Ether 11:8

And the people began to repent of their iniquity; and inasmuch as they did the Lord did have mercy on them.

Even a people doomed to destruction and in the death throes of their final struggles can repent and find mercy. Surely those of us who are at least trying to live righteously will receive mercy as well.

Ether 2:15 - Part 2

And the brother of Jared repented of the evil which he had done, and did call upon the name of the Lord for his brethren who were with him. And the Lord said unto him: I will forgive thee and thy brethren of their sins; but thou shalt not sin any more, for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord. And these are my thoughts upon the land which I shall give you for your inheritance; for it shall be a land choice above all other lands.

God is merciful and forgives sins. Jesus commanded his disciples to forgive seventy times seven, and surely the Father keeps his own commandments, so he is pretty patient with sinners. Nevertheless, he apparently has a limit to his patience. Though he is infinite, he is not infinitely patient. We can reach a point in our willful, rebellious, intentional sinning that the Lord stops inviting us and enticing us to turn to him. He does not close the door on our possible repentance, but it will be much more difficult for us to recognize and turn from our sins when his Spirit is withdrawn from us. Far better is it for us to repent daily, even though we remain weak, than to think we can postpone our repentance to the last minute. If we wait for the last minute, we will likely miss that minute and slip past the grasp of mercy completely.

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.

Mormon 5:2

But behold, I was without hope, for I knew the judgments of the Lord which should come upon them; for they repented not of their iniquities, but did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them.

Just as Mormon could not forsake his people, even though he had no hope for them, God never forsakes his children, even when they refuse to repent. He loves all his children eternally and wants every single one to return to him. To paraphrase Elder D. Todd Christofferson, God's love is eternal but not unconditional. The word "unconditional" does not appear in the scriptures. What we read there is that we must repent, keep the commandments, and love God and our fellow man. Otherwise, the mercy of Christ's Atonement can have no effect on us, and justice must take effect. God's love will not save us if we do not qualify for mercy. He knows the end from the beginning, and so he knows how the test of mortality will turn out for each of us, but he never gives up and never walks away. We may turn our backs on him, but he does not turn his back on us.

Mormon 2:15

And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open rebellion against their God, and heaped up as dung upon the face of the land. And thus three hundred and forty and four years had passed away.

The day of grace is never passed for those who sincerely wish to repent. No sin is so severe, so deep, and so frequently repeated that it is beyond the reach of Christ's Atonement. Nevertheless, if we do not avail ourselves of Christ's merciful gift through repentance, he will not force his mercy upon us. If the day of grace is passed, it is because we choose to deny grace, and we refuse to ask for forgiveness. If we refuse mercy, the only alternative is justice.

3 Nephi 22:10

For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

God's kindness is more permanent and everlasting than the mountains. Though time and weather can erode even the mightiest mountain range, nothing can erode God's love for us.

3 Nephi 22:7

For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “The imagery of Jehovah as bridegroom and Israel as bride is among the most commonly used metaphors in scripture, being used by the Lord and his prophets to describe the relationship between Deity and the children of the covenant. … Christ has, on occasion, been rightfully angry with backsliding Israel, but that has always been brief and temporary—‘a small moment.’ Compassion and mercy always return and prevail in a most reassuring way. The mountains and the hills may disappear. The water of the great seas may dry up. … But the Lord’s kindness and peace will never be taken from his covenant people. He has sworn with a heavenly oath that he will not be wroth with them forever” (Christ and the New Covenant 1997, 290).

3 Nephi 9:14

Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

Christ extends mercy to everyone, not just to General Authorities, not just to stake presidents or relief society presidents, not just to people who serve three missions or pay off their mortgage or have at least five children. Everyone who comes to Christ will receive mercy. He will receive everyone and turn no one away. No one has sinned too much or too long to be cast off by the Savior if they truly want to change and receive his mercy. He has paid for every single sin of every single person who ever has or ever will come to this earth. He has already paid for it all, so why would he turn anyone away and squander what he has already accomplished?

Helaman 14:30

And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

We can earn our punishment, but we cannot earn our redemption. Redemption comes as a gift for which we qualify through repentance. Justice, on the other hand, will come upon us if God does nothing to stop it. We choose justice or mercy. Mercy is the result of Christ's atonement, which we must choose to accept. If we do not choose mercy, we get justice by default.

Helaman 3:27-30

Thus we may see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name. Yea, thus we see that the gate of heaven is open unto all, even to those who will believe on the name of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

If I were marooned on a desert island and could have only one small section of scripture to keep me company, I might choose these four short verses. Mormon sums up a series of lessons learned by the Nephites during a period of relative peace following many years of war. These are truths about how God works with his children in all ages of the world. This brief discourse sums up the whole Gospel of Christ:

1. God is merciful when we sincerely repent.
2. Everyone who repents is welcome in the church and kingdom of God.
3. True members of God's kingdom believe in Christ.
4. We choose belief and faith. 
5. The word of God is not just the written scriptures. It is also revelation, both through the prophet and personally to each of us.  We must choose to receive and obey revelation.
6. Revelation from God is life-giving and powerful to change our lives. 
7. When we live the gospel, we can avoid and overcome the temptations of Satan. The gospel leads on a strict path back to God.
8. To live with God permanently is our ultimate goal and destination.
9. We can look forward to the same exaltation as the patriarchs and prophets. 

