2016 Seminar for New Mission Presidents How to Teach Repentance Bishop W. Christopher Waddell Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric June 24, 2016 Bishop W. Christopher Waddell: Presidents and sisters, it is an absolute thrill to be with you in this seminar. As Elder Andersen noted, it was 10 years ago that my wife, Carol, and I were sitting where you re sitting, and seeing you brings back some remarkable memories the enthusiasm, the excitement, some of the fear. And everything works out. Those three years were just a remarkable experience for us and for our family. We re thrilled for you, for the opportunity that you have and the opportunity that your missionaries have to be taught by you. Like you, I m grateful for the Spirit that has been here the last day and a half, for the things that we ve been able to learn from what s been said, from what we ve seen, and perhaps most importantly, from what we felt the impressions that we ve had from the Spirit. I know all of you have had impressions, and we ve all prayed for the Spirit to be present. My prayer is that the Spirit will continue to be present during this time that I have to share with you, that the principles, the doctrines that I m hoping to share, will be understood and will be understood in ways that are unique perhaps to each of you with the responsibilities that you have. Even though we all have the same gospel of Jesus Christ we teach from Preach My Gospel, we teach the scriptures, we teach the words of the prophets every mission is unique. Every mission is unique in the logistics. Each mission is unique with the missionaries and with the challenges and trials and opportunities that each of you will have. As I prepared for this seminar, I had an experience that influenced how I wanted to approach the theme or the topic that I was assigned, which is how to teach repentance. In mid-april of this year, there was a strong earthquake that hit the country of Ecuador. It was an approximately 7.2-magnitude earthquake, and it caused quite a bit of destruction. There were many deaths. There were many people who were displaced. There were many buildings that were destroyed. With my new assignment in the Presiding Bishopric, a little over a week after the earthquake, I was able to go to Ecuador and visit a few of the cities where the damage was most severe. As you can see on the screen, there s one building that has some red brick and, above that, cinder block. I was looking at that building, and I thought it was interesting that that building had withstood the earthquake. I said, Well, it looks like this building was just fine. And someone said, Look a little bit closer. And then we noticed that the floor we were looking at, at ground level, was actually the third floor of the building.
happens when we build with a firm foundation and when we build with no foundation whether we build on rock or whether we build on sand, and what happens when that takes place and the need to dig deep when we are providing and establishing that foundation. 3 What had taken place was that the original construction with the red brick included a foundation that was appropriate for the size of the building. Unfortunately, people went back and added to the building. That s where you see the cinder block, which is construction that took place after the fact but which was done without changing or strengthening the foundation of the building. So when the earthquake struck, because the foundation was not sufficient to withstand the tremors and because it was not strong enough to hold up what had been placed on it, the building collapsed, killing many of the people who lived there. The principle of a strong foundation, of a foundation that we need to withstand the challenges and trials of life, the challenges and trials of a mission that principle of a strong and appropriate foundation is a principle that is found and taught throughout the scriptures and has been taught by many prophets, seers, and revelators. There are just a few scriptures that I will use as examples. We could go through and find many scriptures throughout the standard works, but for the sake of time, I ll just briefly mention four. The first that came to my mind is found in 1 Nephi 8. Actually, it doesn t talk about a foundation. We learn there about the lack of a foundation. We learn there of the great and spacious building that s standing high in the air, and it has no foundation. 1 We learn later, in chapter 11, that the building falls, and as the scripture says, and the fall thereof was exceedingly great. 2 In Luke 6, in a passage also found in the other Gospels, we read of the difference between what In Ephesians 2, we read of the foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ, that it is built on a foundation of prophets and apostles with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. 4 Finally, in Helaman 5:12, we read of the foundation of all foundations, and that is the foundation of Jesus Christ, upon which if we build, we are taught, we cannot fall. We even find instruction regarding foundations in one of my favorite hymns, How Firm a Foundation. Well, this principle of a strong foundation that we read throughout the scriptures also applies when we teach how to teach repentance, when we are learning how to do that. There are two passages that I would like to share with you that provide guidance as to the type of foundation that we need to establish in order to teach repentance, and that is a foundation built on faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. The first passage teaches that one layer in the foundation of teaching repentance is to understand and apply the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and that is found in Alma 42:15 and 22 23: And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.... But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance, mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God. 2016 Seminar for New Mission Presidents 2
