Repentance

We were asked an interesting question in Sunday School. We read a verse in Helaman that more or less said to repent and turn to God. We were asked if we could repent without turning to God. What do you think?

The answers we got in Sunday School were pretty uninformative.

"Repentance" is normally defined as "a turning away" or "a change of heart". Defined as such, the question becomes: can you change your own heart without God's help?

Agency is an incredible thing. One of the most interesting things about it is the effects of our choices. What do our choices do to us? They change us. If we choose to do something evil, we become more accustomed to that bad thing. We being to enjoy it more. We become more evil. Same thing for when we choose to do good. We become good.

So, in answer to the question, if we've sinned, can we change our heart by our own choices and determination? Yes. When we recognize shortcomings in ourselves and resolve to fix them, with determination we can fix them.

There are 2 ways we can change. We can change ourselves, as I've just noted, or we can allow ourselves (with our permission) to be changed. The first way is very arduous and difficult. And it takes a long time.

The other way, if we let ourselves be changed, can happen quick. If we ask God to change us, and show that we do in fact have the resolve to change ourselves if necessary, He can change our hearts in a moment. It's the only way we can truly change in a relatively short period of time.

And it is only by turning to God that we can receive forgiveness for our sins. For Christ is our mediator. And even if we turn ourselves from our sins, we have not paid for those that we had committed. And we must, or we must turn to Christ in faith that He will pay for them in our stead.

So, if you include obtaining forgiveness in the equation of repentance, than the answer, of course, is a resounding 'no'. Change is an amazing thing.