Mormon 9:4

Behold, I say unto you that ye would be more miserable to dwell with a holy and just God, under a consciousness of your filthiness before him, than ye would to dwell with the damned souls in hell.

God's objective is our happiness -- however much happiness we are willing to receive.  If we want the kind of eternal joy he has, he will help us achieve it. But he will not force it on us. If we choose a lesser degree of happiness through living by lesser laws, he will grant it to us. The decision and end result are ultimately ours. God will be wonderfully merciful when mercy is warranted, and he will be just when we reject his mercy.

Helaman 3:33

And in the fifty and first year of the reign of the judges there was peace also, save it were the pride which began to enter into the church—not into the church of God, but into the hearts of the people who professed to belong to the church of God.

Mormon distinguished between the church as an institution and the people who make up the church. We should be careful to make the same distinction today. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution is perfectly organized and designed and contains the fullness of the gospel. It is, however, populated by imperfect humans. We are all full of mistakes and weaknesses. Our personal fallibility does not diminish the validity of the church. We must judge between truth and error, but we must be careful and compassionate when it comes to judging people.

Alma 42:27

Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.

We will be judged by our desires, which motivate our deeds. We will end up where we genuinely want to be. Not everyone wants to be in the celestial kingdom. Not everyone wants to live that kind of life and have that kind of responsibility. Our own agency is always the deciding factor.

Alma 42:23

But God ceaseth not to be God, and mercy claimeth the penitent, and mercy cometh because of the atonement; and the atonement bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead; and the resurrection of the dead bringeth back men into the presence of God; and thus they are restored into his presence, to be judged according to their works, according to the law and justice.

When we repent, we can receive mercy. Christ can offer us mercy because of his suffering and death through the atonement. Because he died as the final sacrifice of the atonement, he could exercise the keys of the resurrection, first for himself and then for the rest of us. The resurrection restores not only our physical bodies, but it restores us to the presence of the Father. Whether we get to remain in his presence depends on what we did with our lives and what we have become. God will apply justice in his judgment, but we need not fear justice if we have applied for mercy through the atonement. Mercy will be applied first, and only those who refuse mercy will have to face justice straight on. Christ saves us from sin, from ourselves, and from the grasp of justice that otherwise would banish us from the Father's presence forever.

Alma 41:14

Therefore, my son, see that you are merciful unto your brethren; deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually; and if ye do all these things then shall ye receive your reward; yea, ye shall have mercy restored unto you again; ye shall have justice restored unto you again; ye shall have a righteous judgment restored unto you again; and ye shall have good rewarded unto you again.

"Deal justly, judge righteously, and do good continually." The motto for a righteous life. Drop the mic.

Alma 3:27

For every man receiveth wages of him whom he listeth to obey, and this according to the words of the spirit of prophecy; therefore let it be according to the truth. And thus endeth the fifth year of the reign of the judges.

To "list" is to desire. Our intentions and desires play a huge role in determining the outcome of our lives. We all sin, but not all of us want to. Mercy and redemption are offered to those who want to be obedient but fail because of mortal weakness. Justice is served to those who enjoy sin and purposefully disregard the commandments of God. It is not how many sins or the magnitude of the sins we commit but the genuine desire of our heart that is weighed in the balance. Christ can overcome every sin for us, but only if we want him to.

Mosiah 17:12

But the priests lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the king. Therefore the king was stirred up in anger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain.

We ought to be careful about the people with whom we surround ourselves. Noah chose wicked men as his counselors. When he might have done the right thing, his friends talked him out of it. It is hard enough to walk the strait and narrow path of discipleship when your friends are cheering you on. It is impossible when the people around you intentionally try to steer you in the wrong direction. We are to be familiar with all and a genuine friend to every person. But we must be careful who we listen to.

Second Nephi 33:15

For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.

Joseph Smith did not say that he had written a good book with good ideas, which he is willing to debate and discuss. He said God would judge the world by this book. No other book before or after has ever made such a claim except the Bible. His testimony, expressed in the words of Nephi, stands unassailed and unrefuted. We either buy it or we don't. We are either in or out. There is no middle ground on which we can stand, and no fence on which we can sit. I choose Christ, the Book of Mormon, Nephi and Joseph. Let God at the judgment bar tell me I'm wrong. I will be in good company.

Second Nephi 2:10

And because of the intercession for all, all men come unto God; wherefore, they stand in the presence of him, to be judged of him according to the truth and holiness which is in him. Wherefore, the ends of the law which the Holy One hath given, unto the inflicting of the punishment which is affixed, which punishment that is affixed is in opposition to that of the happiness which is affixed, to answer the ends of the atonement.

Because of the Atonement we are judged on Christ's perfect character rather than on our own imperfect character. It is his truth and holiness, not ours, that answers the judgment.