Healing What You Cannot Heal
“Restoring what you cannot restore, healing the wound you cannot heal, fixing that which you broke and you cannot fix is the very purpose of the atonement of Christ. When your desire is firm and you are willing to pay the uttermost farthing (see Matt. 5:25:-26), the law of restitution is suspended. Your obligation is transferred to the Lord. He will settle your accounts. I repeat, save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ.” (Boyd K. Packer, “The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,” General Conference October 1995; Ensign, Nov. 1995, pp. 19-20)
Elder Packer has also written this beautiful poem –
“What must be done to make us clean
We cannot do alone.
The law, to be a law, requires
A pure one must atone.
He taught that justice will be stayed
Til mercy’s claim be heard
If we repent and are baptized
And live by every word…
If we could only understand
All we have heard and seen,
We’d know there is no greater gift
Than those two words–“Washed clean!”
(April 1997 Ensign, which contains a longer version of this poem)
~ Sister Pat Barton
1 Nephi 10:18 “For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.”
1 Nephi 11:33 “And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white.”
Mosiah 4:2 “And 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.”
Alma 42:13 “Therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God.”
Helaman 5:11 “And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.”
DC 59:23 “But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world, and eternal life in the world to come.”