I was just listening to a talk from the 1985 October General Conference. In this talk, Elder Theodore M. Burton discusses his role on a special committee designed to assist those who are returning to The Church from excommunication (being formally removed from the roles of The Church, losing certain privileges and rights). He discusses the pattern which he uses to determine whether or not someone has sufficiently repented enough to return to full fellowship within The Church. One of the things he discusses is the need for mercy and love with such individuals. He talks about the impact upon the lives of the families of those who have committed such deep sins that they would need to be removed from The Church. Not only have these families had to deal with the stinging pain of the sin, they also now have to deal with the recourse that surrounds excommunication. Overall, his talk was one of love, forgiveness, and repentance and rebirth.
One thing kept coming to mind for me during this talk was the fact that while there are those who commit such sins that require this kind of action, there are many who commit lesser sins, lose their own faith, and remove themselves from The Church. I wonder if this is part of God's plan. As people move away from the Gospel, they stop progressing. They no longer feel the spirit, they no longer are learning things of eternal importance. So much of what we learn in The Church is heavily dependent upon the Holy Ghost. Two people can sit in the same lesson, and learn two entirely different things. A third may learn nothing at all, and a fourth may learn something so personally important as to change their entire life from that point on. This is how God works. He does not pour a bucket of knowledge upon us, it is little by little, piece by piece, here a little and there a little. Those who leave The Church of their own accord are no longer in situations where they can easily gain this knowledge directly from Heaven. I am not saying they cannot learn things, they obviously still can, but the bulk of spiritual growth that occurs in a spiritual setting must happen just in that: a spiritual setting. The reason I wonder if this is God's plan is because when someone removes themselves because of sin, and continues to sin more and more gravely, they are under greater condemnation the more knowledge they have. God judges based on the light and knowledge we have received in this lifetime, and will not hold us accountable for a law we did not know we were breaking. If someone has lost the spirit, and can no longer receive revelation, they may not necessarily know they are breaking further commandments, and therefore, are not under so great a condemnation as one who knows full well that they sin against the word of God.
As such individuals find their way back to God, they are brought to an awareness of their sins, and they are able to repent. Yes, that repentance will absolutely be hell. It will be challenging, and they will go through a lot of pain as a result, but they will ultimately repent and return, far stronger than they ever were.
I testify that no matter how far you think you have gone, how low you think you are, how far gone you think you are, how deeply you feel you have sinned, or how strongly you feel you have rebelled, there is absolutely hope. God is willing to forgive if you are willing to repent. I will warn that it will be hard, but that it will absolutely be worth it. It will be worth every tear, every bit of pain, sorrow, sadness, remorse, loss, or sacrifice. It will absolutely be worth everything you need to go through. In the words of Alma: "Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisit and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy." Alma 36:21
I testify of this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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