My answer is "both, please." But I must nuance my answer with a bit of background as follows:
God created a man, then a woman. Both of them lurched at power by doing what God told them not to do. This threw human history into a tailspin of sorts. God decided not to wipe out the human race entirely - he wasn't shocked - he saw it coming. He had mercy on the man and woman who were created in his image by not killing them on the spot. Fast forward four to twenty thousand years (or more depending on your view of the age of the earth - whatever, dude [or dude-ette]) to the birth of a man who was also God - Jesus of Nazareth, son of God and son of Mary and Joseph. He came and lived a perfect life, and died the JUST death we should have died. JUSTICE was served. So was MERCY served by God to the people who got to bypass the wrath of God. God crushed his Son (Jesus) who was willingly crushed by death on the cross for the sins of all mankind (including those who came before him who were awaiting such a Messiah/Christ/Redeemer).
People ever since that time have called out for mercy by turning to the one who took the JUST punishment for the sin we deserved.
People ever since that time have called out for justice, too. Rightly so ... sometimes. Depends. If they see that there's something dreadfully wrong with the world, then if we call out to the God who sent his only Son to die that justice might be ultimately accomplished, then good. If it's a call for justice, because we think we deserve to be treated better, we're dreadfully wrong. We don't deserve to be treated better. We deserve the justice that Jesus took for us - death. We are rotten without him. And we're in the process of becoming less rotten internally and in the way we live as we turn to him. So, be careful about the way you call for justice. I try to err on the side of calling out for mercy - because I am confident that God will take care of the justice (he already has, and I know he will).
So, when I look at the injustice in the world, I want to take action! And sometimes I do take action. And I think that's right and good. BUT, when I lose sight of the fact that God takes ultimate care to accomplish his JUSTICE and his MERCY, then I'm in trouble. Thank God for his mercy. My trouble isn't everlasting! I have life everlasting because of him.
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I agree. Justice and Mercy cannot be seperated, you cannot have one without the other. It's an intertwined dichotomy that is a crucial part to God's perfect holiness.
It's funny how we turn it into a good cop, bad cop scenario many times. Like Mercy for us and Justice is against us. As you showed us before, they are both for us since God is for us, especially for those who believe and call upon his name.
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