Joseph Smith

After it was truly manifest unto this first elder that he had received a remission of his sins, he was entangled again in the vanities of the world. DOCTRINE & COVENANTS 20:5

Young Joseph Smith went into the grove of trees in the spring of 1820 for two reasons. He wanted to know which of all the churches was right, for the thought that the true church was not on the earth had not occurred to him (Joseph Smith—History 1:18). In addition, Joseph went into the grove seeking a remission of his sins and striving to improve his standing before the Almighty. In two of the dictated accounts of that great theophany (1832, 1835), Joseph was told: “Thy sins are forgiven thee” (Backman, Joseph Smith’s First Vision, 157, 159). It was after he had learned that his sins had been remitted and that he would be an instrument in the hands of God in restoring the true church to earth again that young Joseph found himself “entangled again in the vanities of the world” (D&C 20:5). Thus, he sought God once more, was visited by Moroni, reinstated in the divine favor, and readied for the manifestations, revelations, and visitations to come. (Robert L. Millet and Lloyd D. Newell. Draw Near Unto Me: Daily Reflections on the Doctrine and Covenants. 61)