When talking about forgiveness, it might seem good to refer to Nathan’s announcement of forgiveness to David after his adultery with Bathsheba.
And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
2 Samuel 12:13
This is a wonderful example of God’s instantaneous and complete forgiveness. Unfortunately, however, it won’t be effective with many Mormons because:
- Mormonism has a low view of David. Because he was a murderer, it says he will reside in the lowest kingdom of heaven, the telestial kingdom. He is not used as a role model in Mormonism.
- The LDS Bible, in a footnote, explains the putting away of the sin as “he was not punished immediately by death; but he did not escape punishment.”
- The Joseph Smith Translation (JST) is also cited in the footnote. It completely changes the phrase by adding a “not”: “hath not put away thy sin that thou shall not die.”
For these reasons we recommend not using this verse.