf so that we can be saved from the consequences of sin if we choose to repent and follow Him.
Mosiah 5
5And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.
In addition to avoiding the eternal consequences of sin, the Lord has repeatedly promised blessings to those who repent and strive to be more like Him. In Mosiah 4 & 5, we learn about some of the blessings that are promised to the repentant.
Mosiah 4
12And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.
Mosiah 5
3And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.
If we repent regularly, we are promised that we will:
"always rejoice"
"be filled with the love of God"
"always retain a remission of [our] sins"
gain knowledge of the glory of Heavenly Father
gain "knowledge of that which is just and true"
have "great views of that which is to come," or in other words, have hope
receive personal revelation and guidance from our Heavenly Father
In Mosiah 4:3, which we will explore a little later, we learn that repentance also brings peace and joy and invites the Spirit of the Lord to come upon us.
What are the conditions for receiving forgiveness from the Lord?
In the account of King Benjamin's address found in Mosiah 4, some of the conditions for receiving a remission of sins are laid out.
Mosiah 4
2And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
3And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
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6I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—
7I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world.
In verse 2, we read that the Nephites were humble and recognized their imperfection. "They had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth." In their humility, feeling sorrow for their sins, they cried "aloud with one voice," or in other words, they asked the Lord for forgiveness and did so sincerely. If we continue reading to verse 3, we learn that the Nephites, after asking for forgiveness, received a remission of their sins "because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ."
After the Nephites were forgiven of their sins, King Benjamin taught them how they could continue to receive forgiveness for their sins, and eventually receive salvation. In verse 6 we read that he encouraged the Nephites to:
Come to know God and understand Christ's Atonement
Diligently keep the commandments
Endure, faithfully, to the end
Will the Lord forgive me?
Yes. The Lord has promised that He will forgive those that sincerely repent. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ both love us all dearly and want us to return to Their presence. If Heavenly Father were not willing to forgive sinners, He would not have provided Jesus Christ as a Savior.
John 3
16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Similarly, Jesus Christ showed His desire for us to be saved and exalted when He performed the Atonement and suffered the consequences of our sins.
Doctrine and Covenants 19
16For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
In Mosiah 26:30, the Lord told Alma:
Mosiah 26
30Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me.
In King Benjamin's address, he instructed the Nephites to "administer to those in need" even if those in need had, "brought upon [themselves their] misery." Similarly, if we repent with sincerity, the Lord forgives us even when we have brought about our own suffering by choosing to sin.
Mosiah 4
16And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
It is important to remember that the Lord does not require immediate perfection or grandiose changes. He does not even require perfectly consistent effort. The Lord knows that we are imperfect and that we will sin repeatedly. That's why He promised to forgive as often as we repent. Despite our imperfection, if our desires are to do good and serve the Lord and if we strive to be like Jesus, the Lord will be pleased.
Mosiah 4
27And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
There are many examples in the scriptures of people that repeatedly committed great sins but were forgiven when they repented and changed their ways.
One such example is Paul (formerly Saul). Among the sins of Paul detailed in the scriptures, he:
sought to destroy the church of God
imprisoned many Christians
consented to the martyrdom of Stephen
left for Damascus for the purpose of persecuting the believers
After Paul's encounter with an angel, he changed his ways, repented, and was forgiven. He was forgiven not because he saw an angel, but because of his sincere repentance.
The sons of Mosiah and Alma the Younger also sought to destroy the church of God despite presumably being taught the gospel by their fathers. Despite their sins, they too were forgiven when they committed to change their lives and serve the Lord.
Mosiah 27
8Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities.
9And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them.
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24For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.
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28Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.
29My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.
If the Lord is willing to forgive Paul, Alma, and the sons of Mosiah of their sins, would He not then be willing to forgive you of your sins when you repent?
How can I know whether I have been forgiven?
Sometimes it can be difficult to know whether or not we have been forgiven for past transgressions. Oftentimes, we have a hard time forgiving ourselves and the feelings of guilt and shame that we feel can cause us to believe that our Heavenly Father hasn't forgiven us, or that He never will. These feelings can cause us to punish ourselves unnecessarily and even deny ourselves of blessings that the Lord has in store for us. Mosiah 4:3 teaches us three signs that we can look for as an indication that we have been forgiven.
Mosiah 4
3And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
During King Benjamin's address, the Nephites, having faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ, pray and ask for forgiveness. In return, the Lord gives them three signs that they have been forgiven.
"the Spirit of the Lord came upon them"
"they were filled with joy"
"peace of conscience"
During our daily repentance, we can look for these signs as indications that the Lord has forgiven us. When the Lord gives us signs such as these to reassure us, we should not dismiss them as coincidence or doubt them.
It is important to note that feelings of guilt, shame, discouragement, anxiety, and fear may persist even after we have been forgiven. These feelings are not necessarily an indication that we haven't been forgiven by the Lord, but rather, they may be an indication that we haven't forgiven ourselves yet.
How can I forgive myself?
Sometimes we continue to feel guilt and shame even after we have been forgiven by God. Heavenly Father does not want us to dwell on past mistakes; rather, He wants us to feel joy when we repent.
Forgiving yourself comes from recognizing that you are no longer the person that you were when you made the bad decision for which you feel ashamed. Change is at the very center of our earthly experience. As we forsake our sins, repent, and strive to be better, we are changed. Making a firm commitment to continue to progress and behave in a more Christlike manner will also help you to forgive yourself.
As with all things, we can also pray to our Heavenly Father and ask for help to forgive ourselves. We can pray for help trusting that the Lord has fully forgiven us. Enos demonstrated such trust in his response to the Lord forgiving him of his past mistakes.
Enos 1
5And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.
6And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.