How can we retain a remission of sins?
Mosiah 4:11–12
"And again I say unto you as I have said before, that as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love, and have received a remission of your sins, which causeth such exceedingly great joy in your souls, even so I would that ye should remember, and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness,, and his goodness and long-suffering towards you, unworthy creatures, and humble yourselves even in the depths of humility, calling on the name of the Lord daily, and standing steadfastly in the faith of that which is to come, which was spoken by the mouth of the angel."
"And behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true."
How we retain a remission of sins
A remission of sins is retained by living in continual remembrance of God, walking in humility, and practicing daily dependence on Him. Mosiah 4:11–12 gives us a pattern we can follow as a people.
As we work the 10-Step and 11-Step of the Healing through the Savior: The Addiction Recovery Program 12-Step in unison throughout the day, we stay spiritually awake—watchful, prayerful, and willing to be corrected by the Spirit. And as we move through our day at work, at home, and in moments of rest or recreation, we remain willing to serve—ready to lift, listen, or act in 12‑Step service wherever the Lord places us. This is how we live repentance inside the Fellowship of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints and carry it with us into every environment we enter.
King Benjamin does not leave us guessing. He gives us a sequence of covenant behaviors that keep us in the flow of God’s mercy, joy, and cleansing power. Each numbered phrase below corresponds to the cross-reference words in this passage.
1. Tasting The Light
We remember what God has already done
Psalm 34:8
"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."
We retain a remission of sins by refusing to forget the moments when God has shown us His goodness. Remembering past deliverance keeps our hearts soft and grateful.
Alma 36:24 (24–26)
"Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost."
2. Receiving remission
We acknowledge the joy He already gave us
Mosiah 4:3
"And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them."
We don’t treat forgiveness as a one‑time event. We let the joy of being forgiven shape how we live today.
Enos 1:2 (2–8)
"And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins."
3. Remembering our nothingness
We stay grounded in humility
Romans 5:8 (6–8)
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
This is not self‑loathing. It is covenant realism: God is everything; we are dependent. When we forget this, pride returns and the remission fades.
Moses 1:10
"And it came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself: Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed."
4. Remembering His goodness and long‑suffering
We stay aware of His character
Exodus 34:6 (5–7)
"And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,"
We retain remission by keeping God’s patience, mercy, and kindness constantly before our eyes. His goodness fuels our gratitude.
Moroni 8:3
"I am mindful of you always in my prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that he, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep you through the endurance of faith on his name to the end."
5. Humbling ourselves to the depths of humility
We choose lowliness as a lifestyle
Mosiah 3:19
"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."
Deep humility is not a mood; it is a posture. It keeps us teachable, correctable, and responsive to the Spirit.
James 4:10
"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."
6. Calling on the name of the Lord daily
We pray every single day
Alma 34:17
"Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;"
Daily prayer is not optional for retaining remission. It is the covenant oxygen of our souls.
D&C 10:5
"Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work."
7. Standing steadfastly in the faith
We hold to what God has promised
2 Nephi 31:20
"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."
Steadfastness means we do not drift. We stay anchored in Christ, in His word, and in the covenants we have made.
Hebrews 6:19
"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;"
8. Being filled with the love of God
We let His love change how we treat others
1 John 4:7
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
Retaining remission is inseparable from charity. When His love fills us, we naturally extend mercy, patience, and generosity.
Alma 13:29
"Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest."
9. Retaining a remission of sins
We keep living the pattern
Mosiah 4:26
"And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants."
Alma 4:14 (13–14)
"Looking forward to that day, thus retaining a remission of their sins; being filled with great joy because of the resurrection of the dead, according to the will and power and deliverance of Jesus Christ from the bands of death."
King Benjamin teaches that remission is retained as we continue in remembrance, humility, prayer, and steadfast faith.
Alma 5:26 (26–35)
"And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"
D&C 20:32 (31–34)
"But there is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the living God;"
10. Growing in the knowledge of His glory
We keep learning who God is
John 17:3
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
Retaining remission is not static. As we grow in understanding God’s justice, truth, and glory, our hearts stay aligned with Him.
Alma 12:9
"And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him."
Summary for us
We retain a remission of sins by living in continual remembrance, deep humility, daily prayer, steadfast faith, and active charity. This is not a checklist—it is a covenant rhythm that keeps us in the joy, love, and cleansing power of Christ.
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