But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice. I know many of you have read, as part of your preparation for this seminar, the conference talk from President James E. Faust The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope. I would now like to show a brief video clip from President Faust s talk. As you watch, and from your reading, I invite you to consider your thoughts regarding the connection between the Atonement and repentance. So let s now watch President Faust. [Video starts] President James E. Faust: No man knows the full weight of what our Savior bore, but by the power of the Holy Ghost we can know something of the supernal gift He gave us [see 1 Corinthians 12:3]. In the words of our sacrament hymn: We may not know, we cannot tell, [The] pains he had to bear, But we believe it was for us He hung and suffered there. [ There Is a Green Hill Far Away, Hymns, no. 194] He suffered so much pain, indescribable anguish, and overpowering torture [John Taylor, The Mediation and Atonement (1882), 150] for our sake. His profound suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, where He took upon Himself all the sins of all other mortals, caused Him to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit [D&C 19:18]. And being in... agony he prayed more earnestly [Luke 22:44], saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done [Matthew 26:42]. He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot and denied by Peter. He was mocked by the chief priests and officers; He was stripped, smitten, spat upon, and scourged in the judgment hall [see Matthew 26:47 75; 27:28 31]. He was led to Golgotha, where nails were driven into His hands and feet. He hung in agony for hours on a wooden cross bearing the title written by Pilate: JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS [John 19:19]. Darkness came, and about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? [Matthew 27:46]. No one could help Him; He was treading the winepress alone. Then Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost [Matthew 27:50]. And one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith [there came] out blood and water [John 19:34]. And the earth did quake, and when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the son of God [Matthew 27:51, 54]. In the words of the hymn, Let me not forget, O Savior, / Thou didst bleed and die for me [ In Humility, Our Savior, Hymns, no. 172]. I wonder how many drops of blood were shed for me. He did what could only be done by Deity. As the Only Begotten Son of the Father in the flesh, Jesus inherited divine attributes. He was the only person ever born into mortality who could perform this most significant and supernal act. As the only sinless Man who ever lived on this earth, He was not subject to spiritual death. But because of His godhood, He also possessed power over physical death. Thus He did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He broke the cold grasp of death. [Video ends] Bishop W. Christopher Waddell: As we consider the Atonement as part of the foundation that is required in teaching repentance, I ve asked four of you to briefly share a scriptural passage that is meaningful to you regarding the Atonement. And so we d like to begin with Sister Dana Murphy, who is 2016 Seminar for New Mission Presidents 3
going to be serving with her husband in the Ecuador Quito North Mission. Sister Dana Murphy: I taught seminary this year, in the Old Testament, and this scripture became very important to our class as a whole as we tried to find Christ throughout the Old Testament not only for its poetic nature, but just the great message it teaches about the Atonement. Isaiah 53: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 5 I was very grateful on the last day of class. I asked the class to tell me what was the most important thing that they learned throughout the year that they would take with them. And one little student in my class that was dealing with very significant challenges in her family raised her hand. When I called on her, she said, Sister Murphy, it s with his stripes we are healed. And I was so grateful that of all the things that I could teach this class, they would take away the great power and love of the Savior through the Atonement. Bishop W. Christopher Waddell: We would now like to hear from President Luis Rodriguez, who with his wife will be serving in the Bolivia Santa Cruz Mission. President Luis Rodriguez: The first time I read Doctrine and Covenants 19:16 19, I was investigating the Church. And I felt Jesus Christ really was speaking. I was impressed how the Lord explained His suffering on the benefits of the Atonement for mankind: For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men. Bishop W. Christopher Waddell: Thank you, President Rodriguez. We d now like to hear from Sister Stephanie Gwilliam, who with her husband will be serving in the Chile Santiago South Mission. Sister Stephanie Gwilliam: Early in the Book of Mormon, Nephi preaches and teaches the people about this sacrifice of the Atonement, which is marvelous to me that 600 years before His birth, it was given in such detail: And behold he cometh, according to the words of the angel, in six hundred years from the time my father left Jerusalem. And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. 6 While we can t understand or go through what Christ went through for us, we can magnify the loving kindness and the long-suffering towards His children. This scripture was kind of a theme for us as we worked in the temple in San Diego for one year, and it became very dear to us as we looked for ways that we could help and uplift the patrons as they came to the temple and see their unshown needs and things that they needed help with. And I see how much more that is needed in the mission field, not only to those that we will teach about the gospel but to our missionaries as well. 2016 Seminar for New Mission Presidents 4
Bishop W. Christopher Waddell: Thank you. And now President Lonny Townsend, who with his companion will be serving in the Arizona Mesa Mission. President Lonny Townsend: I love Amulek s teachings about the Atonement in Alma 34, and I m going to share verses 14 through 16: And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal. And thus [shall he] bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption. I love the imagery that, as we repent, mercy can overcome justice and encircles us about in those arms. I ve felt that many times in my life as I ve repented, just a feeling of being encircled in the arms of Christ, and I love that. Bishop W. Christopher Waddell: Thank you very much. My wife, Carol, mentioned that if I keep asking our friends to participate like this, I won t have any friends after a while. But thank you for sharing those thoughts. A thought that we could remember regarding the Atonement and behavior, or change, is that a change of behavior is possible without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, but repentance and a change of heart is not possible without the Atonement of Jesus Christ. There is no repentance without the Savior. There may be change of behavior but not a change of heart, and that s what we re seeking. A change of heart would be a definition of conversion. Teach repentance and baptize converts. President Faust also said: The Atonement cleanses us of sin on condition of our repentance. Repentance is the condition on which mercy is extended [see Alma 42:22 25]. After all we can do to pay to the uttermost farthing and make right our wrongs, the Savior s grace is activated in our lives through the Atonement [see 2 Nephi 25:23; Alma 34:15 16; 42:22 24; Moroni 10:32 33]. 