How does salvation involve both justice and mercy?

from the old testament

• God is perfectly just and also merciful. We can see these attributes of God on display throughout the Bible. For example, Psalm 103:8 declares, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."
• Isaiah 30:18 says, "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him."

from the new testament

• God does, and will, judge sin. He also graciously, patiently, and compassionately extends mercy, not wanting any to perish (2 Peter 3:8–10).
• Neither God’s justice or mercy is given at the expense of the other. This is because of the reality of Jesus. Second Corinthians 5:19–21 says, "In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. … For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." The price for sin is death (Romans 6:23). Jesus paid this on our behalf. God had mercy on us because He enacted justice on Jesus.
• The amazing thing is that Jesus willingly did this. John 3:16–17 says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
• In John 17, Jesus prays for His followers, demonstrating His desire that they be unified and also eventually be with Him and able to see His glory. God loves people enough that He chose to create us, knowing full well that we would sin and be in need of redemption. In His mercy, He provided a way for that redemption. In His justice, He, Himself, paid the price for sin.
• Romans 3:21–26 shows mercy and justice at work together: "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

implications for today

Mercy and justice seem like polar opposites. We struggle to uphold justice while also being merciful. But God is both merciful and just and perfectly balances His holiness and compassion through Jesus Christ, who bore the penalty for our sins while offering forgiveness. True mercy does not ignore wrongdoing, and true justice does not withhold compassion. As believers, we are called to reflect God and His character, including His mercy and justice.

We can reflect the balance of mercy and justice in our own lives by offering second chances to someone who has wronged us while still holding them accountable for their actions. For example, we can forgive a coworker for a mistake while teaching them how to improve. Even in parenting, we can show mercy by patiently guiding a child through consequences rather than punishing harshly. By doing so, we mirror God’s heart—upholding what is right while showing compassion—and demonstrate His love and righteousness in tangible ways to those around us.