He employeth no servant there

Each of us, when we leave this Earth --and we will all leave -- returns to “that that God who gave them [us] breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.” (2 Nephi 9:26)

Eventually, at the final judgment, we will all be called upon to account for our stewardship here on the Earth before the Lord himself. Nephi explains:

“O then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name.” (2 Nephi 9:41)

In D&C 19 1-3 the Lord tells us:

I am Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord; yea, even I am he, the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world. I, having accomplished and finished the will of him whose I am, even the Father, concerning me—having done this that I might subdue all things unto myself—Retaining all power, even to the destroying of Satan and his works at the end of the world, and the last great day of judgment, which I shall pass upon the inhabitants thereof, judging every man according to his works and the deeds which he hath done. [italics added]

There will be no possible deception, no opportunity for mercy, unless we have taken advantage of the atonement of He who judges us, repented of sin, and washed our garments in his blood. Nephi says:

“I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers... (Alma 5:21).

The keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel. How can we know the straight course and the narrow way back to him? Bruce C. Hafen, and his wife, Marie, explain:

“What is the way? He is the way. When Thomas asked, ‘Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way.’ (John 14:5-6; emphasis added.) What is the law of the true way? He is the law, for he told the Nephites that the law of Moses had an end in him. (3 Nephi 15:2-8)” (Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K. Hafen, The Belonging: The Atonement and Relationships with God and Family Heart, 144.)

There is only one judge of the success or failure of our sojourn here, and we can rely on the perfect fairness of His judgment. It is not possible to deceive Him. He knows what is in our hearts. He knows our good intentions and he understands the depth of our knowledge.

Mercifully, we will not be held accountable for true lack of knowledge. In earthly courts, ignorance of the law is not an acceptable excuse. In the heavenly court over which the Creator of this earth presides, such ignorance can be an acceptable circumstance because the Savior knows what is in our hearts and minds.. However, those of us who know of the gospel and the “Great Plan of the Eternal God” (Alma 34-9) are accountable for our actions.

Mercifully, perfection is not a requirement. President Howard W. Hunter said:

“Perfection is something yet ahead for every one of us; but we can capitalize on our strengths, begin where we are, and seek after the happiness that can be found in pursuing the things of God.”

To quote Elder Boyd K. Packer:

When you come to the temple and receive your endowment, and kneel at the altar and be sealed, you can live an ordinary life and be an ordinary soul -- struggling against temptation, failing and repenting, and failing again and repenting, but always determined to keep your covenants. ... Then the day will come when you will receive the benediction: "Well done thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord." (Matthew 25:21) (Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1991)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said:

“Paced progress not only is acceptable to the Lord but also is recommended by Him. Divine declarations say: "Ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now" (D&C 50:40); "I will lead you along" (D&C 78:18). Just as divine disclosure usually occurs line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, so likewise we will achieve our spiritual progress gradually (see D&C 128:21; 98:12). (Men and Women of Christ, p. 23)

Let us prepare ourselves, repent of sin, and pace our progress so that at the gate, the Lord will welcome us into his presence and the Father’s Kingdom.
Several years ago, President McKay, in speaking to a group of church employees, put into perspective what shepherds should concentrate on in their lives. Said he:

“Let me assure you, brethren, that someday you will have a personal priesthood interview with the Savior, himself. If you are interested, I will tell you the order in which He will ask you to account for your earthly responsibilities.”
“First, He will request an accountability report about your relationship with your wife. Have you actively been engaged in making her happy and ensuring that her needs have been met as an individual?”
“Second, He will want an accountability report about each of your children individually. He will not attempt to have this for simple family stewardship, but he will request information about your relationship to each and every child.”
“Third, He will want to know what you personally have done with the talents that you were given in the pre-existence.”
“Fourth, He will want a summary of your activity in your church assignments. He will not be necessarily interested in what assignments you have had, for in his eyes the home teacher and the mission president are probably equals, but he will request a summary of how you have been of service to your fellow men in your church assignments.”
“Fifth, He will have no interest in how you earned your living, but if you were honest in all your dealings.”
“Sixth, He will ask for an accountability on what you have done to contribute in a positive manner to your community, state, country and the world.” (President David O. McKay, as quoted by Elder Alexander B. Morrison, Feed My Sheep, [reporting a talk given by President David O. McKay in his Hotel Utah apartment to church employees in June of 1965, from the notes of Fred A. Baker, a Managing Director of the Church’s Department of Physical Facilities])

I am not afraid of death. What I am afraid of is that I will meet the Savior and he will say “ “You could have done better. President Spencer W. Kimball, as quoted by elder Robert D. Hales, “Examples from the Life of a Prophet,” Ensign (Conference Report), November 1981, p. 21.

…let us … proceed to make our way, righteously and resolutely, notwithstanding our weaknesses, to the beckoning City of God. There the self-assigned gatekeeper is Jesus Christ, who awaits us out of a deep divine desire to welcome us as much as to certify us; hence, "He employeth no servant there." (2 Nephi 9:41.) If we acknowledge Him now, He will lovingly acknowledge and gladly admit us then! Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Notwithstanding My Weakness [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981], p. 124