Ensign, “How Can I Know That The Lord Has Forgiven Me?,” January 2015; “If the time comes when you have done all that you can to repent of your sins, whoever you are, wherever you are, and have made amends and restitution to the best of your ability; if it be something that will affect your
standing in the Church and you have gone to the proper authorities, then you will want that confirming answer as to whether or not the Lord has accepted of you. In your soul-searching, if you seek for and you find that peace of conscience, by that token you may know that the Lord has accepted of your repentance. Satan would have you think otherwise and sometimes persuade you that now having made one mistake, you might go on and on with no turning back. That is one of the great falsehoods. The miracle of forgiveness is available to all of those who turn from their evil doings and return no more.” – Harold B. Lee
1 John 1:9; “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
Hmmm…I thought the Church denounced Catholicism because of things like this…
Why do Mormons have to attend a confessional to receive confirmation Jesus has forgiven them when they repent?
Whatever happened to reading your Bible to find out what God says about confessing sins and receiving forgiveness?
What if your bishop, or whomever you’ve confessed to, doesn’t think it’s enough? Then what do you do?
Feelings come and go, God’s truth doesn’t, so how can we rely on our feelings? What if you ‘feel’ God has forgiven your sin today, but tomorrow you don’t? Now what?
The other problem with this scenario is content. You see, it’s not just a matter of asking for forgiveness of sins and all is forgotten.
If you don’t believe Jesus really died on the cross for your sins and was raised on the third day, then confessing sins means nothing. You’re not just confessing that you’ve sinned. You’re also confessing that Jesus died on the cross for you and through His death, He fulfilled the role of sacrifice for sins.
Mormons don’t believe this. Mormons believe Jesus paid for sins at Gethsemane. The Bible doesn’t say the Perfect Lamb of God was sacrificed at Gethsemane.
He didn’t die in the Garden. He died on the cross. He spilt His blood for our sins on the cross.
1 John 1:9 that’s it! Stand on that verse. The falsity of Mormonism is you “work for it” in everything. Not here. Jesus paid for your sins. Period. It’s a debt we can never repay. Coming to Him in prayer each day, confessing your sins, and He wipes the slate clean again. Just stand on that verse as it is solid ground. ________________________________