It is one thing to be adorned in clean clothing. It is quite another to keep it clean. In like manner it is one thing to be baptized for the remission of sins and quite another to retain that state of purity. Humility and reliance upon the Lord are as the soap and water with which the Saints cleanse their garments. Further, only through sharing all that God has given us do we become rightful heirs to all that God has. Service sanctifies (see Mosiah 4:26; 1 Peter 4:8; James 5:20; D&C 93:12-20).
“Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins”
Those who return to their sins are as a dog turned to its vomit or as the sow that was washed returning to wallow in the mire (see 2 Peter 2:22). One cannot return to sin and profess to have repented of it (D&C 82:7). To repent is to abandon sin, not just to sin less frequently. Through the waters of baptism and the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost we can receive a remission of sins. We retain that remission of sins by faithful observance of covenants we have made with God and through Christlike service to those in need.