Get Started On Your Custom Engraved Scriptures

What are the Differences Between Mistakes and Sin?

My son recently watched a movie where a young boy, after having made some extremely poor choices, responded simply, “Mistakes were made.” While we sat together watching the film, this tagline grated on my nerves. We all make mistakes, but we have to own them, or we don’t learn and grow.

Let’s be clear though. What is the difference between a sin and a mistake?

In a talk given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks regarding the subject, he said, “Sins result from willful disobedience of laws we have received by explicit teaching or by the Spirit of Christ, which teaches every man the general principles of right and wrong. For sins, the remedy is to chasten and encourage repentance. Mistakes result from ignorance of the laws of God or the workings of the universe or people he has created. For mistakes, the remedy is to correct the mistake, not to condemn the individual.” 1

One of the main purposes of mortality is to learn by our own experience. We do that by choosing for ourselves, making lots of mistakes and trying again. We shouldn’t be chastised for growth. What a great insight as we serve in callings, have children or interact with any human ever!

Sin is intentionally disobeying the Lord or widening the distance between Him and ourselves. When we are choosing to break away from our God, we must recognize it and bring ourselves back to Him through the atoning power of Jesus Christ. Our sins can be swept away. The Lord promised, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” (Isaiah 1:18) We can be renewed and made whole.

Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. highlighted the distinction between an unintended act and an intended one in his famous observation that “even a dog distinguishes between being stumbled over and being kicked” (The Common Law [1963], 7). 1

Some mistakes may be as small as forgetting to wash the dishes on your night but as serious as stepping in front of a car. The consequences of a mistake may be lifelong. There are sometimes consequences that come along with sin that do not go away but the guilt and the pain of our disobedience can be taken by our precious Savior.

Simply put, we choose to sin but make mistakes by accident. The Lord knows the deepest desires of our hearts. He can identify whether we walk foolishly into something by error or by design. For this reason, it is imperative that we listen to the still voice of the Holy Ghost who will help us be right with our Father in Heaven through the perfect gift of His Only Begotten.

May we always be quick to forgive and slow to condemn as we experience growth through trial and error in our own personal journey of mortality.

“Sins and Mistakes,” Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 1996 General Conference 

Share this post


Leave a comment

676 comments

  • I’m writing this review to express my gratitude to CRYPTOCYBERNET for their outstanding assistance in recovering my lost Bitcoin investment. I suffered a serious financial and emotional setback when I fell for an online hoax and lost $240,000 in cryptocurrency.Luckily,I came upon CRYPTOCYBERNET when searching online for my alternatives.I decided to reach out,and after our first exchange,I felt I was in capable hands.The staff at CRYPTOCYBERNET were not only knowledgeable but also understanding of my suffering.They walked me through the entire process,explaining their strategies and the steps they would take to return my money.I appreciated their candor and dedication,which raised my faith in the recovery process.The staff’s diligence in locating my investment in such a short period of time amazed me.They kept me updated frequently,and I could see they were committed to their mission.To my surprise,CRYPTOCYBERNET had managed to get my $240,000 Bitcoin investment back from the scammer! I can’t express how happy and relieved I was to get my money back.CRYPTOCYBERNET provided me hope that justice would be done in the face of dishonesty,in addition to assisting me in getting back the money I had lost.Their professionalism,expertise,and genuine concern for their consumers were evident at every stage of the procedure.Reach them via Email:cryptocyberNet@ gmail. Com

    • James Collines
  • I’m writing this review to express my gratitude to CRYPTOCYBERNET for their outstanding assistance in recovering my lost Bitcoin investment. I suffered a serious financial and emotional setback when I fell for an online hoax and lost $240,000 in cryptocurrency.Luckily,I came upon CRYPTOCYBERNET when searching online for my alternatives.I decided to reach out,and after our first exchange,I felt I was in capable hands.The staff at CRYPTOCYBERNET were not only knowledgeable but also understanding of my suffering.They walked me through the entire process,explaining their strategies and the steps they would take to return my money.I appreciated their candor and dedication,which raised my faith in the recovery process.The staff’s diligence in locating my investment in such a short period of time amazed me.They kept me updated frequently,and I could see they were committed to their mission.To my surprise,CRYPTOCYBERNET had managed to get my $240,000 Bitcoin investment back from the scammer! I can’t express how happy and relieved I was to get my money back.CRYPTOCYBERNET provided me hope that justice would be done in the face of dishonesty,in addition to assisting me in getting back the money I had lost.Their professionalism,expertise,and genuine concern for their consumers were evident at every stage of the procedure.Reach them via Email:cryptocyberNet@ gmail. Com

    • James Collins’s
  • I have been involved in cryptocurrency for several years. Over time, I built a substantial investment of $490,000 in Bitcoin, securely saved in a wallet that I backed up regularly. Everything was going smoothly until I decided to switch devices and restore my wallet. To my shock, I discovered that the backup file was corrupt. In an instant, it felt as though I was on the brink of losing everything I had worked so hard for. It was a nightmare scenario that left me feeling utterly helpless. I frantically tried every recovery method I could think of, but nothing worked. Each failed attempt deepened the sinking feeling in my stomach. Just when I was about to lose hope, I turned to the internet for solutions and stumbled upon CryptocyberNet Retrieval. Their incredible reviews from others who had faced similar situations gave me a glimmer of hope. I reached out to CryptocyberNet ( @) gmail , and from the moment I made contact, I felt reassured by their professionalism and expertise. They listened carefully to my situation and wasted no time getting to work. The team was quick to respond and demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges I faced. Within a few days, they successfully restored my wallet from the corrupt backup file. When I finally logged in and saw my Bitcoin balance again, I could hardly believe my eyes. CryptocyberNet transformed my worst nightmare into a success story. Their dedication and skills were instrumental in recovering what I thought was lost forever. If you’re in Spain or anywhere else and find yourself in a similar predicament, I wholeheartedly recommend CryptocyberNet . They are the experts you can trust to recover your hard-earned investments, even in the most challenging circumstances. Thanks to them, I can now move forward with my financial plans, secure in the knowledge that my assets are safe.

    • James Collines
  • Even though scammers come in a variety of forms,their goal is always to steal your hard-earned cash.My first mistake was thinking that I might boost my income by investing in bitcoins.I lost $97,590 in bitcoins as a result of falling for an investment fraud.A few weeks later, while browsing the internet,I came across a forum about a recovery specialist called Cyberetrieve who said they could assist me retrieve my bitcoins in a matter of hours.I was first doubtful however after contacting them,Cyberetrieve and his crew were able to recover all of my lost bitcoins in less than 48 hours.They are the best team in the field of recovering bitcoins.If you experience similar situation,you should contact the hacker through
    Telegram:cyberetrieve Email:cyberetrievemail.com

    • Allan Gray
  • Even though scammers come in a variety of forms,their goal is always to steal your hard-earned cash.My first mistake was thinking that I might boost my income by investing in bitcoins.I lost $97,590 in bitcoins as a result of falling for an investment fraud.A few weeks later, while browsing the internet,I came across a forum about a recovery specialist called Cyberetrieve who said they could assist me retrieve my bitcoins in a matter of hours.I was first doubtful however after contacting them,Cyberetrieve and his crew were able to recover all of my lost bitcoins in less than 48 hours.They are the best team in the field of recovering bitcoins.If you experience similar situation,you should contact the hacker through
    Telegram:cyberetrieve Email:cyberetrievemail.com

    • Allan Gray