389. Divine justice requires that a penalty be paid for every sin.
390. Through the Atonement of Christ, mercy is available to all.
391. Justice is satisfied and mercy is extended to those who repent.
389. Divine justice requires that a penalty be paid for every sin.
quoted by Mormon
Now, repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment, which also was eternal as the life of the soul should be, affixed opposite to the plan of happiness, which was as eternal also as the life of the soul.
17. Now, how could a man repent except he should sin? How could he sin if there was no law? How could there be a law save there was a punishment?
18. Now, there was a punishment affixed, and a just law given, which brought remorse of conscience unto man. . . .
22. But there is a law given, and a punishment affixed, and a repentance granted; which repentance mercy claimeth; otherwise, justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God. 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.
24. For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved.
25. What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God.
26. And thus God bringeth about his great and eternal purposes, which were prepared from the foundation of the world. And thus cometh about the salvation and the redemption of men, and also their destruction and misery. (Alma speaks to his son Corianton, concerning the resurrection of the dead, about 73 B.C.) Alma 42:16-18,22-26
also quoting Alma, the younger
Each of us, without exception, one day will settle that spiritual account. We will, that day, face a judgment for our doings in mortal life and face a foreclosure of sorts.
One thing I know; we will be justly dealt with. Justice, the eternal law of justice, will be the measure against which we settle this account.
Justice is usually pictured holding a set of scales and blindfolded against the possibility that she may be partial or become sympathetic. There is no sympathy in justice alone—only justice Our lives will be weighed on the scales of justice.
The Prophet Alma declared:
"Justice claimeth the creature and executeth the law, and the law inflicteth the punishment; if not so, the works of justice would be destroyed, and God would cease to be God." (Alma 42:22)
I commend to you the reading of the 42nd chapter of Alma . It reveals the place of justice and should confirm that the poet spoke the truth when he said, "In the course of justice [only] none of us should see salvation." (Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, IV. i. 199-200) CR1977Apr:78-79
Adam fell. We know that this fall came because of transgression, and that Adam broke the law of God, became mortal and was thus subject to sin and disease and all the ills of mortality. We know that the effects of his fall passed upon all his posterity; all inherited a fallen state, a state of mortality, a state of temporal and spiritual death prevail. In this state all men sin. All are lost. All are fallen. All are cut off from the presence of God. All have become carnal, sensual, and devilish by nature. Such a way of life is inherent in this mortal existence. Thus all are in the grasp of justice, and because God is just, all must pay the penalty for their sins.
This, Alma tells us, is the rationale "concerning the justice of God in the punishment of the sinner." Lost and fallen and sinful and carnal man has been in this state of opposition to God since the fall of Adam; such is his present state, and he will so remain forever, unless provision is made whereby he can escape from the grasp of justice. The provisions of the law of justice are so basic and so unvarying that if they ceased to operate, "God would cease to be God." (The Promised Messiah, pp. 244-45) TLDP:330
Bear in mind that the Gospel of Christ is not a mere lifeboat or fire escape-a way out of a perilous situation. It is all this and more. It is the path to endless glory and exaltation, the plan of eternal progression, designed by the wisdom of the Gods before the foundation of the world. Adam's fall was a part of the great plan. It brought death, spiritual and temporal death-for Divine Justice demands a penalty for every transgression. (CR 1925Oct; Afternoon Session, p.101)
Related Witnesses:
recorded in Matthew
Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. (Jesus teaches to "agree with thine adversary" lest he take thee to the judge and "thou be cast into prison," for even mankind's justice requires that a penalty be paid for every offense) Matthew 5:26
390. Through the Atonement of Christ, mercy is available to all.
In his infinite mercy, the Father heard the cries of his children and sent His Only Begotten Son, who was not subject to death nor to sin, to provide the means of escape. This he did through his infinite atonement and the everlasting gospel. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:127) TLDP:331
quoted by Mormon
And now remember, my son, if it were not for the plan of redemption, (laying it aside) as soon as they were dead their souls were miserable, being cut off from the presence of the Lord.
12. And now, there was no means to reclaim men from this fallen state, which man had brought upon himself because of his own disobedience;
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.
14. And thus we see that all mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence.
15. And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also. (Alma speaks to his son Corianton, concerning the resurrection of the dead, about 73 B.C.) Alma 42:11-15
also quoting Paul
By eternal law, mercy cannot be extended save there be one who is both willing and able to assume our debt and pay the price and arrange the terms for our redemption.
