Sin Made Simple

“Change your thinking… and participate in the purification ceremony [baptism] that is done in the name of Creator Sets Free (Jesus), the Chosen One, representing him and initiating you into his right ways. You will then be healed from your bad hearts, released from your broken ways, and gifted the Holy Spirit, who will give you the strength to walk the good road with him…. This is how you will be set free and rescued from the bent and twisted ways of this generation” (Acts 2:38, 40, FNV).

What are sins? This is a very important question because how one answers may have a rippling effect on one’s understanding of many other aspects of the Gospel, such as how one approaches ordinances, like the sacrament, and even how one repents.

Many would define sins as some sort of indefinable, spiritually negative burden on the soul, like stains or leeches caught in the dirty waters of living life; and the more of them you have, the more unclean you are—and, by extension, the more unworthy of God’s blessings.

What then is the remedy to sin under this definition? Those who adhere to this view would say that they must be cleansed or washed clean of them. For, as, the scripture says: “No unclean thing can dwell with God” (1 Ne. 10:21). Thus the need for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the ordinances of His gospel, and hence the emphasis put on partaking of the sacrament weekly so as to be repeatedly made clean and thus given as high a chance as possible of being spotless before God at the time He calls you back to his presence. Adherents to this view would then cite the scriptures again, which say:

“Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell. For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you” (Mormon 9:4 – 9).

But, notwithstanding the scriptures that have been quoted, this definition of sin is problematic for many reasons, the fallout of resultant beliefs regarding the atonement of Christ and the purpose of ordinances (as noted above) being among them. Let’s take the sacrament ordinance as an example.

Sins and Ordinances

If one believes that sins are stains, then the purpose of partaking of the bread and wine (or water) becomes ritual cleanliness, which is the false belief that the action of the ordinance takes away the sins of the partaker. (If you’ve ever thought to yourself after partaking, “Ah, finally clean again,” then you’re guilty of this!)

Mormon specifically warned about this type of belief:

“Behold that all little children are alive in Christ, and also all they that are without the law. For the power of redemption cometh on all them that have no law; wherefore, he that is not condemned, or he that is under no condemnation, cannot repent; and unto such baptism availeth nothing—but it is mockery before God, denying the mercies of Christ, and the power of his Holy Spirit, and putting trust in dead works” (Moroni 8:22 – 23).

Mormon here addressed the specific case of people believing that the action of the baptismal ordinance itself cleansed and saved a soul, and called such faith merely ‘trust in dead works.’ People who thus exercised this form of belief naturally evolved to the point of advocating that young children should also be baptized because the focus was the ritual cleanliness. Mormon did not perceive such beliefs as just aberrations to the proper way of thinking, but warned that those who so believed were “in danger of death, hell, and an endless torment” (Ibid., v. 21).

Applying this line of thinking to the sacrament, it is clear that reliance upon that action as the key to cleanliness turns it into a ‘dead work.’ Like baptism, the sacrament is an ordinance instituted by God and must be observed by Christ’s followers, but the reason why this is so must be carefully and scripturally understood. For example, what is it that brings the remission of sins at the time of the baptismal ordinance? Most would assume it’s something to do with the ordinance itself, but the scriptures do not say this:

“The first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins; and the remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God” (Moroni 8:25 – 26).

“And again we bear record—for we saw and heard, and this is the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just—they are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given—that by keeping the commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power” (D&C 76:50 – 52).

Note in the above passages that it is not the works of the ordinance itself that take away sins (an assumption akin to the Jews who believed that “the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” [Heb 10:4])—what takes away sins is doing what the Father says to do (‘fulfilling/keeping the commandments’). In this case it is specifically obeying the command to be immersed in water, for in the end—and all symbolism aside—that action is simply what the Father has instituted as the token of that covenant. Hence Jesus too, sinless as he was, completed these motions “to fulfil all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15), or in other words, to simply fulfill the commandments of the Father.

This fact, that keeping the commandments the Lord remits sins, seems plainly emphasized by the words of the sacrament prayers themselves, which call for three things to be done by those who take part in that ordinance:

1. Be “willing to take” the name of Christ,
2. “Always remember him,” and (emphasis on this last point)
3. “Keep his commandments” (see Moroni 4:3; 5:2).

This shows that the even in the words of the sacrament prayers the path to removing sins is merely pointed to. It is as if the words of the ordinance are saying, “I do not take away your sins; look over here and do these other important things.” If another evidence was needed to show that the sacrament action itself does not remit sins (or, more modernly worded, that the sacrament does not “make you clean again by renewing the baptismal covenant”), look to the words of the Lord who strictly conditioned participation in that ordinance upon being worthy ahead of time:

“And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it; for whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him” (3 Ne 18:28 – 29).

