21 And I command you that you preach naught but repentance,...
Repentance is the act of changing into a better person, both in our outward actions and our inward thoughts. This repentance, especially from violations of Christ's commandments, is a requirement for enjoying Christ's atonement and avoiding punishment for our sins.
We will all stand before Christ in judgement of our lives. We must be "clean" to stand there and have had the restitution of all of our mortal sins made. Either we can repent and lay that payment on Christ, or we can suffer in payment after our death. Regardless, our "debt to society", as we quip in life, will be paid in full and at the time of judgement, we will be evaluated as to what we have become and what reward we merit.
For this life, we should wisely and gratefully take advantage of Christ's offer of atonement for those who repent and change themselves for the better.
