Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross in order to draw all men unto him at the last day, the day of judgment. Jesus said:
“And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—”[ii]
Lehi, the prophet told his son Jacob the same thing 600 years earlier:
“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.”[iii]
In other scripture God, the Father, says:
“Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name; Man of Counsel is my name; and Endless and Eternal is my name, also.”
If He is so holy, what is it like to die and stand before Him with His all searching eye to be judged? Fortunately, there is repentance. When we have availed ourselves of the atoning pure blood of Jesus Christ to change our ways and follow him, we are transformed into holier beings able to stand in the presence of God.
John, the Beloved, said:
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”[iv]
So how do we purify ourselves as we follow Jesus Christ? We have hope, we have desire, and we have the Holy Spirit to guide our feet on the path of righteousness. We fall down, we wander, and yet the path beckons, and we get up and come back on track.
President Russell M. Nelson said of this lifelong process:
“When Jesus asks you and me to ‘repent’, He is asking us to change the way we love, think, serve, spend our time, treat our wives, teach our children and even care for our bodies. Nothing is more liberating, more ennobling, or more crucial to our individual progression than is a regular, daily focus on repentance. Repentance is not an event; it is a process. It is the key to happiness and peace of mind. When coupled with faith, repentance opens our access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ”[v]
by Roger James Simpson
[i] Acts 3:19-21 World English Bible “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.”
[ii] 3 Nephi 27:14
[iii] 2 Nephi 2:10
[iv] 1 John 3:2-3
[v] https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/04/36nelson?lang=eng