Justice and Mercy

I wrote this for my Book of Mormon class, and I haven't really been able to write anything postable lately, so here you go.

Alma 42:13 “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.”

The phrase “God would cease to be God” appears several more times in this chapter, and I find it quite intriguing. How does God stop being God? The scriptures link it to this concept of justice, which I’m not sure fully translates in English. In my head, justice as it’s used here means the irrevocable laws of cause and effect that exist the universe that even God is subject to. It says in various scriptures that God has all power, that even the winds and the sea obey him. How does this work? My hypothesis (as yet untestable) is that obedience to the laws of justice grant power. We’re taught that God was once like us, and so it follows that Heavenly Father got to where He is by acting in accordance with the laws of heaven. So again, how does God cease to be God? Simply by going contrary to this immortal conception of justice. 

Justice would demand that we all pay the price of our individual sins. It’s the way things have to work; one cannot enter into a higher state without paying for it. Mercy, however, would forgive the wrongs and let everyone be with the Father again. How can the two be reconciled? Like it says in the scripture above, without certain conditions mercy could only be implemented by destroying justice--which would in turn cause God to not be God. Justice, the way things are and must be, requires payment. The solution is to provide an intercessor who can take upon him the pain and sins of every soul to ever live. Who could fulfill that task but the Son of God, who has a full understanding of what is meant by justice? The Plan is hard and painful, but it’s the only way for God to extend mercy to his children while still remaining faithful to justice. 

I’m no theologian, but this is my slightly formed insight into a topic my mortal brain is struggling to understand.