“I Will Give Away All My Sins to Know Thee”

I was born into a non-Christian family. As a boy, I would accompany my mother to Chinese temples to worship different gods. We would bring special cakes as an offering and burn incense to ask for the blessings we needed. If we needed work, we asked the god of riches; if we needed health, we asked the god of healing. I loved going with my mother because when the rituals were over, I got to eat all those delicious cakes.

Nevertheless, the great miracle came when I was 10 years old and we moved to Bolivia. I met the missionaries. They taught me about a God I had never heard of before.

They taught me that He is a living God, with a glorified body of flesh and bones; that He is my Heavenly Father, that He loves me, and that I am literally His child; that He sent Jesus Christ to earth to help me return to His presence and attain eternal life.

I was so amazed when they told me the story of Joseph Smith, who saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Even though I didn’t speak Spanish and couldn’t understand all the words, I felt peace in my heart, and somehow I knew that what I was learning was good. Before they invited me to be baptized, I said to my two older sisters, who were already members of the Church, “I’ve already made up my mind. I’m getting baptized!”

The gospel of Jesus Christ changed my life for the better. It gave me an eternal purpose—to prepare to return to God’s presence with my family.

In the Book of Mormon, we read the story of an old king who, like me, did not know God. He had met a missionary, and he was so surprised by what that missionary said that he insisted on being taught.

Then Aaron began “reading the scriptures unto the king—how God created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen. …

“… And also the plan of redemption, which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name … through faith and repentance. …

“… [Then] the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? … Behold, … I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.

“But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest.

“And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did bow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried mightily, saying:

“O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee.”

The story concludes not only with the king’s conversion but with the conversion of his entire household and several cities in his kingdom.

If we have a sincere desire, being meek and lowly in heart, we can come to know the true God the Father and gain eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ, for the power is in us—in choosing to believe and deciding to act accordingly.

The Savior declared, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

How can we come to know the only true God and obtain eternal life? The Savior responds, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

The only way we can come to know our Heavenly Father and gain eternal life is by coming unto Christ and following Him. Coming unto Christ is much more than just learning of Christ. It includes faith and works; it means to be converted to Him and to His restored gospel. As we do so, we “will have greater happiness, hope, peace, and purpose” in this life.

The king did not remain stuck in his state of astonishment; he chose to believe and to act. He was willing to forsake all his sins that he might know God. What are we willing to give up or change to truly know God and be saved at the last day?

President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “The gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to change. ‘Repent’ is its most frequent message, and repenting means giving up all of our practices—personal, family, ethnic, and national—that are contrary to the commandments of God. The purpose of the gospel is to transform common creatures into celestial citizens, and that requires change.”

We cannot know God without a sincere desire and real intent. We need to have faith in Jesus Christ, continuously repent, and strive to obey the commandments. The Savior loves us more than we can comprehend, and He pleads with us again and again, “Come, follow me.” He gave His life for us, paid the price for our sins, and rose from the dead. Because of Him, we have “hope for a future existence with Heavenly Father.”

Whether you are a child or a king, and regardless of your background or your status, I invite you to choose to have faith in Jesus Christ and to decide to follow Him. For “there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ … whereby man can be saved.”

I testify that Jesus Christ is risen. He lives! This is what He wants us to do to prepare for eternal life. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.