"Who or what ‘inflicteth the punishment’ demanded by a broken law?
“Inasmuch as every law has both a punishment and a blessing affixed to it, punishments (or miseries) are the natural result of disobedience to the law, whereas blessings are the natural results of obedience. Thus, when a person transgresses a law (or sins) and suffering or punishment results, he brings upon himself the suffering and the ’law inflicteth the punishment.’ (Read Helaman 14:30- 31.) It is foolish to blame God for our suffering, for if all men were 100 percent righteous there would be no suffering. The following analogy might help to illustrate this point: If you counsel a person not to touch a hot stove or he will be burned, and he then disregards your counsel, touches the hot stove, and is burned, what caused him to be burned -- you or the stove? Likewise, if the Lord commands you not to do a certain thing or you will suffer, and you then disregard the counsel of the Lord, commit the sin, and then suffer, who caused your suffering -- the Lord, or your willful disobedience of divine law?” (Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion To Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p. 229)
Dallin H. Oaks
“Justice has many meanings. One is balance. A popular symbol of justice is scales in balance. Thus, when the laws of man have been violated, justice usually requires that a punishment be imposed, a penalty that will restore the balance…Punishments prescribed by the laws of man only follow the judge’s action, but under the laws of God the consequences and penalties of sin are inherent in the act…by itself, justice is uncompromising. The justice of God holds each of us responsible for our own transgressions and automatically imposes the penalty.” (Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 346)