President Dallin H. Oaks on repentance and atonement

President Dallin H. Oaks (born August 12, 1932) served as president of BYU from 1971-1980.  He was then appointed as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court, and resigned when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 1984. He became President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and also 1st Counselor in the First Presidency in January 2018.

"Christ redeems, and His Atonement is real.

"The loving compassion of our Savior is expressed in the great hymn just performed by the choir.

"Come unto Jesus; He’ll ever heed you,
Though in the darkness you’ve gone astray.
His love will find you and gently lead you
From darkest night into day. ('Come unto Jesus,' Hymns, no. 117.)

"The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ opens the door for 'all men [to] repent and come unto him' (Doctrine and Covenants 18:11; see also Mark 3:28; 1 Nephi 10:18; Alma 34:8, 16). The book of Alma reports repentance and forgiveness even of those who had been a wicked and a bloodthirsty people (see Alma 25:16; 27:27, 30). My message today is one of hope for all of us, including those who have lost their membership in the Church by excommunication or name removal. We are all sinners who can be cleansed by repentance. 'To repent from sin is not easy,' Elder Russell M. Nelson taught in a prior general conference. 'But the prize is worth the price.' (Russell M. Nelson, 'Repentance and Conversion,' Ensign, May 2007, 102)"

- Dallin H. Oaks, "Cleansed by Repentance," General Conference April 2019
Click here to read or listen to the full talk

This message from President Oaks in the most recent conference was one of kind invitation and hope, encouraging all to take advantage of the blessings offered to us through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I love the tender hymn that he quoted in his introduction:

As we truly and humbly "Come Unto Jesus" in our individual and personal lives, we will find peace and comfort—even though we may have "gone astray" in some areas of our life. All we need to do is accept His invitation and follow Him.

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)