2 Nephi 28

2 Nephi 28:8 There shall be many which shall say: eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God–he will justify in committing a little sin...and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last, we shall be saved in the kingdom of God. This is given by Nephi as an example of false teaching. God will not justify us in committing even a little sin, but commands exact obedience. Does this passage fit in with a merciful God? Recall, if you will, the story of the woman who washed Christ's feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. Of her, Christ said, Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much. Paul tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, while Alma tells his son, Heleman, that God cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance. We read that the law justifies no man, and also that what was filthy shall be filthy still.

As I am coming up with these seemingly conflicting verses, I wonder if it is only because I am all too aware of my own failings and am hopeful that being a good person will be enough. This passage makes it clear that being a generally good person will definitely not be enough–you need to be a generally good person who truly sorrows for his mistakes, as did the woman who washed Christ's feet. The mistakes matter less than how you feel about them, because, ultimately, if you steal a paper-clip and do so knowing its wrong and don't feel sorry about it, that will keep you out of heaven as surely as assault and battery during a home invasion to steal a million dollars.