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

1351 comments

  • Cryptocurrency Romance Scam Recovery Expert – Fast Swift Cyber Services Today

    If you’ve been a victim of a romance cryptocurrency scam, you understand the pain and frustration of losing your money to fraudsters who prey on trust. Fast Swift Cyber Services are specialist who has earned a reputation for helping individuals recover funds lost in these scams. I had the unfortunate experience of being scammed by a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme, and after months of feeling helpless, I reached out to Fast Swift Cyber Services for assistance.

    Fast Swift Cyber Services kept me updated regularly, answering any questions I had and offering advice on how to avoid similar scams in the future. What impressed me most was their commitment and their ethical approach. They never made unrealistic promises or guarantees, but they worked tirelessly on my case, and after some time, I saw significant progress in recovering part of my lost funds.

    If you find yourself in a similar situation, I highly recommend Fast Swift Cyber Services.
    FAST SWIFT CYBER SERVICES:

    Telephone :1 907,,308..4841
    Telephone :1 361-217-3236

    WhatsApp : +1 419,,763..9173

    fastswift @ cyberservices . com

    • richard clayderman
  • Cryptocurrency Romance Scam Recovery Expert – Fast Swift Cyber Services Today

    If you’ve been a victim of a romance cryptocurrency scam, you understand the pain and frustration of losing your money to fraudsters who prey on trust. Fast Swift Cyber Services are specialist who has earned a reputation for helping individuals recover funds lost in these scams. I had the unfortunate experience of being scammed by a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment scheme, and after months of feeling helpless, I reached out to Fast Swift Cyber Services for assistance.

    Fast Swift Cyber Services kept me updated regularly, answering any questions I had and offering advice on how to avoid similar scams in the future. What impressed me most was their commitment and their ethical approach. They never made unrealistic promises or guarantees, but they worked tirelessly on my case, and after some time, I saw significant progress in recovering part of my lost funds.

    If you find yourself in a similar situation, I highly recommend Fast Swift Cyber Services.
    FAST SWIFT CYBER SERVICES:

    Telephone :1 907,,308..4841
    Telephone :1 361-217-3236

    WhatsApp : +1 419,,763..9173

    fastswift @ cyberservices . com

    • richard clayderman
  • I just have to introduce this hacker that I have been working with him on getting my credit score been boosted across the Equifax, TransUnion and Experian report. He made a lot of good changes on my credit report by erasing all the past eviction, bad collections and DUI off my credit report history and also increased my FICO score above 876 across my three credit bureaus report you can contatc him for all kind of hacks . Email him here via EMAIL ETHICALHACKERS009 @ gmail.com OR CALL/TEXT ‪+1(716) 318-5536 orwhatsapp +14106350697

    • toryy lanes
  • Hello everyone, I’m Edwin Tomas from New York , USA. and a few weeks ago, I was swindled off $325,000 worth of Bitcoins and Ethereum by a cryptocurrency trader who promised me huge returns on my investment.

    I was not aware it was a scam until I tried to withdraw my profits and I was logged out asking to pay tax. I thought I had lost everything until I came across an article just like this about TROJANHACK CYBER SECURITY COMPANY.

    A cryptocurrency recovery team who was able to recover stolen funds for many other people. I contacted TROJANHACK CYBER SECURITY the following day and to my surprise. I was able to recover my money in less than 72 hours.

    Their service is truly remarkable and I must commend them for getting my funds back from the hands of these swindlers.

    TROJANHACK CYBER SECURITY COMPANY can be contacted through

    E-MAIL: Trojanhack@qualityservice.com
    Whatsapp: +1 802 681 3837
    Telegram: @trojanhackqservice

    • Edwin Tomas
  • HIRE THE MOST EXPERIENCE CRYPTO SCAM RECOVERY EXPERT VISIT iFORCE HACKER RECOVERY

     Hello everyone, I want to warn you to be cautious and not fall for the tricks of fraudulent brokers and account managers. I was scammed out of over $345,000 of my investment capital. They kept demanding additional funds before processing any withdrawal requests, and in the end, I lost everything. Reaching out to their customer support was useless, and I struggled to move on from the loss. Thankfully, I came across a broadcast that explained how victims of scams could recover their funds. That’s when I learned about iFORCE HACKER RECOVERY, a reliable and skilled recovery company known for its transparency and responsiveness. I decided to contact them and received a prompt response. They asked me to provide all the necessary legal details regarding my investment, and I followed their instructions without hesitation. To my astonishment, they were able to recover 90% of my lost funds. I felt compelled to share my experience so that other victims of online scams can find hope and potentially recover their lost money. iFORCE HACKER RECOVERY truly made a difference for me, and I highly recommend their services to anyone in need of help.
       Website; www. iforcehackersrecovery. com

    Email; contact@iforcehackersrecovery. co m

    Call/Text-whatsapp; +1 (240) 8033 (706)  

    • James West