Eternal Punishment and Repentance

We are taught that as part of the repentance process is to forsake our sins. To forsake is to leave them behind. To let them stay in the past. It is much more that to simply quit doing them. It is to stop thinking about them, to stop punishing ourselves. While we continue to rehash all of the things we have done in the past, we cannot progress. If our minds are so focused on the past, we will become blinded to our future. That is why we must forsake our sins completely. That is why we must allow the atonement to work in our lives--that is why we must move on. If this principle is true in this world, it makes perfect sense that it will carry on to the next life.

Think about it, there is punishment that must be carried out for those who have sinned and not repented. Our God is a just God--and he must abide by the precepts that he has set forth. That means that those who do not take the opportunity to repent now, must suffer later. It's called eternal punishment. This sounds horrible, right? What kind of God could let his children do such a thing? Surely not a loving one. Well hold up just one second. Eternal punishment does not mean suffering for all eternity. Rather, it is the suffering of God. It is "eternal" because it is named after God, and he is eternal. It's a type of punishment rather than a duration of punishment. Just as Nike shoes are a brand of shoe, not an actual shoe. So back to the principle of repentance. If we are given the chance to forsake and move on from our sorrow in this life, it would make sense that we will be given the same chance in the next life.  For those who have not repented, and have to go into eternal punishment, they will have the opportunity to come out.  God is just. This is true. But he is also mercy.  He wants all of his children to be happy, and to repent. And guess what? He has already made a way for it to happen. It's called the Atonement. The Atonement is the great equalizer for all men. It ensures that all men have the opportunity to inherit eternal life. Through the Atonement, men are given the opportunity to repent, and to forsake their sins. To move on from the past, to move forward to a brighter future. And to acknowledge their Savior.