Editor’s note: To support personal and family gospel learning, the Church News is publishing articles on messages from October 2025 general conference. It is recommended to listen to or read the full address in addition to reviewing these resources.
About this talk
- “Be Reconciled to God”
- Elder Kelly R. Johnson | General Authority Seventy
- Saturday morning session of October 2025 general conference.
- Theme: Unshakable faith comes from reconciliation through Jesus Christ’s Atonement.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Johnson’s message here.
Outline
- As a forensic accountant, Elder Johnson reconciled financial records to ensure accuracy and resolve discrepancies. So, the word “reconcile” has resonated with him as he reads the scriptures.
- To be “reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20) means restoring harmony with Him by aligning one’s will and actions with His will. Jacob’s counsel in 2 Nephi 10:23 emphasizes that while individuals have agency to choose between eternal life and spiritual death, true freedom comes through allowing God’s will to prevail.
- Reconciliation is dependent on mercy and made possible through the Savior’s atoning sacrifice. When individuals feel distant from God — such as by becoming less diligent in prayer or commandments — they must choose to draw near to Him. Reconciliation requires effort and repentance, aligning hearts and actions with God’s will as barriers of sin are removed through Jesus Christ.
- Feeling out of alignment with God, Enos turned to the Savior and His Atonement with humility, focus and determination. His reconciliation was confirmed when the Lord declared, “Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed” (Enos 1:5). Enos testified of the peace that followed, saying, “My guilt was swept away” (Enos 1:6).
- Reconciliation not only removes guilt but also brings peace, heals relationships and strengthens discipleship, leading to greater confidence before God.
- A childhood experience in a cherry orchard illustrates how staying firmly connected to Christ prevents spiritual separation. Just as ethylene weakens a cherry’s stem and allows it to fall when shaken, disobedience, doubt and fear can weaken one’s connection to Jesus Christ.
- Doctrine and Covenants 20:32-34 teaches that even the sanctified can fall from grace if they do not “pray always” and remain vigilant. The remedy is frequent repentance, which strengthens connection to Jesus Christ.
- By studying the prophets’ words and following their inspired invitations, individuals gain hope and strength, resulting in unshaken faith. Reconciliation with God requires a desire to repent. And repenting — through the Atonement of Jesus Christ — leads to unshaken faith.
- All are invited to be reconciled to God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Making and keeping sacred covenants strengthens the connection to the Savior and guards against spiritual decline. Reconciliation through Christ’s Atonement leads to unshakable faith. Heavenly Father’s love is manifest in the gift of His Son, who is the Savior, Redeemer and great Reconciler.
Reflection questions
How can choosing to let God prevail help restore harmony with Him?
When have you felt distant from God, and what helped you begin to draw near to Him again?
How can listening to and acting on the words of living prophets strengthen faith and hope?
What daily choices can help prevent spiritual “shaking” or separation from Christ?
How can the Savior’s role as the “great Reconciler” bring peace, confidence and assurance into your life today?
Speaker quotes
- “To be reconciled to God means to be brought back into harmony with God or to restore a relationship with God that has been strained or broken because of our sins or actions. Simply put, being reconciled to God means aligning our will and actions with God’s will, or as taught by President Russell M. Nelson, letting God prevail in our lives.”
- “Reconciliation brings not only relief from feelings of guilt but also peace within ourselves and with others. It heals relationships, softens hearts and strengthens our discipleship, bringing increased confidence before God.”
- “I have learned that a desire to be reconciled to God must be accompanied by a desire to repent.”
Reference scriptures
- “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
- “Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh.”
- “Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.”
Invitations and promises
- “Listening to and acting on the words and invitations of the prophets and apostles can fill us with hope, confidence, and strength, resulting in our faith becoming unshaken.”
- “Repenting and experiencing the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ lead to unshaken faith. Unshaken faith leads to a desire to always be reconciled to God. This is a circular, or iterative, pattern.”
- “Brothers and sisters, I invite you to be reconciled to God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I testify that making and keeping covenants makes our connection to the Savior strong, thereby avoiding becoming ripe for destruction. I testify that this reconciliation to God, through Jesus Christ’s Atonement, leads to unshakable faith.”
Stories
- Elder Johnson compared his work as a forensic accountant — reconciling financial records to ensure accuracy — to the spiritual process of aligning one’s will with God’s. Just as small discrepancies in an audit require correction, spiritual reconciliation requires diligence and repentance to stay in harmony with the Lord.
- Through Enos’ humility and determination, his guilt was swept away and his faith became unshaken in the Lord. (See Enos 1:1-8, 11.) Repentance and reliance on Jesus Christ and His Atonement bring peace and forgiveness.
- As a boy, Elder Johnson saw how a cherry shaker machine caused most cherries to fall, while a few remained firmly attached. Those unshakable cherries are like disciples whose connection to Jesus Christ stays strong despite life’s trials.
Additional resources
- Related image: “Christ Teaching the Apostles”
- Related video: “It’s Not Too Late To Repent, But Don’t Procrastinate | Elder D. Todd Christofferson”
- Related hymn: No. 1042, “Thou Gracious God, Whose Mercy Lends”
Recent conference talks on Christ’s Atonement
- Elder Neil L. Andersen: “The Atoning Love of Jesus Christ” (October 2025)
- President Dallin H. Oaks: “Divine Helps for Mortality” (April 2025)
- Sister Kristin M. Yee: “The Joy of Our Redemption” (October 2024)
Who is Elder Johnson?
- Elder Kelly R. Johnson was sustained as a General Authority Seventy on April 4, 2020. He grew up in Ogden, Utah, and served his mission in Bangkok, Thailand. He eventually returned to serve as a mission leader in the Thailand Bangkok Mission from 2015 to 2018.
