We live in a time when the doctrine of "judgement" has become a dirty word. We flinch at it. We avoid it. We seem to drown it with other doctrinal ideas such as “grace,” “acceptance,” and “unconditional love.” But when you remove the doctrine of judgment, you remove the very reason Jesus Christ is needed in the first place.
Christ Himself declared that the gate is straight and the way is narrow. That means there is a right path and by definition, everything else is the wrong one. In Moses 1:39, the Lord says His work and glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” But notice: that’s not a blanket statement of universal exaltation. That’s God's purpose. Not comfort and not affirmation. And frankly, it requires our response. God offers mercy, grace, revelation, scripture, prophets, and ultimately, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But we are judged by our works, our words, our thoughts, our behavior (Alma 12). That’s not optional.
And judgment isn’t the villain. Judgment is what makes exaltation possible.
You Can’t Have Mercy Without Judgment
The growing movement to erase sin and downplay judgment in the name of “tolerance” is spiritually reckless. When you remove judgment, you simultaneously remove mercy. Why? Because mercy presupposes justice. I'm going to state that again- mercy presupposes justice. If there is no sin, there is no need for forgiveness. If there is no debt, there is no need for grace. Without judgment, Gethsemane and the cross become meaningless. The atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ becomes unnecessary.
What need is there for a Savior if there’s nothing to be saved from?
This is precisely the error of the Nehorites in the Book of Mormon. The Amlicites, the Zoramites, the Amalekites, the Amalickiahites, King Noah and his priests were all spiritual dissenters and none of them believed in a Savior. Why? Because none of them believed in judgment. They taught that all would be saved, that God would redeem everyone regardless of choices, behavior, or covenants. Sound familiar? It should. That doctrine has crept into our modern Latter-day Saint discourse among many who consciously or unconsciously, want to change the nature of God and His plan.
The Garden of Eden: A Template for Judgment and Redemption
Let’s reframe Eden. You are Adam or Eve. You partake of the fruit. You fall. You are subject to death—both physical and spiritual. And when God places the cherubim and flaming sword in front of the Tree of Life, that is divine judgment. You don’t get to the Tree of Life without passing through that judgment. Which means that without a Savior, you don't get through at all.
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil can symbolize the law. Once you know the law, you become accountable to it. Sin enters. Judgment becomes necessary. But you can’t pass through it alone. That’s why we need Jesus Christ. He alone can walk through that flaming barrier on our behalf. But only if we allow Him to, through faith, repentance, covenant, and obedience.
A Teddy Bear Jesus Doesn’t Save
When judgment is erased, the Atonement is dissolved. Jesus becomes the stuffed animal you keep on your shelf; a comforting presence, but powerless to transform. And that’s the Jesus far too many now preach: the one who loves you as you are without expecting you to become more like Him. He asks nothing of you, and tolerates everything you do. A Savior who makes no demands and requires no change.
That’s not the Jesus of scripture.
Exaltation Is the Point—And It Requires Judgment
The goal of the gospel is not just a universal salvation, but exaltation. And exaltation is reserved for those who align themselves with Christ’s covenant path. Yet we’ve stopped talking about exaltation. When was the last time you heard the term in a Sunday lesson? Or heard a robust conversation about passing through the judgment to stand justified before God?
3 Nephi and Alma 12 tell us clearly: “No unclean thing can enter the kingdom of God.” That might be harsh but it is reality. Do we ignore it? Many do. If God is not just, He cannot be trusted. If He bends the rules, He ceases to be God. That is what the scriptures say over and over. He is both just and merciful. both are required.
Mercy without judgment is meaningless. Grace without repentance is cheap. Love without accountability is not godly, it’s sentimentalism.
We’re Not Teaching the Full Gospel
The pendulum has swung. Thirty years ago, we may have overemphasized judgment and under-emphasized grace. But today, the inverse is far worse. “All is well in Zion,” they say. “God loves you no matter what.” And He does, but not unconditionally in the way that’s often preached. His love is perfect, but His covenants are conditional. His invitation is open to all, but His kingdom is not.
Many members, even teachers and leaders, avoid the word “judgment.” But if you don’t teach it, you don’t teach the gospel. The prophets of scripture always taught it—because the people were always drifting from it. And today is no different. The doctrine of exaltation is vanishing from our vocabulary. And with it, the understanding of Christ’s role as Judge, Redeemer, and King.
The Atonement Isn’t Automatic
Alma taught it clearly: you cannot be saved in your sins. Only from your sins. The atonement doesn’t cover the sins of the unrepentant. It is offered to all but accessed by the faithful. The grace of Christ is not a bailout plan for spiritual apathy. It is a gift, activated through broken hearts and contrite spirits. That is, repentance and becoming.
And here’s the irony: when you embrace judgment—righteous, divine judgment—you actually magnify Christ’s mercy. You don’t diminish it. Because now, grace means something. Now, Jesus matters. Now, the Tree of Life isn’t just a symbol of comfort—it is a destination of fulfillment and joint heir-ship, made accessible through Him.
So to be clear: If there is no judgment, there is no mercy. If there is no sin, there is no need for repentance. And if there is no law, there is no Savior. As Lehi puts it, then "there is no god." The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a message of comfort only—it is a clarion call to rise, to repent, and to return to the narrow way. Judgment isn’t the enemy. It’s the gateway. Without it, the Lord cannot say to you, "Well done my good and faithful servant."
For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad... Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation. Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power, and the mercy, and the justice of God. - 2 Nephi 2:11-12
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