Having established then that neither the sacrament nor baptism inherently have the power to remit sins but that it is the compliance with the Father’s commands to participate in such ordinances (among other things) that does so, we can now re-approach the question of defining what sins are.

We know that the scriptures say we can ‘commit’ them and that God can ‘remit’ them, but what does that actually mean?

Commit:

• To “commit sin” only appears once in the King James Bible (excluding JST verses), and that’s in 1 John 3:9. In the Greek it is ποιεῖ ἁμαρτίαν (poiei hamartian) and the words mean literally “to practice broken ways.” And what are ‘broken ways’? Anything that misses the mark of God’s way of life. Interestingly, the definition of committing sins can be directly contrasted with the meaning of “remitting” sins:

Remit:

• “Remission of sins” comes up a number of times in the King James Bible. As one example, it is ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν (aphesin tōn hamartiōn) in Acts 2:38. It means “freedom from broken ways,” ἄφεσιν (aphesin) being the same word for the “liberty” that Jesus preached “to the captives” in Luke 4:18. Some might approach the translation of “remission” as meaning freedom while yet in ‘broken ways,’ but this is corrected by the Book of Mormon (see Hel. 5:10).

The correlation between these two phrases then is readily apparent: to “commit sins” is to live in error’s gloomy ways—willfully or ignorantly—and to receive a “remission of sins” is simply to be freed from the same by replacing them with right ways. God’s commandments and his laws reveal a pattern of living that he himself has committed to in a more glorified sphere. Clearly then this “freedom from sin” does not come while one is yet living in error. In short, moving from committing sin to having sins remitted is the simply learning about and then living after the manner God does, asking him to remember no more the past.

Hence ‘fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins,’ or in other words doing what God prescribes frees us from broken ways. Baptism then, as an outward token, is the culmination of repentance because repentance is the abandonment of broken ways in favor of the adoption of God’s un-broken ways, and one of the very first works of his un-broken ways is baptism by immersion by one holding authority. From this strait gate forward, God’s commands constitute the Gospel, unlocking the door to heaven by marking out a pattern of living.

Sins and Repentance

So, if sins are just ‘broken ways’ and not stains upon our souls that can be washed off by faith in Christ, why do the scriptures say that ‘no unclean thing can dwell with God’? It is because a thing that lives after broken ways is by nature an unclean thing to God, or a thing not “fit” for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62)! Instead of viewing one’s filthiness as being the result of poor choices, poor choices should be seen as the result of the filthiness of the one making the choices. The remedy is still the blood of Christ, but the application is not reliance on ordinances to make one ritually clean (though ordinances are necessary!)—the application is a reformation of life to to the point that one is freed from wallowing in the mire.

Consider the following parable:

There were once three servants who sat upon the ground eating a mess of pottage. They had no silverware nor were acquainted with their use and so they did what came naturally and scooped the messy food with their hands to their mouths from their bowls. As they did so, portions fell down upon their clothing, which had been perfectly white and clean when first given to them by their master, but after their sitting in the dust and eating with their hands had become exceedingly filthy.

Then one day came the master to the servants and said, “What have ye done unto the white raiment I had given you? Behold, it is made filthy by your ways. Know ye not that none can enter into my house save those whose garments are clean? Therefore I have paid the price for new clothing that ye might wash yourselves and cast off and burn the old garment and once again enter into my house. See that ye follow my commands and I shall give them unto you, for in an hour that ye know not I shall require you to come in and abide with me. And in my house shall be all manner of delicious food, yea, how delicious ye know not.”

Then the master commanded that the servants come to his storeroom and learn of spoons and chairs, both how to make them and how to use them. The first servant was deaf, however, and could not hear the words of his master, and therefore remained he in his filth.

The second and third servants went and learned. They were astonished to learn of germs and posture, of hygiene and manners, and they did fashion spoons and chairs with which to eat and to sit in cleanliness before their master. And for many days they did eat and sit. At first they did spill upon their clothing, but with time and dedication, they became exceedingly expert at sitting and eating. And they did no more stain their garments.

Then came out the master and gave unto the clean servants new white robes. And they did dip themselves in water and did cast their old, filthy garments into the furnace. Then sat the servants contentedly upon their chairs, basking in the joy of their master.

Then said the master, “That is right. I will remember your past ways no more. Behold, the hour grows late and the feast is prepared. I shall return to you soon to bring you into my house. Wait ye here a little while longer and I shall reward you for your faithfulness.”

