A comparison between scriptures having to do with the justice of God, and scriptures explaining the mercy of God.

Justice: The justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous (1 Ne. 15:30).

O the greatness and the justice of our God! (2 Nephi 9:17)

And naught but peace, justice, and truth is the habitation of thy throne (Moses 7:31).

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 (Alma 42:14).

O my son, I desire that ye should deny the justice of God no more. Do not endeavor to excuse yourself in the least point because of your sins, by denying the justice of God (Alma 42:30).

Behold, I would tell you somewhat concerning the justice of God, and the sword of his almighty wrath, which doth hang over you except ye repent and withdraw your armies into your own lands (Alma 54:6).

And he that endureth not unto the end, the same is he that is also hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence they can no more return, because of the justice of the Father (3 Nephi 27:17).

Therefore, repent ye, and humble yourselves before him, lest he shall come out in justice against you--lest a remnant of the seed of Jacob shall go forth among you as a lion, and tear you in pieces, and there is none to deliver (Mormon 5:24).

Verily, verily, I say unto you, wo be unto him that lieth to deceive because he supposeth that another lieth to deceive, for such are not exempt form the justice of God (Doctrine & Covenants, 10:28).

Summary: Two of the pillars of God are: His laws and His justice. Our world would be chaotic without God's laws and justice. God provides repentance, along with a Savior to save us from the grasps of justice. We can pretend that God's laws do not exist, and pretend that there are no consequences for not following His commandments, but the laws remain, and the consequences will at some time come to pass.

Mercy: I will trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever (Psalms 51:8).

But God, who is rich in mercy... (Ephesians 2:4).

O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! (2 Ne. 9:8)

But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you (Alma 12:33).

He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth (Psalm 57:3).

For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion (Romans 9:15).

For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him (Philippians 2:27).

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).

Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish! (1 Nephi 1:14)

They were delivered out of the hands of the people of king Noah, by the mercy and power of God (Alma 5:4).

And the great God has had mercy on us, and made these things known unto us that we might not perish; yea, and he has made these things known unto us beforehand, because he loveth our souls as well as he loveth our children; therefore, in his mercy he doth visit us by his angles, that the plan of salvation might be made known unto us as well as unto future generations (Alma 24:14).

But do you let the justice of God, and his mercy, and his long-suffering have full sway in your heart; and let it bring you down to the dust in humility (Alma 42:30).

And because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles...(3 Nephi 16:9).

Little children cannot repent; wherefore, it is awful wickedness to deny the pure mercies of God unto them, for they are all alive in him because of his mercy (Moroni 8:19).

My servant Joseph Smith, Jun., might have power to translate through the mercy of God, by the power of God, the Book of Mormon (Doctrine & Covenants 1:29).

Glory, and honor, and power, and might, Be ascribed to our God; for he is full of mercy, justice, grace and truth, and peace (Doctrine & Covenants 84:102).

Summary: God is "rich in mercy." Love, grace, and mercy are essential and dominate characteristics of God. God (especially) showers mercy on those who are humble, obedient, repentant, and grateful.

There is an article in the October Liahona that has stirred many thoughts. Elder Lynn G. Robbins writes about virtues. He explains that the Lord "counseleth...in justice, and in great mercy." Elder Robbins continues: "These two virtues are not opposites but complementary." Elder Robbins provides a list of complementary virtues, and these are so great!

• Justice and mercy

• Agency and responsibility

• Faith and works

• Religious/covenant keeping (outward) and spiritual/discipleship (inward)

• Uniformity and flexibility

• Unity and diversity

• Letter of the law and spirit of the law

• Reverence/solemnity and joy/sociality

• Boldness and meekness

• Valor and discretion

• Discipline and lovingkindness

• Fairness for all and uncompromising

• Gentleness and firmness

• “Let your light so shine before men” (Matthew 5:16) and not “aspir[ing] to the honors of men” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:35)

This is not a clear picture, but you can get the idea. Jonathan Linton painted this piece and titled it, "Mercy Claimeth That Which is her Own." Here is an artist statement:

"This painting is a personification of justice being satisfied by the gift of Christ, symbolized by light, and of mercy claiming the penitent man. This stands for the grace extended to all such souls who put their faith in Christ. '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. 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' (Alma 42: 224, 25). These figures are complex, multifaceted symbolical elements in the composition. Further elements include a large spacious field representing the world, the sunset representing the end of the earthly life that each person eventually faces, and the bulastrade separating mortal life from the next stage of existence."

I saw this painting for the first time this week. I was with a friend and we both stopped to look at the painting, read the statement, looked some more and were filled with emotion. Isn't it beautiful? 

I have loved listening to this rendition of "Amazing Grace" by Mat and Savanna Shaw, also featuring Mark Vaci and Aitana Alapa.

I just finished a book by Andrew C. Skinner about the book of Third Nephi.  I like these thoughts from Brother Skinner:

 And so it comes down to this when considering the meaning of the Cross for us personally.  We can either ignore it or we can embrace it and die upon it—meaning we can be transformed, we can crucify the natural man, we can yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit. 

(I like the thought of the natural man within us being crucified as we are born again and seek to bring to life a new self.)

When we act toward others as the Savior has acted toward us, we become like him and our merciful behavior welds us to him.

(How reassuring to know that as we strive to align our actions with the Savior, our merciful behavior is welding us to Him.)

A significant tool given to all disciples to help them endure to the end is the temple endowment.  The endowment gives us the ongoing motivation and the power to endure.  Through the ordinance of the endowment, we are introduced to the environment of heaven, shown that it is within our grasp, and given the power to obtain it.  The endowment truly is, as its name indicates, a rich gift. 

(I had never thought of the benefits of the endowment in this way. In the temple we see the plan and glimpses of heaven, we are "shown that it is within our grasp," and we are blessed with the power to endure as we are faithful to our covenants. What a marvelous gift the endowment is!)