The Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts — what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts — what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.
- Elder Dallin H. Oaks
I tend to get caught up in the mindset that judgment will be some kind of point-based system where all of our actions (good and bad) are tallied, and the final score will determine our fate. Instead it is based on our desires and our trajectory.
Repentance is therefore not so much about trying to wipe specific sins off our balance sheet, as it is trying to refocus our desires and thoughts back towards the Savior.
Source: Dallin H. Oaks, “The Challenge to Become”
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