I broke the law of chastity. Lately I’ve started thinking that that sin was a way of worshiping Satan. I knew the influence of the Holy Ghost, and I feel like I’ve now sinned against it. Does that mean I’ve committed the unpardonable sin? When I was baptized I promised to worship the Savior. I feel like I lied. What should I do?
A life of sin can be cleansed and changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Hi Julio. Thanks for your question. It's excellent that you want to recover from your past sins. If you sinned after your baptism, I encourage you to talk with your bishop. He'll help you apply Christ's atonement in your life so you can recover. If you committed this sin before your baptism, then you were freed from it when you decided to become a disciple of Christ by joining the church. Baptism is a cleansing ordinance.
I'm not sure there are any unpardonable sins. Elder Holland said in 2012: "...however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don't have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's Atonement shines."
If there is an unpardonable sin, though, it certainly isn't breaking the law of chastity. Sexual sins are very serious. We should avoid them as part of our discipleship. But those who have broken the law of chastity can recover through Jesus Christ. I'll pray for you, brother.
Pamela Bonta
2014-10-06 06:36:59
There are only two unpardonable sins: The shedding of innocent blood and the denial of the Holy Ghost. The first has been defined as willfully killing someone with premeditation for no reason other than you want to kill them, which means that killing in self-defense, war, or by accident may not be unpardonable. The second is defined as denying that God exists. This is not the same as not knowing if He exists or losing one's testimony for a time, but an active denial that He is, and usually includes the purposeful leading astray of others.
I'm not sure there are any unpardonable sins. Elder Holland said in 2012: "...however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don't have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ's Atonement shines."
If there is an unpardonable sin, though, it certainly isn't breaking the law of chastity. Sexual sins are very serious. We should avoid them as part of our discipleship. But those who have broken the law of chastity can recover through Jesus Christ. I'll pray for you, brother.