Alma 42:25: What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit.
Alma 34:15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name; this being the intent of this last sacrifice, to bring about the bowels of mercy, which overpowereth justice, and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.
What is the difference between mercy robbing justice and mercy overpowering justice?
This week’s question courtesy of Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper).
Perhaps if mercy were to rob justice, it would be leaving justice unsatisfied; but if mercy overpowers justice, it overwhelms justice’s requirements with the result being that there is some mercy left over after justice has been satisfied. Ain’t word games fun?
Good question.
I think the difference is that the word “justice†is being used in a slightly different sense in each passage.
My simplistic explanation is that, in both passages, the idea being taught is that both mercy and justice are necessary, but insufficient, components of salvation.
In the first, mercy is robbing justice as a whole. For mercy to rob justice is to say that mercy is sufficient and that justice is not necessary, which is not true.
In the second, mercy is overpowering the whole of justice. In other words, it is claiming its own stake as a necessary component and refuting the idea that justice is sufficient.
I don’t know if there is a difference between robbing justice or overpowering justice. Maybe they mean the same thing. And that thing is hard to understand or explain.
I had a thought yesterday, an epiphany of sorts, I hope this is on the subject. But I realized that God has been blessing me, even though I don’t live the gospel perfectly. He’s been answering my prayers and I feel His love. I was sitting in sacrament wondering “why?” when I’m so fatally flawed.
And the thought came that, yeah, I’m not perfect, but I’m not bad. I’m better than I used to be, I am trying and continuing to succeed at improving myself, even though it is not a steady uphill climb. I fall a lot.
But God is not basing His love, His acceptance, or conditioning His assistance to me on my perfection. He is giving me a lot of credit for effort, motive, and heart, and helping me as much as my imperfection will allow. So, too, are most of the people around me trying to be good, to be better, to do what’s right. And He is blessing them, despite sometimes evidence to the contrary.
So, at the end of my life, I will still be imperfect, but hopefully better all the time, if I stay in the church and stay as faithful as possible. I may never write a profoundly impacting book on Mormonism, I may never even understand Mormonism enough to attempt that, I may never be the Relief Society president, I may never overcome some of my bad habits, but in the end, if I remain as faithful as possible, I will die a better person than I started out. And God will make up the rest.
I thought about the old people I know, as I sat there in Sacrament meeting, and realized that most of them are better people. Not perfect people, but most of them overcome a lot of faults, flaws, and shortcomings by the time they die. I think there’s hope for all of us. For a moment, I relaxed.
annegb,
Thanks for that thought. I find my attitude is generally better when I consider that most people are doing the best they can under their circumstances. That’s at least part of what mercy is for, is to take consideration of those circumstances.
Perhaps the meaning of ‘overpowereth’ is `satisfy the requirements thereof`?
Mercy can’t ‘rob’ justice of the demands of payment (42:25) – Justice must ALWAYS be paid.
God can’t unconditionally use mercy (by His mere uttered word), to bring souls back to him – justice must be paid.
34:15 instructs us about the mercy inherit in Christ’s infinite atonement – justice was paid.
We now belong to Christ – His mercy paid justice for us.
Well said Daylan
I’ve thought of this before and the best that comes to mind is that by robbing justice, mercy would leave no consequences to one’s actions. The natural consequences will always happen to any action we take. This will allow some justice to prevail. However, spiritual justice is tempered by Mercy.
The atonement itself does not remove justice. It does shift the impact to another, even Jesus Christ. Jesus takes on our sins and punishments for them. Justice is fufilled but mercy has permitted us to get past it.