We have often heard that God is merciful. Yes, mercy is an attribute of God. But often we forget that He is also just. When Moses requested the Lord to show Himself to him, the Lord proclaimed:

“And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6, 7).

Two characteristics of God, justice and mercy, were in harmony throughout eternity. When Adam disobeyed God, the death sentence had to be enforced. Adam had to die. God will “by no means clear the guilty.” Then where was God’s mercy?

His mercy was in demanding: “Let the sinner live.” If God would permit Adam to live, unpunished, because of His mercy, where then was His justice?

The question was answered in the sacrifice of Jesus to pay the penalty for own guilt. When Jesus came to this world it was to satisfy both the justice and the mercy of God. God’s justice said: “The sinner must die,” because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23.) By taking upon Himself human nature, Jesus took upon Him the sins of the world. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus died and this demand of God’s justice was satisfied.

The mercy of God said: “Let the sinner live.” This demand was also satisfied when Jesus became our intercessor, and as He pleads with the Father to forgive our sins, He claims: “Let the repentant sinner live.” “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

On Calvary, Jesus extended one hand to the justice of God and another hand to His mercy, reconciling and harmonizing them both. Then was fulfilled the Bible verse which says: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalm 85:10).

The Spirit of Prophecy explains this wonderful provision as follows:

“The law requires righteousness—a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give. He cannot meet the claims of God’s holy law. But Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. More than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes of God. He builds up the human character after the similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of spiritual strength and beauty. Thus the very righteousness of the law is fulfilled in the believer in Christ. God can ‘be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus’ (Romans 3:26).

“God’s love has been expressed in His justice no less than in His mercy. Justice is the foundation of His throne, and the fruit of His love. It had been Satan’s purpose to divorce mercy from truth and justice. He sought to prove that the righteousness of God’s law is an enemy to peace. But Christ shows that in God’s plan they are indissolubly joined together; the one cannot exist without the other. ‘Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other’ (Psalm 85:10).

“By His life and His death, Christ proved that God’s justice did not destroy His mercy, but that sin could be forgiven, and that the law is righteous, and can be perfectly obeyed. Satan’s charges were refuted. God had given man unmistakable evidence of His love.” 1