Even Everyone

Last night (Or was it the night before?) my family read 3 Nephi, Chapter 30 - all two verses of it. Yet, 3 Nephi 30:2 is one of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon. It stands out to me not only because of its relative isolation but because of its stated and implied messages.

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.

 The commandment to repent is nothing unique in scripture. The scriptures are rife with such warnings. Yet, the commandment to repent is rarely so closely followed by a description of the blessings of doing so. God wants us to repent "that [we] may receive a remission of [our] sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost, [and] be numbered with [His] people." Forgiveness. Companionship. Acceptance. These are the blessings that come to the righteous, but "the righteous" is just another way of saying "sinners who repent." The stated message of this scripture is that God wants us to repent and become righteous so He can give us the blessings that come from that.

The implied message is that we can repent and receive those blessings no matter what we've done. In this verse, God listed several sins, including "whoredoms" and "murders" specifically, the two worst sins we could possibly commit. He also listed "all [our] wickedness and abominations," including everything. No matter what sorts of sins we've committed, no matter what sorts of sinners we are, God wants us to repent so He can bless us. God extends His blessings (on conditions of repentance) toward all His children, even the murderers, even the rapists, even everyone. God wants all of us to repent. And whoever does repent can qualify for the blessings of righteousness, no matter what they've done.

The Old Testament paints God as vengeful and vindictive, and He certainly is harsh on those who refuse to repent, but retribution isn't His defining attribute; love is. God is willing to love and accept all who come unto Him through repentance, no matter who they are or what they've done. As President Boyd K. Packer has taught us, "Save for those few who defect to perdition after having known a fulness, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness." No one on Earth is unforgivable. That is the implied message of 3 Nephi 30:2, and that's why one of my favorite verses in all scripture is the longest verse in the shortest chapter of the Book of Mormon.