Mercy!
Matthew 5:7 states, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” The Greek word translated merciful, literally means “actively compassionate.” True or false: God expects us to show mercy to every offender,
no matter how great his offense has been toward us. [True]—“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) True or false: The main reason God allows people to offend us is so that our correct response will transform their lives. [False]—“May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10) It’s about what God is doing in my life. True or false: It is an act of mercy to press charges against one who stole from you. [True]—“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) Mercy must be understood in the context of God’s justice. True or false: By definition, mercy includes forgiveness and pardon. [False]—“You answered them, O LORD our God; You were to them God-Who-Forgives, though You took vengeance on their deeds.” (Psalm 99:8) Forgiveness requires us to have the same love toward our offender after his offense as we should have had before. Pardon involves releasing our offender from the consequences of the offense. We can pardon a person only if we have the jurisdiction over the consequence; i.e. murder, vandalism, arson. We could forgive these, but not pardon them. True or false: The person who needs mercy must request it before it is given to him. [False]—“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) We sinned against God, yet He showed mercy in providing salvation.
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.
