The answer
When man fell, two requirements became at odds with him:
Justice, which requires the complete carrying of the sentence without leniency or negligence; and mercy, which on its part demands complete pardon, without account or reproach. Both requirements are in contrast with one another, or are rather contradictory. From this stemmed a dilemma that cannot be resolved except by the Incarnation, for in this solution, we find:
All mercy, for there is no greater love than for the Holy God Himself to deign and take an earthly body for us.
And all justice, for God Himself accepted to carry the sentence that He pronounced over man.
This necessitated the Incarnation, whereby God is veiled in the flesh of man in order to accept in Himself the same sentence that was ruled over man. This is how redemption may be realised, which may not be accomplished by any other means.
His Holiness Pope Tawadros II
Pope Tawadros II, My Faith: A Series of Dialogues on the Creed (Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate, 2014), 68–69.
The pages in the book (68–69)
