Throughout the arc of human history there have been competing schools of thought about how to accomplish the greatest good for society. Sometimes we hear of this as the struggle between “justice” and “mercy,” where an emphasis on rules and standards is perceived as clashing with a preference for compassion and forgiveness.
Today, there is a great deal of polarization over these competing views. But does it really have to be this way? Does adherence to justice sacrifice compassion, and vice versa? The Founder and Leader of the Christian Science movement, Mary Baker Eddy, discovered the divine Science of Christianity, or law of God, revealing that Principle and Love are not in competition, because they both define the nature of the one God. Not only is God Love, as the Bible specifically states (e.g., in I John 4:16), but God is also divine Principle.
Although the modern word “principle” is not directly used in the Bible, the concept of consistent divine law is seen throughout the Scriptures. The correlation of God’s justice and His love shine through the following passage: “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psalms 85:10). Through the spiritual understanding of the Bible’s message, we see that mercy and peace—attributes of tender Love—unite with truth and righteousness as attributes of perfect Principle.