7 The second passage that I would like to refer to is in Alma 34:14 17. It is a passage that refers to faith unto repentance: And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal. And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance. And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption. Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you. What I would invite you to consider as you review that passage of scriptures is to ask yourself, What is it about faith in Jesus Christ that would lead someone to repent, recognizing that it is necessary 2016 Seminar for New Mission Presidents 5
to have faith in Christ and in His Atonement in order to be able to repent appropriately? President Marion G. Romney, in a conference address, taught: True repentance, followed by baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, brings forgiveness. Such repentance is impossible without faith in the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.... It is this repentance, based upon faith in Jesus and hope through the atonement of Christ... of which I speak today (see Moro. 7:41).... This is the repentance to which Jesus Christ, our Lord, calls us. 8 As we prepare to teach repentance by building on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, we are actually following a divine pattern that the Lord has provided for us. We heard today, both from President Henry B. Eyring and from Elder David A. Bednar, the concept of patterns. We read in Alma 34 a pattern that was repeated over and over about faith unto repentance. And as we know, the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants taught us that He would give us a pattern in all things so that we would not be deceived. 9 Ten years ago, as Carol and I were sitting where you are preparing to depart with our family for the Spain Barcelona Mission, just as in this seminar we received wonderful instruction from prophets, seers, and revelators, along with many thoughts and impressions. The most impactful and individual instruction that I remember came on the last day, when President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke. He taught that after all is said and done, our primary duty and privilege is to testify of Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior and Redeemer of mankind. I d now like to review the pattern. This pattern comes from three sources: our missionary purpose, found on page 1 of Preach My Gospel, to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. That s a pattern that we re given for missionary work, but for a pattern to be a pattern, we need to see it in other places as well. So we can now turn to the fourth article of faith: We believe the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. We now have two steps in a pattern. And the third step comes from President Romney, and I d like to repeat again what he said: True repentance, followed by baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, brings forgiveness. Such repentance is impossible without faith in the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.... It is this repentance, based upon faith in Jesus and hope through the atonement of Christ... of which I speak today (see Moro. 7:41).... This is the repentance to which Jesus Christ, our Lord, calls us. Presidents and sisters, this is how we teach repentance. We teach and testify of Jesus Christ and of His atoning sacrifice. We help missionaries, we help investigators, we help members to develop faith unto repentance. In Preach My Gospel, missionaries are taught to create a climate when they teach. In regards to the teaching of repentance, the climate they must create comes by teaching faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Otherwise, as President Romney taught, such repentance is impossible. Presidents and sisters, I add my witness that it is because of Him that we can repent, that we can change. We can change. Take that phrase, How to teach repentance, and really turn it into a question: How to teach repentance? There is no repentance if it is not connected to faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. There is a pattern that the Lord has established. He has given us patterns, and the order of those patterns are significant. It is significant that repentance is the second step in that pattern and the first step is faith in Jesus Christ and in His 2016 Seminar for New Mission Presidents 6
Atonement. As we then teach our missionaries how to teach repentance, begin by helping them understand the Atonement of Jesus Christ, to help them to understand His atoning sacrifice and how it applies to them and how it applies to everyone that they will come in contact with. Understanding the Atonement of Jesus Christ will lead to faith in Jesus Christ that will cause us to desire to repent. It will be faith unto repentance faith that there is a mighty change of heart in those individuals that we will be teaching, that we can bring them the gospel of Jesus Christ and the joy that comes from accepting the gospel and from making that change, from becoming converted and ultimately being sealed as families and creating eternal families. I testify that this work is divine; that Jesus Christ lives, and as we just saw, He lived, He died, and He took His life up again; and that because of Him, we can repent. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. Notes 1. See 1 Nephi 8:26. 2. 1 Nephi 11:36. 3. See Luke 6:47 49. 4. See Ephesians 2:19 20. 5. Isaiah 53:4 5. 6. 1 Nephi 19:8 9. 7. The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope, Ensign, Nov. 2001, 19. 8. Repentance, Ensign, Nov. 1980, 47. 9. See Doctrine and Covenants 52:14. 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. English approval: 5/16. PD60001923