20 Therefore remember, O man, for all thy doings thou shalt be brought into judgment.
21 Wherefore, if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.
Clearly we are judged according to our works as well as our faith. I love the way James puts it in James 2:14–18, when he talks about showing our faith by our works. I think that a major reason that works factor into our judgment so heavily is that works are a clear indicator of where our heart really is. In other words, we really are judged according to our desires, as Alma taught his son, Corianton, in Alma 41:3–6. Ultimately, we do what we either want to do, or we do something to avoid the consequences of not doing it. But it comes down to desire. We are judged according to our deepest heart’s desire. If we desire wickedness, we won’t try to overcome the natural tendency to be carnal. If we want righteousness, we may be weak and stumble, but our efforts will be to make positive changes, and our direction will be toward God. It really doesn’t matter where we are on the path that leads to eternal life, as long as we are on it and we are headed the right direction. The Atonement compensated for the rest.
- Ecclesiastes 12:14
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 (9–10)
- James 2:17–18
- Revelation 20:12–13
- Alma 11:36–37
- Alma 40:26
- Alma 41:3–6
- 3 Nephi 27:19
- D&C 138:20, 37
- Moses 6:57
