Question: When do we receive the actual remission of sins?
Answer: Sins are remitted when we receive the Holy Ghost, not in the waters of baptism (McConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 290.) It is the Holy Spirit of God that erases carnality and we become clean when we receive the fellowship and companionship of the Holy Ghost.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter admonished all those within ear shot to “repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 3:28)
The gift is an endowment of divine grace and goodness. An endowment is a gift donated by a benefactor for the use of others on conditions specified by the giver.
There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and the gift of the Holy Ghost (History of the Church, 4:555.) The Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit (D&C 130:22) while the gift of the Holy Ghost is the right to receive the companionship and association of the Spirit.
