If we have broken even the smallest jot or tittle of the law, we are condemned by the law, and wages of sin is death, spiritual and physical. Thus putting in the need of a Mediator, a Savior who desires to give us mercy. The Kingdom of Heaven is given to the poor in spirit or in other words those who repent. What is repenting? Repenting is turning back to God’s ways, His commandments. After all if we loved Jesus we would keep His commandments. Unless we repent, believe in Jesus Christ, covenant to keep His commandments, and endure to the end (also know as striving to keep the law to the end of our lives), He cannot extend mercy to the unpenitent, otherwise He would be denying His own words. Our works will not save us, for we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, only mercy extended to us made possible by Jesus Christ’s sinless life and the Atonement He performed for us can do that, but our wicked works (if unrepented of) will condemn us. Sinning makes us unclean, and no unclean thing can dwell with God. The spirit we listed to obey in this life is the spirit we have chosen to follow in this life, and this same spirit will have power over us after we die. We are the same type of person after die as we were during the last days of our mortal probation. There is no changing who we are after we die. What is repentance if not changing who we are, changing how we look at things, changing our behaviors, changing what we do. We all know if someone keeps doing the something after they say sorry, they really are not sorry for what they did. Part of repentance is being sorry for what we did, which includes not doing it again. We can not repent after we die. This is the life to prepare to meet God. If you don’t do the things God does, if you do not look at things the same way God does, if you do not behave the way God does, can you honestly say you will want to be with God in everlasting burnings? Nay, you will want to hide under a rock.

Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in the sight of God. – Joseph Smith, Words of Joseph Smith – Deluxe Study Edition, Kindle Locations 10455-10456