After many days, however, the master had not yet returned, and the second servant began to wonder whether his master should ever return to invite him to the house. And he remembered how that he liked the flavor of earth mixed in to his pottage, despite what he had been taught of germs and hygiene. And he longed to sit upon the earth again like unto the first servant who was deaf, even though he could see the filth of the first servant’s garments.

So the second servant reasoned to himself, saying, “I shall use the spoon the master taught me to use to scoop up the earth and add it to my pottage, and I shall hike up my garment that I may sit upon the earth naked and not dirty my garment. Then I shall obtain my desires and my master shall not know it.”

But the third servant remained in his seat and ate his pottage as cleanly as he could, spilling only a drop or two as he strove with all his might to follow his master’s commands.

Then one day the master returned to deal with his servants. He came to the second servant and asked, “What have ye done?” And when the second servant stood and opened his mouth to address his master, behold, his teeth were black with dirt, and dirt fell down his legs from within his garment.

“Behold, master, my garment is white,” said the servant. But the master knew the duplicity of his servant.
“Take this man and bind him hand and foot and cast him outside the walls of my kingdom where he shall be taken a slave by those who wander the desert! For though his garment appears white, he shall ruin my home and spread disease to my kin. As for the deaf servant, it will be more tolerable for him and I shall cause him to continue to serve me in this, the courtyard of my home.”

Then the master turned to the third servant and asked, “And what have ye done?”

The third servant fell upon his face at his master’s feet and said, “Master, I sought diligently to fashion and use both spoon and chair, but alas, my garment was sullied still.”

Then the master caused the servant to arise and said, “Your garment I shall wash clean that it be spotless again, and within my home I shall provide you with chairs of silken cushions and spoons of fine silver, and with them you shall eat henceforth of great abundance and your hand shall not fail to cleanly eat. For behold, you have learned of me and sought diligently to turn away from your past ways, and in my home you shall be contented, you shall be free and I shall call you my son.”

Here are some keys to understanding the parable:

• The sins are not the stains; the sins are the filthy ways of living. The stains are merely the effects of sins.
  • “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:34 – 36, ESV).
  • “Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into judgment. Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever” (1 Ne. 10:20 – 21).
    
• When sins are formally forgiven by the master, the servant has already changed his way of living to merit the pronouncement.
  • “Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin….
    “Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God….
    “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living” (Rom. 6:2 – 6, 12 – 13, 16, NLT).
  • “The rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness” (D&C 121:36).
    
• The unclean thing that cannot enter heaven is the servant himself when he does not reform his ways, for the master can always replace or wash the stained garments.
  • “Wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins” (2 Ne. 9:38).
  • “The Lord redeemeth none such that rebel against him and die in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have known the commandments of God, and would not keep them; these are they that have no part in the first resurrection” (Mosiah 15:26).
  • “The Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but…he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins. And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance” (Hel. 5:10 – 11).
    
• The first step of repentance is instruction on the cleaner ways of living. Hence the servant cannot enjoy a higher way of living, within the walls of the master’s house, unless he is first taught how to live in a higher way; simultaneously, if the servant turned away from the higher ways after having been taught, his final state was worse than had he never been taught in the first place.
  • “Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time. Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying:
    “That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory; for by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified….
    “And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.” (Moses 6:57 – 60, 62).
  • “Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same. For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory. For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world” (D&C 132:3 – 5).
  • “Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—they are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born” (D&C 76:31 – 32).

Many more verses could be brought to bear. There is even additional symbolism to explore, but such will have to remain only for those who have eyes to see.

The point of the foregoing parable and explanations is to help transform one’s worship at the sacramental altar into that kind that will produce the words of eternal life. And this can only be done by mentally shifting the focus away from trying to stay spotless on a weekly basis to trying to become righteous on a lifelong basis, remembering that righteousness is not merely the absence of bad actions but also the presence of a changed heart. With the changed heart comes “no more disposition to do evil” (Mosiah 5:2), and with that there is no such thing as “joy in daily repentance” because there is no need for it. As Joseph Smith taught:

“Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in the sight of God” (STPJS, 148).

Clearly, Joseph knew that sins were not stains accumulated on a daily basis that needed to be rinsed at the sacrament altar weekly; he knew the simple truth that sins were broken ways of living, and he knew that no man had been reconciled to God by the atonement of Christ who yet lived in them:

“Will everybody be damned, but Mormons? Yes, and a great portion of them, unless they repent, and work righteousness” (Ibid., 119).