Is Repentance a Gift From God?

 

I came across the above video in which David Alexander discusses LDS theology and doctrine with Steven McAuley, who is an investigator, a potential convert to the Church. I am going to comment only on a brief segment of it. At 39:33 minutes into the video Steven asks David the following question, to which David then gives the answer as follows:

Steven: “Can I ask you a question about that? As far as repentance, is that like … I have always been taught that repentance also was a gift from God, that pretty much was impossible outside of his grace. Do you also view repentance in that way, that repentance is a gift; or more of a choice that everybody has?”

David: “Well it is a gift, it is a gift. It is a gift of God to repent for sure; and if someone believes in Jesus, truly sees that Christ died for your sins, the normal response man—if I see somebody died for me, I owe them my life, sure; and if he says ‘repent,’ I want to repent; it isn’t like somebody has to twist my arm. If you have to twist somebody’s arm, they don’t even understand that Christ died for them …”

That is not the best possible answer to that question, from an LDS theological perspective. It sounds too much like a Calvinistic or Evangelical answer, rather than an LDS one! David is well versed in the Bible, due to his former Evangelical background; but he has not yet sufficiently mastered modern LDS scripture to be able to extract correct LDS theology from it. The correct answer to that question, from an LDS point of view, is yes and no! Repentance is a gift from God, but not in the Calvinistic or Evangelical sense. The correct LDS theological perspective on that is to be found in the following verse from the Book of Mormon:

Alma 34:

15 And thus he [Jesus] shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

What that means is that without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, repentance would not have been possible. It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that makes it possible for mankind to repent, and thus obtain the remission of their sins, and the promise of eternal life. So repentance is indeed a gift from God, in the sense that without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, repentance would not have been possible. But the choice is still theirs whether to repent or not. It is indeed “a choice that everybody has”. But it is not a “gift” in the Evangelical and Calvinistic sense: that you can only “repent” if God wants you to and makes you to, and has predestined and predetermined you to, and thus gives you the necessary “grace” to enable you to.