God’s Mercy
The mercy of God is so important to remember because without his mercy, we would remain steeped in our sin. According to the dictionary mercy is a ruler’s compassionate use of authority to treat its subject’s with clemency. Mercy is a mild disposition that makes every effort to forgive the person who offends you with kindness and forgiveness.
It is the same kind of mercy God extends to the sinner because he is willing to forgive man for every act of sin God finds utterly detestable. Every man should deeply appreciate the mercy of God because all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. In other words every person on the face of the earth was born in sin and has sinned, affecting the lives of other people and falling short of God’s standard of holiness.
This sin nature that man is born with a inbred condition of selfishness. Within this condition, we are rebellious to all authority and make ourselves into an authority of our own that ascends all others, including God. The sin nature is an attitude that allows man to do as he sees fit by harming other people without being concerned for another person. The sin nature allows man to be undisciplined, throw temper tantrums, be intimidating and control the lives of other people with fear not understanding they will retaliate. The harm done by the sin nature instills the desire for revenge that increases pain and suffering exponentially to the person who perpetrates the initial sin.
According to God’s standard, sin is a deed that demands compensation with a just return for each deed. On the most part man understands that every deed he performs is done for a benefit he or she receives and uses this principle to earn a living. In the same way, the majority of decisions man makes is made and performed is for what he or she can reasonably expect in return.
In God’s eye not every deed man performs is called sin, but deeds that harm the men and women he loves is sin in his eyes. God expects Christians to return good for evil and demands that revenge is his alone to repay. Revenge may sound sweet to the ears but having your revenge requires you to return evil for evil. In addition, revenge does not teach you how to love and how to have mercy. We must remember that God is just.
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you. Thessalonians 1:6
As we said earlier, every decisions man makes is made for what he or she can reasonably expect in return. At the same time we can reasonable expect wages for the deed we have done in return. God says,
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23.
And
"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out-- those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. John 5:28-29
However, God also said
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.2 Peter 3:9
God devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him. 2 Samuel 14:14
Through mercy God chose to forgive man rather than condemn him for his sin and still compensate the man who refuses to repent with the punishment sin deserves. Through God’s mercy, he devised a plan of salvation for everyone persuaded to believe in Jesus Christ and accept Jesus as Lord for the rest of his or her life.
We learn that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16.
Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6
Paul says this in regards to God.
"I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion Romans 9:15
Through Paul, God is saying that God does not have to be merciful or compassionate to any man. And for those who receives his mercy he also expects them to be merciful to others. When God says "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy” it means that we (God's creation) can not dictate to God to extend his mercy to us or how to have mercy on us.
Psalms speaks of God’s mercy in this fashion,
The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. Psalms 18:24-27
From this passage every man can reasonably expect God to treat man by the way they choose to live. The bible says that the harvest you receive is based on the seed you sow and you will reap what you have sown. The golden rule teaches us to do unto others what you want them to do to you. In the same way, the way you treat others is telling God how you want him to treat you. However lets remember God’s unmerited favor for those who humble themselves before his throne.
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Luke 14:11
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10
God's mercy towards man depends on man’s willingness to humble himself before a gracious God and seek his forgiveness. Let’s remember that God extends on his subjects, but he is also shrewd towards those who refuse to be merciful themselves. Because of God’s mercy Paul wrote men perish.
because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. II Thessalonians 2:10
Paul advised prudence so that the man who wants God’s mercy should consider his mercy and respond in an act of worship.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-- this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Romans 12:1-3
As a father, God prefers to reveal the truth to you personally and give you the opportunity to develop a life that everyone will respect. The mercy of God doesn’t stop at the precise moment of salvation, but continues to grow according to your commitment to obey him. In considering the word of God we learn that God wants you to develop a personality that everyone will admire and respect. Christians should not develop holier than thou attitude, but develops a humble attitude open to accept God’s mercy and willing to be merciful when you have opportunity to do so.
The Christian life is constantly maturing, but the world is persistently pulling you back. God’s grace demands that you separate yourself from the world because of the evil in it. As you open yourself to God’s way of life God opens the floodgates of his mercy.
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4
To ensure that you do not perish with the world, God has mercifully made promises to anyone who wants to escape the evil of the world by adopting his divine nature. God’s mercy depends more on your obedience as God will reciprocate in like manner. The bible says,
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7
While God says that he will have mercy on those he chooses, he is also saying that he will show mercy to those who are merciful. From personal experience it is difficult to be merciful to those who wound your dignity and show you disrespect. At the same time mercy demands a disciplined life strengthened by love to keep relationship on solid grounds no matter how long you live. Eternal life demands a disciplined life limited to what is just fair and right in God's eye.
Discipline produces a specific pattern of behavior for a moral life that you have control over. Those who are prudent make a choice to develop a disciplined life to live by that will reap his own dignity and integrity before God and men. For this reason God has chosen to reveal a plan to his children where you will be accepted in his eyes as worthy. God appointed everyone to die but he did not appoint everyone to suffer his wrath. God has devises a plan so that the person who commits evil deeds does not remain under his condemnation. And finally let us remember that God desires to extend his mercy in the gift of life.
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