Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. —Matthew 5:7
We have noted previously that it is the objective of God, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to bring believers into conformity to Christ. Salvation accomplished, that is the supreme goal of our Lord, theologically classified as sanctification. Inasmuch as it is His aim, it should also be ours.
From our perspective one of the most precious qualities in the divine nature is that of mercy. Formulating a definition of mercy is not easy, and understanding it is no less difficult. Perhaps the best approach is to let scripture speak, as for example, “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. [Ps. 86:5].” Mercy is God’s bestowing of kindness on those who deserve anything but.
An illustration may help: The story is told of a man in Napoleon’s army who had committed some indiscretion for which he had been sentenced to death. The young man’s mother succeeded in obtaining an audience with the emperor in which she pleaded with him to be merciful and spare the life of her son. Napoleon is said to have responded, “Madam, he does not deserve mercy.” To which she replied, “Sire, if he deserved it, it would not be mercy!” Mercy is the granting of kindness where justice would demand punishment. James says, “…mercy triumphs over judgment [Jas. 2:13b (NIV)].” The Psalmist captures this when he observes, “For great is Thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell [Ps. 86:13].” Every born again believer must recognize that truth in a personal way.
Grace is the quality in the divine nature which makes provision for salvation without compromising justice; mercy is its application. This, in turn, is illustrated in a great passage in Ephesians:
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein 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: 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. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” - Eph. 2:1-7
What the sinner deserves is wrath; what he obtains through God’s grace is mercy. It is far more than mere forgiveness! It is this quality, reproduced in us by the Holy Spirit, that enjoys the favor of God. “Blessed are the merciful.”
What the Savior is teaching here is that those who sincerely desire mercy must themselves learn to be merciful, an important fact that is too often overlooked. The principle is rooted in the Old Testament. For example, “With the merciful Thou wilt show Thyself merciful… [II Sam. 22:6; Psalm 18:25].” It is reinforced in the New Testament not only in the Beatitudes, but in the epistles. Paul exhorts, “He that showeth mercy, [let him do it] with cheerfulness [Rom. 12:8].” And James warns, “He shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shown no mercy [Jas. 2:13].” Again, he contrasts earthly wisdom and heavenly wisdom and remarks, “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy [Jas. 3:17].”
Challenged by “a certain lawyer” on how to inherit eternal life, Jesus asked him what the law required. He summed it up well when he said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” When the Savior commended him he retaliated, “And who is my neighbor?” whereupon Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, concluding with the question, “Which…was neighbor unto him that fell among thieves?” “And he said, He that showed mercy on him. Then Jesus said, Go, and do thou likewise.”(See Luke 10:25-37)
If you obtained mercy just in measure as you are inclined to show mercy, how much mercy would you enjoy?
"The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh." - Prov. 1:17
For His glory and our good,
"Pastor" Frasier
No comments:
Post a Comment