Has the Sacrament expanded to also washing away Sins now?

“Think for a moment how different our lives could be if through repentance we were made clean each and every Sabbath and could start each week absolutely pure, renewed, refreshed, totally confident of our standing before God. That sounds wonderful to me. It is wonderful. Thank heaven for Sundays and the sacrament.” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, D&C & CH Video Presentations #9, 'Upon My Holy Day')


I have heard twice over the pulpit over the last 2 Sundays (and 1 from a High Councilor) how the Sacrament is so great because we erase our slate and start fresh and clean again.

Hmmm. I have been taught that our sins are washed away at Baptism. And that we renew our baptismal covenants weekly with the Sacrament. But I wonder if these statements are incorrect doctrine? Please indulge me to argue ad absurdum: I sure hope I die on Sunday or Monday, because Saturday would be the worst day to die, what with all my sins piled up and my slate full of my sins for the week. But to die on Monday, with a clean slate and no sins committed yet, then I would be assured the *Fast-Pass* No-Line Entrance at St. Peter's Gate. That's also why on my Stake Conferences I sneak over to another Stake to get the Sacrament that day.

Of course that's silly. So, maybe our sins are not getting washed away with the Sacrament. Because if we sin on Wednesday and then repent on Thursday or even the next Thursday, the Atonement takes effect in our lives then; not just because we participated in the Sunday ordinance. Which implies that I could participate in the Sacrament with sins and in fact those sins are not cleansed from me immediately afterwards. It seems that repentance is the determining factor in sin-cleansing, and not the Sacrament. So, maybe the baptismal covenants we renew with the Sacrament are more likely brotherhood (Mosiah 18) and dedication to serve God, and not renewing the cleansing effect. So, why do people continue to say they are glad that their sins are washed away after the Sacrament? You can repent of them each day of the week and be cleansed without the Sacrament, not to take away from the importance of the Sacrament. So, maybe these 2 are decoupled and the Sacrament has less to do with sin-cleansing and the Atonement-side of things, and more-so about dedication and commitment?


To follow this through, maybe we were wrong to say that baptism washes away sin. Are your sins, the ones you remember and also the ones you don't remember, really washed away by baptism? So, if you (or a new-convert) forgot to repent of a biggie during your baptism interview, is he cleansed from the effects of that sin by virtue of his baptism? Seems kind of weird, and akin to grace-by-technicality. Maybe the baptism doesn't wash away anything. Maybe for the first time it enables us to fully partake of the Savior's Atonement. And so we still have to repent to be cleansed from sin. So, someone who didn't fully repent but lied or deceived to get baptized is not *fully clean* and still needs the Holy Ghost to bring previous sins to their remembrance at which point they can finally and fully repent of the sin and be cleansed.


But, non-members and those who never heard of the Church can repent too, can't they? Let's say a non-denom Christian reads the Bible to say he must repent through Christ for true forgiveness. So, he prays and asks for forgiveness. The Atonement would still cover his sins, right? Or is it *carried on the books* contingent upon his making gospel covenants ("joining the Church") later on in his life or even in the next Life? Because earthly forgiveness of sin seems to fall under the jurisdiction of Priesthood Authority and Bishops and Prophets. So, maybe there is some link with the Church and true forgiveness of sin.


I'm not really sure. But it just tastes wrong for people to say that the Sacrament is washing away their sins. Regardless, I hope I don't die around Stake Conference, General Conference, or on a Saturday; just to be on the safe-side, of course. ;-)