Alma 42:30

O my son, I desire that ye should deny the justice of God no more. Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God; but do you let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility.

Alma invites his son to let the principles of the gospel work upon his thoughts and feelings. "Don't deny justice to make yourself feel better about sin," he pleads, "but don't deny the mercy of the atonement, either, and cripple yourself with guilt. Let them work together." Justice demands that we do our best. Mercy acknowledges that our best is never good enough, and so it makes provisions for mistakes and shortcomings so we are not eternally condemned while we learn. Taken together, it is a glorious plan for happiness.

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 42:13

Therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state; for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God.

Mercy overrides justice only when we participate in the process. We must make some sort of effort to qualify for mercy. That does not mean we earn mercy or that we can pay even a single penny towards our ransom. Christ pays the full price. He can pay for us, however, only if we ask, and we ask not just with our lips but with our hearts as demonstrated through our actions. Justice demands evidence, not just testimony.

Alma 34:31

Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

Repentance can immediately put the plan of salvation to work in our lives. God does not let us dangle helplessly over the pit of hell, hanging desperately by our fingernails for eons before he finally forgives us. He is a merciful, loving God who welcomes us back instantly when we genuinely humble ourselves and approach him with a broken heart and contrite spirit.

That does not mean, however, that we avoid all temporal consequences of our sins. Addiction still produces withdrawals. Damages still have to be repaid. Restitution is still required. Destroyed relationships may not be easily repaired. Trust may not be easily re-won. But eternal consequences have already been settled, and God's love is quick and sure. He never turns his back when we want to come to him. He never locks the door when we want to come home.

Alma 34:17-18

Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.

Faith, repentance, and baptism are prerequisites for salvation. We must do one more thing, however, to qualify for salvation. We must ask for it. When we want it, when we act like we want it, and when we ask for it, the Lord is quick to respond. He runs to us like the father ran to meet the prodigal son when he was yet a long way off. 

Alma 34:14

And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal.

The atonement enables mercy. It is the proof that God loves us. Though he sent us here to an imperfect, fallen world in imperfect, fallen bodies, he will not abandon us to perfect justice without hope. We are not here to fail. We are here to learn. He does not want to hold our mistakes against us, for it is by those very mistakes that we learn and grow. Mistakes followed by correction and repentance are the very essence of mortality. If we could not repent and recover, our mistakes would simply destroy us and God's plan right along with us. Thus the atonement had to happen to bring about mercy so we can survive our mistakes. We can learn without being condemned. And oh, how blessed is the name of him who worked out this merciful atonement for us at an unspeakable cost!

Alma 32:13

And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.

Mercy is a sure promise from the Lord. When we repent, we find mercy. We do not find retribution or reviling or rebuke. The rebuke comes before repentance as a way to move us towards repentance. Once we repent, we find only mercy and forgiveness. Mercy is, then, the doorway to eternal life, which is life with God.

Alma 24:11

And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could do (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain.

Twice in this verse and again in verse 15 the king says that it has been all his people could do to repent and be forgiven. Is this not true for all of us? Can we ever really do anything more than throw ourselves on the mercy of Christ and his atonement? For all our intentions to do good, keep our covenants, and obey the commandments, we fail every day. In the final analysis, we can earn nothing for ourselves. Every effort, every good intention, every right choice only qualifies us for the gift of forgiveness and justification. The fact is, we must be forgiven, we must be pardoned, we must be saved. There is no other way into God's grace.

Alma 22:14

And since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.

The crowning glory and achievement of God's plan is the atonement of Christ. Without the redeeming power of the atonement, we would forever remain fallen and guilty. We cannot un-break a broken law, and we all break God's law sooner or later. We make ourselves unclean and unfit to be in his holy presence. We would be forever under the weight of justice. But Christ changed the outcome of mortal life. Because he could and did keep the law perfectly and without sin, he received the power to pay for all of our sins and free us from them. He satisfied justice, which enables him to extend to us mercy. Because of him, and only because of him, we can enter the presence of God as clean and worthy sons and daughters. If you think it will take a miracle to get you into heaven, you are right. The good news (i.e.,  the gospel) is that the miracle has already been done.

Alma 18:41

And he began to cry unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, have mercy; according to thy abundant mercy which thou hast had upon the people of Nephi, have upon me, and my people.

When we recognize our guilt, our only hope is mercy. When we realize that we cannot possibly succeed on our own merits, we turn to the One whose merits are sufficient to overcome our deficiencies. When we cannot love ourselves, we call upon the One who loves us all the time and forever. "O Lord, have mercy," may be the most powerful, important, transformative words we will ever speak in this life.