Unless there is a mediator, unless we have a friend, the full weight of justice untempered, unsympathetic, must, positively must fall on us. The full recompense for every transgression, however minor or however deep, will be exacted from us to the uttermost farthing.
But know this: Truth, glorious truth, proclaims there is such a Mediator.
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5)
Through Him mercy can be fully extended to each of us without offending the eternal law of justice. . . .
The extension of mercy will not be automatic. It will be through covenant with Him. It will be on His terms, His generous terms, which include, as an absolute essential, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.
All mankind can be protected by the law of justice, and at once each of us individually may be extended the redeeming and healing blessing of mercy. CR1977Apr:80
As justice is the child of the fall, so mercy is the offspring of the atonement. "Mercy cometh because of the atonement," Alma says, "and mercy claimeth the penitent." If there were no atoning sacrifice there would be no mercy—only justice. (The Promised Messiah, pp. 244-45) TLDP:330
quoted by his son Nephi
Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.
7. Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
8. Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise. (Lehi teaches his son Jacob, about the redemption of man from the fall of Adam, between 588-570 B.C.) 2 Nephi 2:6-8
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
All are within the reach of pardoning mercy, who have not committed the unpardonable sin, which hath no forgiveness. . . . (Items of instruction given by the Prophet at a conference in Nauvoo, Ill., Oct. 3, 1894) HC4:425; TPJS:191
391. Justice is satisfied and mercy is extended to those who repent.
Justice made certain demands, and Adam could not pay the price, so mercy steps in. The Son of God says: "I will go down and pay the price. I will be the Redeemer and redeem men from Adam's transgression. I will take upon me the sins of the world and redeem or save every soul from his own sins who will repent." That is the only condition. The Savior does not save anybody from his individual sins, only on condition of his repentance. So the effect of Adam's transgression was to place all of us in the pit with him. Then the Savior comes along, not subject to that pit, and lowers the ladder. He comes down into the pit and makes it possible for us to use the ladder to escape. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:123) TLDP:331
receiving the Word of the Lord
[F]or I, the Lord forgive sins, and am merciful unto those who confess their sins with humble hearts; (Revelation to the elders of the Church through Joseph Smith, Aug. 12, 1831) D&C 61:2
There is forgiveness for the sinner who truly repents. God's mercy is just as boundless as his justice. (The Latter-day Prophets and the Doctrine and Covenants, 2:320) TLDP:331
Truly, it is with the dead as with the living. The spirit offspring of Deity, whether encased in clay or roaming free in the realms of the departed dead, are all subject to the same eternal laws. Our Lord's infinite and eternal atonement reaches out to all in every sphere of creation. Freedom from the bondage of sin, from the chains of hell, from the darkness of doubt and despair come to both the quick and the dead on the same terms and conditions, and these are made operative through His atoning sacrifice. All must repent to be free. All must obey to gain gospel blessings. All must keep the commandments to merit mercy. (The Promised Messiah, p. 242) TLDP:232
There are many people who seem to rely solely on the Lord's mercy rather than on accomplishing their own repentance. One woman rather flippantly said, "The Lord knows my intents and that I'd like to give up my bad habits. He will understand and forgive me." But the scriptures will not bear this out. The Lord may temper justice with mercy, but he will never supplant it. Mercy can never replace justice. God is merciful, but he is also just. The Savior's atonement represents the mercy extended. Because of this atonement, all men can be saved. Most men can be exalted.
Many have greatly misunderstood the place of mercy in the forgiveness program. Its role is not to give great blessings without effort. Were it not for the atonement of Christ, the shedding of his blood, the assumption by proxy of our sins, man could never be forgiven and cleansed. Justice and mercy work hand in hand. Having offered mercy to us in the overall redemption, the Lord must now let justice rule, for he cannot save us in our sins. . . . (The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 358-59) TLDP:331-32
I testify that Jesus Christ paid the price and satisfied the demands of justice for all who are obedient to His teachings. Thus, full forgiveness is granted, and the distressing effects of sin need no longer persist in one’s life. Indeed, they cannot persist if one truly understands the meaning of Christ’s Atonement. (CR 1986Apr; We Love You—Please Come Back, Ensign, May 1986, p.10)
We know that in some way, incomprehensible to us, his suffering satisfied the demands of justice, ransomed penitent souls from the pains and penalties of sin, and made mercy available to those who believe in his holy name. (CR 1985Apr; The Purifying Power of Gethsemane, Ensign, May 1985, p.9)
Related Witnesses:
receiving the Word of the Lord
But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work; (Revelation regarding the lost manuscript pages, July 1828) D&C 3:10
