Quote:
Originally Posted by BenRaines
Quoted from earlier post
"He stopped me and read straight out of the Big Book of Bishops (or whatever their handbook is...) the conditions when confession is required. Things to be considered included how much time had lapsed; service and activity level; whether in a prominent position or not; and a few other things I am not remembering. Then he asked if what I had done met the conditions, and I had to conclude that I didn't need to tell him."
If I understand what your understanding of what the Bishop said you could have done some serious immoral sin, met with a prostitute a few times, carried on an affair with a coworker, etc. and as long as enough time has elapsed and no one else knows about it and you continued to do your home teaching and serve in the church, etc that you wouldn't need to confess it to the Bishop? Personally I don't think so.
Having sat in that chair before, any transgression that involves breaking the law of chastity should be taken up with the Bishop. What is done about it afterwords is between you, the Bishop and The Lord.
It reminds me of a talk once given to Bishops. In the the general authority giving the talk said "Bishops, do you ask young men who come before you to interview before their missions, are you morally clean?, and when they say yes you go Phew. You need to find out what their understanding of morally clean is and work from a common understanding". That is how I remember what he said.
As I have said in other threads. To stop doing a sin is not repentance. The first step is to recognize you have sinned and the second is to feel remorse. To feel bad for having sinned against God. Stopping just because I know it is wrong is not repentance.
Ben Raines
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Three areas of the meaning of repentance that is given by the Bishop of the Church was the following:
1] We can learn more about the meaning of repentance from the thirty-third chapter of Ezekiel, where we read, “If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die.” (Ezek. 33:15.)
Let us analyze these three steps of repentance. The first is commitment—to “restore the pledge.” This is the most difficult step in the repentance process. What does “restoring the pledge” mean?
2] This illustration, however, disregards the important element of mercy, which I will try to make clear in discussing a second step in the process of repentance—restitution, or to “give again that [which we have] robbed.” (Ezek. 33:15.) If you have stolen money or goods, you can repay them—even sizable amounts, in time. But what if you have robbed yourself of virtue? Is there anything you can do, of yourself, to restore your virtue? Even if you gave your very life, you could not restore your virtue. But—perish the thought—does that then mean that it is useless to attempt restitution by performing significant good works or that your sin is unforgivable? No!
Jesus Christ has paid for your sin and has thus satisfied justice. Therefore, he will extend mercy to you—if you repent. True repentance on your part, including a change in your life-style, enables Christ, in mercy, to forgive your sin.
3] Now we come to a third step of repentance—forsaking sin, or striving to “walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity.” (Ezek. 33:15.) We must forsake our sins, one by one. If we do this, the Lord has promised: “None [not even one] of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.” (Ezek. 33:16.)
In our day, the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.”
How do we know if a man or a woman has repented of his or her sins? The Lord answers that question in the next verse: “By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them and forsake them.” (D&C 58:42–43.)