The Mercy of God
When a religious discussion of any length of significance occurs, the importance of God's mercy toward man is bound to come up. If we as human beings are to be accepted by God we must be recipients of God's mercy. How else will we escape the penalty of breaking God's law? A law is the standard that is set to encourage right behaviour. Law is not a suggestion, it is a firm rule for conduct. This is especially true when we are referring to God's law. God who is the perfect creator, the given of all good things and the final judge will not allow the breaking of His law, sin, to go unpunished. Sin must be judged. So, we see that the very notion of a law given by God demands justice or judgment. Since God has made us, given us everything we need, is perfect and has made everything perfect, it is just for him to judge our willful disobedience and the errors of judgment that result from that disobedience. In fact law cannot be law without judgment. (1)
This brings us back to mercy. It says in the Qur'an that, "If God was to deal with man as his deeds deserved, he would not leave a single living creature alive on the face of the earth." (Sura 16:61, 35:45) The Bible similarly states, "There is none righteous, no, not one;" (Injil, Romans 3:10) "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Injil, Romans 3:23) The wages of sin is death [spiritual separation from God]" (Injil, Romans 6:23) With such a grim outlook on life we as humans desperately need God's mercy. However, the way many people speak of mercy in reality nullifies the law because they talk about mercy that is totally void of justice or judgment. But is that even possible? Logically, mercy can only be mercy if there is justice at the same time. That still leaves man, in his own power, without hope. All he has is the law that condemns him. As we have seen in the case of man, God has declared that justice according to His law will bring His certain judgment upon man. If there is no judgment there is no need for mercy. Mercy by definition means that judgment, which was due, was diverted. (2)
But how can judgment be diverted? Can judgment be diverted simply by ignoring the call for judgment and extending mercy to the offender? If we say that when mercy exists, judgment is unnecessary, then "mercy" ceases to be true mercy. Mercy can only be mercy if it is held simultaneously with the acknowledgment and execution of deserved judgment. When we look through history we realize that this could only be done through Jesus Christ. The Prophet Moses asked for this privilege but was denied it by God. (3) The otherwise puzzling things about Jesus Christ's birth, nature, life and death are made clear when we understand this point. The Injil states that God is just and the justifier of all who have faith in him. The fact that he is just means that he judges sin. He has done this by Jesus Christ taking our sin upon himself and dying a death he didn't deserve and proving his victory by rising again from the dead and ascending alive into heaven. This justice is clearly stated in the Injil.
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation [satisfaction] by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (4)
These verses point out that the mercy that was extended to people in the past could only be done if justice was one day completed in Christ Jesus. They also point out that the sacrifice of Christ showed the righteousness of God by showing that the very possibility of mercy being given in the time of the Prophet Moses before Jesus Christ demanded that God's plan and purpose for sin to be judged in the death of Jesus Christ. God consciously "passed over the sins" [was merciful to the sinner] for the purpose of showing his righteousness. And what is his righteousness [the acceptable action]? It is to "be just [administer proper justice or judgment] and the justifier [one who mercifully declares another person free from punishment whether guilty or not] of the one who has faith in Jesus." The mercy of God toward the sinner requires that the sin be properly judged.
The fact that he justifies means that he declares sinners who have admitted their sin and desire to turn from it, as acceptable to God. He can do this because Jesus Christ has satisfied God's wrath and judgment toward sin. Herein is true mercy.
This mercy has been rejected by some for various reasons, yet it is still valid as long as time exists. (5) Here are some of the reasons,
No excuse will stand on the day of judgment. Will you receive the true mercy that judges sin properly or will you trust in a false mercy which in reality is not mercy at all and therefore, subject yourself to eternal judgment?
Some people are willing to believe in a false mercy because they don't believe in an eternal judgment. How much better for sin to be judged and dealt with in Christ now while there is time, than for the sinner to be judged eternally on the day of judgment and find that even the eternal suffering has no power over sin.
More About This Mercy
This mercy in the Injil is consistent with the message of the Taurat and the Zabur. The sacrifices God commanded to Moses never judged sin, they simply covered sin. Yet the covering was effective because those who offered the sacrifice trusted God's promise that sin would be judged through the Messiah (Isaiah 53), the blessing God had promised through Abraham.
This mercy comes through the love of God. When we look at what the Injil says about the love of God toward mankind we see that love overlooks wrongs. "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails." (Injil, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8) It is a life empowering force as well as an initiating power. "We love Him because He first loved us." (Injil, 1 John 4:19) It is also very practical in daily life. "If someone says, "I love God,'' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." (Injil, 1 John 4:20-21)
This love is at the core of God's mercy! Do we want others to be patience with us? Do we want them to be kind to us? Do we want them to not envy us? Do we want them to not boast about themselves? Do we want them to think no evil of us? Do we want them to not rejoice when we fail? Do we want them to believe the best in us? Do we want them to endure through the hard times with us? Do we want them to do that without end? If so, we need the love of God, the mercy of God, the justice of God. It all comes in Jesus Christ. If you question these things, check out what he said. Buy a Bible; ask for a copy of the Injil; go online at http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible and search the Bible in many languages to find out what Jesus taught. If you find a ring of truth to his words, obey him with a thankful and humble heart and pray that we might continue to do so, too.
(1) The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed. Oxford University Press, ©1989. Part of the definition of law is, "The body of rules, whether proceeding from formal enactment or from custom, which a particular state or community recognizes as binding on it's members or subjects." (Vol. VIII, p. 712) Part of the definition of just is, "Constituted by law or equity". (p. 324) Part of the definition of justice is, "Judicial administration of law. Vindication of right by assignment of reward or punishment." (Vol. VIII, p. 326)
(2) The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd Ed. Oxford University Press, ©1989. Mercy is a "forbearance and compassion shown by one person to another who is in his power and who has no claim to receive kindness; kind and compassionate treatment in a case where severity is merited or expected." (Vol. IX, p. 626) A part of the definition of mercy is "clemency" which in The American Heritage Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company, ©1969 is defined as "a specific act of a person or agency charged with administering justice." (p. 821)
(3) Exodus 32:30-35
(4) Injil, Romans 3:19-26
(5) Injil, Hebrews 3:7-13
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