Faith and Repentance

Recently I have been studying about faith and how faith helps us live gospel principles. One of the principles that is vital for us is the principle of repentance. For "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). How then is the principle of faith related to repentance? Romans 3:25-25 tells us that it is by faith in Jesus Christ that we can be redeemed. I'm not sure how to write all of this out, but these are some of the things that have been rattling around in my brain.


Here are some things that I know about faith:
1. In order to exercise faith in God unto life and salvation, we must have "a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes" (Lectures on Faith).
2. Faith unto salvation must be centered in the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Faith is a principle of power and of action, not just a passive proclamation of belief.


If we don't understand that God is our Father, that he loves us, and that he has the power to forgive us, what reason would we have for repenting? It would be useless to pray to a god for repentance if that being did not have the power to forgive sins, or if he was not inclined to grant forgiveness to the petitioner. So before we can repent, we must know something about God and about the Savior.
There are some that believe that if there is a god he makes no real demands on us, that he will forgive all sin with a simple confession, even lacking a true intent to change. We are surrounded with a culture of moral relativism, where anything goes and we don't really need repentance because there is no universal moral code. None of those beliefs stem from a correct knowledge of God and his attributes.
Having faith then helps us understand the need to repent. Faith helps us understand that we must have a desire to change, a desire to become better, and a desire to get closer to God for true repentance to be possible.


Second, faith must be centered on Jesus Christ. It is only through the atonement of Jesus Christ that we can repent and be forgiven. Without that atonement, no amount of desire or work would reconcile us to God. The Savior has said, "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; 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" (D&C 19: 16, 18). The Savior shouldered the burden of our sins so that we could have the chance to repent. His atonement allows us to receive mercy. He pleads for us. "Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him-- Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of they Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified; Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life" (D&C 45:3-5). 


"The Greek word of which is the translation [for repentance] denotes a change of mind, i.e., a fresh view about God, about oneself, and about the world. Repentance comes to mean a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined." We have to do something for repentance to take effect. We must turn our hearts and will to God. Constant striving to become more like Him is an act of repentance. Faith is a principle of action. Faith is what keeps us striving to do better.


I hope that some of this makes sense. Faith is not simply something that helps us with the principle of repentance. It is vital to repentance. They are so interconnected that I don't think you can have one without the other. If you have faith, you will want to repent, and you cannot repent without faith.