The prophet Nephi describes the
Final Judgment in terms of what we have become: "And if their
works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if
they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell
in the kingdom of God." Moroni declares, "He that is
filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous
shall be righteous still." The same would be true of
"selfish" or "disobedient" or any other personal
attribute inconsistent with the requirements of God. Referring to the "state" of the
wicked in the Final Judgment, Alma explains that if we
are condemned by our words, our works, and our thoughts,
"we shall not be found spotless; ... and in this awful
state we shall not dare to look up to our God." From such teachings we conclude
that the Final 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.