…And Such Were Some of You

Paul gave the Corinthians a list of sins which would prevent them from returning to live with God:

Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

The message seems simple, and stark: Don’t commit serious sins. People who do those kinds of things cannot dwell with God and receive His greatest blessings. But then, he adds the following remarkable statement:

Such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:11

He seems to have a dual message:

1. We must overcome our sins to dwell with God.
2. God can help us overcome our sins.

Mormon provides a similar message at the end of the book of 3 Nephi. After relating the story of the Savior’s visit to the American continent, he extends an invitation to the Gentiles on behalf of the Lord. Not to innocent Gentiles, but to Gentiles who have done terrible things:

Turn, all ye Gentiles, from your wicked ways; and repent of your evil doings, of your lyings and deceivings, and of your whoredoms, and of your secret abominations, and your idolatries, and of your murders, and your priestcrafts, and your envyings, and your strifes, and from all your wickedness and abominations, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, that ye may be numbered with my people who are of the house of Israel.

3 Nephi 30:2

Like Paul, Mormon lists these serious sins not to shame or ostracize people but to emphasize how comprehensive the Savior’s atonement is. He identifies all of these sins to emphasize that people who have done all of these things are savable.

“Come as you are,” said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “but don’t plan to stay as you are” (“Songs Sung and Unsung,” General Conference, April 2017).

We may be tempted to feel that we must repent first, that we must set aside our sins before we can approach the Savior. That’s like putting out the fire in your house before calling the fire department, or like treating your own injury before going to the hospital! The first principle of the gospel is not repentance; it’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. (See the fourth Article of Faith.) That’s because the Savior helps us repent. We can’t do it alone, and we don’t have to do it alone.

After Alma had suffered for three days and three nights with “the pains of a damned soul,” and with no end in sight, he remembered hearing his father teach about “the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.” Desperate for someone to help, he cried out in his heart, “O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death” (Alma 36:17-18). Immediately, his pain was replaced by joy. His journey had just begun, but he no longer had to fear, because he had aligned himself with the One who could help him overcome every weakness and every sin.

Today, I will reach out to God first. I will seek help from Jesus as I strive to overcome my shortcomings. I will remember that even though sin drives a wedge between me and God, He is willing to help me eliminate the wedge as soon as I am willing to ask for His help.