What is Mercy?

What is Mercy?

Mercy is the reversal of punishment for a crime committed.  Mercy is an unnatural expression found only in people who are willing to lay down their pride for the sake of God and the restoration of that relationship.  It is the antithesis of the modern expression “Don’t get mad...Get even!”  Mercy is enacted when someone has done a punishable offense against an authority or an individual, who because of their goodness and compassion is willing to extend forgiveness or pardon for the said offense.  Mercy is an act that has had the proverbial door opened though the spirit of grace and is extended to the individual who has wronged them.  

Where does Mercy come from?

Mercy, in its full experience comes from the throne of God. He willingly extends his mercy to mankind daily.  Lamentations 3:22 “It is of the Lord’s Mercy that we are not consumed”.  Though mankind has chosen to follow the selfishness of their hearts, God in His goodness reaches down to us to draw all of mankind to the place they recognize their sins and then will want God’s Mercy.  

Too many of us choose to ignore our sins or find our own way to pay for our sins.  God will never accept our righteousness as payment for sin, but if we recognize His Mercy and choose to accept it; God will be merciful and pardon our sins.

How does the Mercy of God play out in our lives?

Ephesians 2:1-10

• And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

When we, who were enemies of God by inheritance first and then by our own choice, recognize the helplessness/hopelessness of our position to gain any favor with God by our actions in deference to the many works of goodness we could choose to do; our inordinate affections having blotted out any righteousness we had hope to gain, producing in us a desperation for reconciliation yet having no means within ourselves to restore that which was lost in the beginning of time and then further squandered as time moved along.

God, on the other hand, not willing that any should die in their sins; broke that barrier of eternal death and separation.  He has offered us hope when we had none, life where mortality had reigned; and now instead of being doomed to an eternal separation from the author of life, He is willing to pardon or extend mercy to anyone who chooses to accept His righteousness and live on His terms.  God’s Mercy is an extension of His Grace which is an unmerited blessing.

Having offered us the reversal of judgment (or extended His Mercy) for our part in the sin of mankind, through the goodness of His Grace, we cannot expect to continue living in the very sins that alienated us from the presence of God.  God has offered us His Mercy, because He assumed the punishment that was ours, and now it is up to us to live in His Righteousness through His Grace.

Showing the mercy of God to our peers

Having established that mercy comes from God, we now take a look at showing mercy to our peers.  First of all, should we be nonchalant about those who have wronged us because after all “Vengeance is mine, I will repay; saith the Lord”?  No! No! No!  That would be gloating over the demise of your fellow man and would indicate the unfettered pride you have in your heart.

Why should we experience God’s Mercy when we are willing that our fellow man, who has wronged us undergo the wrath of God?

We, as Christians, having experienced the mercy of God in our own lives; are called to be God’s Ambassadors of His Mercy, Grace, Love, Peace and Truth.  When we recognize our embassage and live in it, those around us will hear the message of God clear and strong, because they will see that though there may be differences in thought processes and practices, we are willing to extend Mercy to others.

Christians will be known by their love for each other, and for mankind.

The Bible says “The merciful shall obtain mercy”.  It is impossible to show mercy to one who has wronged us if we first do not have a meek spirit.

So, go forth, Live in the Grace of God, and extend His Mercy to those around you!