Obedience to God’s commandments is not only an indicator of our true repentance but is also a fruit of our faith in the Lord (see James 2:17-18). When we exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we are naturally drawn to repentance. True repentance, in turn, naturally leads us to greater righteousness and firmer obedience to God’s laws, ordinances, and commandments. These by-products of faith when combined together are the “all we can do” which in Turn yields a remission of sins by the grace of Christ (see 2 Nephi 25:23).
“The First Fruits of Repentance is Baptism”
True repentance is born of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. There absolutely cannot be any repentance or remission of sills without faith in the redemptive power of the Savior. Hence, repentance is a “fruit” of faith. Baptism for the remission of sins-both the baptism by water and the baptism by fire-comes as a result or fruit of “faith unto repentance” (see Alma 34:14-17). The remission of sins comes by the power of the Holy Ghost as one exercises faith in the Lord, repents in all sincerity of soul, submits to the ordinance of baptism, keeps the commandments, and lives in such a way as to warrant being “born again’ (see 3 Nephi 9:20; Alma 5:14) and becoming ”new creatures in Christ“ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).”