October 28, 2025, 4:00 AM MDT
Editor’s note: To support individual and family gospel study, Church News is publishing articles about the October 2025 general conference messages. In addition to checking out these resources, we encourage you to listen and read the entire address.
About this talk
Click here for the full message. Click here for a summary of Elder Johnson’s message.
overview
As a forensic accountant, the elder Johnson cross-checked financial records to ensure accuracy and resolve discrepancies. So when he was reading the scriptures, the word “reconciliation” came to his mind. To be “reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20) means to restore harmony with God by aligning one’s will and actions with God’s will. James’s exhortation in 2 Nephi 10:23 emphasizes that individuals have the freedom to choose between eternal life and spiritual death, but true freedom comes from prioritizing God’s will. Reconciliation depends on mercy and is made possible through the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. When a person feels far away from God, such as becoming less zealous in prayer and commandments, one must choose to draw closer to God. Reconciliation requires effort and repentance, and requires aligning hearts and actions with God’s will as the barrier of sin is removed through Jesus Christ. Feeling out of harmony with God, Enos turned to the Savior and His Atonement with humility, focus, and determination. His reconciliation was confirmed when the Lord declared, “Enos, your sins are forgiven, and you will be blessed” (Enos 1:5). Enos testified of the peace that followed, saying, “My sins were wiped away” (Enos 1:6). Reconciliation not only removes sin but also brings peace, heals relationships, strengthens bonds of discipleship, and leads to greater trust before God. My childhood experience in the cherry orchard shows that a strong connection to Christ can prevent spiritual separation. Disobedience, doubt, and fear can weaken our connection to Jesus Christ, just as ethylene weakens the stem of a cherry and causes it to fall if shaken. Doctrine and Covenants 20:32-34 teaches that even the sanctified can fall from grace if they are not “praying constantly” and being vigilant. The cure is frequent repentance and strengthening your connection to Jesus Christ. By studying the words of the prophets and following inspired invitations, individuals can gain hope, strength, and steadfast faith. Reconciliation with God requires a desire to repent. And repentance through the Atonement of Jesus Christ leads to unwavering faith. All people are called to reconciliation with God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Making and keeping sacred covenants strengthens our connection to the Savior and prevents spiritual decline. Reconciliation through Christ’s Atonement leads to unwavering faith. The love of our Heavenly Father is expressed in the gift of His Son, our Savior, Redeemer, and Great Reconciler.
reflection questions
How does choosing to let God win help restore harmony with God?
When did you feel distant from God and what made you start drawing closer to Him again?
How can listening to and acting on the words of living prophets strengthen our faith and hope?
What daily choices can help us avoid spiritual “shaking” and separation from Christ?
How can the Savior’s role as the “Great Reconciler” bring peace, confidence, and assurance to your life today?
speaker’s words
“To be reconciled to God means to restore harmony with God, or to restore a relationship with God that has been strained or broken because of our sins and actions.Simply put, to be reconciled to God means to align our will and actions with God’s will, or, as President Russell M. Nelson has taught, to allow God to prevail in our lives.” “I have learned that the desire to be reconciled to God must be accompanied by a desire to repent.”
Reference scripture
“Now, we are ambassadors of Christ. We pray on behalf of Christ, as if God beseeched us: Be ye reconciled to God.” God, “And having had faith, we had the good hope of glory in him before he was revealed in the flesh.” And having all these witnesses gives us hope, our faith is steadfast, and we are able to truly command in the name of Jesus, that the trees and the mountains and the waves of the sea follow us. ”
invitation and promise
“As we listen and act on the words and invitations of prophets and apostles, we are filled with hope, confidence, and strength, and as a result, our faith becomes steadfast.” “Repentance and experiencing the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ lead to an unwavering faith. An unwavering faith leads to a constant desire to be reconciled to God. This is a cycle, or a repeating pattern.” Reconciled to God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I testify that making and keeping covenants strengthens our connection to the Savior and thereby helps us avoid being ripe for destruction. I testify that this reconciliation with God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ leads to unwavering faith. ”
story
Elder Johnson likened his work as a forensic accountant, collating financial records to ensure accuracy, to the spiritual process of aligning one’s will with God’s will. Just as minor discrepancies in an audit require correction, spiritual reconciliation requires diligence and repentance to remain in harmony with the Lord. Enos’ humility and determination erased his guilt and made his faith in the Lord steadfast. (See Enos 1:1-8, 11.) Repentance and reliance on Jesus Christ and His Atonement brings peace and forgiveness. As a boy, the elder Johnson saw how a cherry shaker machine would drop most of the cherries, but a few would remain solid. Those unwavering cherries are like disciples whose connection to Jesus Christ remains strong despite life’s trials.
additional resources
Recent Conference Talks on the Atonement of Christ
Who is Elder Johnson?
Elder Kelly R. Johnson was sustained by the General Authority Seventy on April 4, 2020. He grew up in Ogden, Utah, and served a mission in Bangkok, Thailand. He eventually returned and served as a mission leader in the Thailand Bangkok Mission from 2015 to 2018.
