Grace Is the Core of Our Temple Theology

Grace is the core of our temple theology - that every person will be judged charitably and based only on their effort to live according to the dictates of their own conscience and their own ability. If any man or woman did the best s/he could, s/he will inherit the Celestial Kingdom according to our theology - no matter the details of life.

That's easier to accept for most members in the case of non-members and those who died without hearing about Jesus, the Christ, but it's true even of members - active and inactive. There is no objective, measurable standard (that we mortals can see and understand) for the judgment, as much as we tend to want one. God, alone, is the judge - and we are told He judges based on the condition and intent of the heart.

It's one of the central paradoxes of Mormon theology - the balance between motivating in this life and recognizing the complete lack of objective criteria when dealing with the dead. We do the best we can to encourage each other to do the best we can - but we acknowledge it's all in God's hands in the end.