Occasionally, people use these phrases when they sincerely recognize a need for God's mercy, but more often they are used as expletives, exhibiting surprise or astonishment. Even more popular, "Oh my God!" is used so flippantly that it has lost any true meaning and is a continual affront to Him.

The Pharisees substituted their ideas of how life should be lived in place of what God considers "weightier matters." They had perverted judgment by concentrating on self. My money, my house, my reputation, my power, my morals became their religion. Someone else's money, house or reputation was only important to them as it affected their own standing. It was truly a "me" generation.

Is Pharisaism extinct or does it flourish today? Our legislators make laws by the thousands for the masses while providing as many loopholes as possible for themselves! Like the Pharisee, modern man defines proper lifestyle according to his own wishes, hardly considering any instruction from God. This carries over into the next weighty matter Christ castigated the Pharisees for abandoning: mercy.

As in judgment, in which we tend to appreciate a verdict only when it is in our favor, so it is with mercy. We desire mercy when we have been caught with our hand in the cookie jar. Sometimes, we hear people say, "God have mercy on your soul!" However, it is often a put-down based on a critical evaluation of the other's state of guilt, not a sincere desire for mercy on him.

Law and Grace

Why is mercy so weighty? Those who teach "grace only" apart from the law do not even see a need for mercy, since, to them, grace cancels any need for mercy. By their definition, mercy is automatic once they are "saved"! In theory, they can breeze through a "happy, happy, joy, joy" life with no fear of eternal consequences.

If that were true, why did Christ not make "grace" one of the weighty matters and leave out mercy? The Pharisees believed in keeping the law perfectly and being saved as a result. Modern Christianity teaches the law is done away, and all they need is saving grace, given when they "accept the Lord." Neither of these opposing approaches will work!

Mercy and grace are first cousins, if not fraternal twins. They work similarly. When a person murders, he is normally convicted and given a heavy prison sentence. (Capital punishment is more in line with God's way of thinking, considering biblical teaching. Under the New Covenant, those who crucify Christ afresh and do not repent merit eternal death). The person committed the crime. He must pay. That is legal, lawful and just. Proper judgment has been rendered.

Yet the possibility always exists that the governor or president might, for whatever reason, extend a pardon. The prisoner is released under mercy or unmerited pardon, and the judicial penalty for that crime is forever removed. Since he is now living under undeserved mercy or grace, is he free to commit the same crime again with no penalty? No, if he falls from grace or mercy by murdering again, he falls under the penalty of the law again. He must suffer incarceration for the new crime unless he can somehow wrangle another pardon.

Thus, law and grace or mercy cannot be separated; it cannot be law or grace, but law and grace. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). All of us need pardon we do not deserve. Grace is unmerited pardon and the good will of God. Like a president or governor in the above example, God revokes it when we set our course on sin. We return to His good graces when we repent sufficiently to change His attitude toward us. He is not beyond chastening us to ensure that we do repent. In that way, chastening us is a wonderful expression of His love because, if we truly repent from the heart and ask for forgiveness, He cannot refuse, for He is love and His mercy endures forever!

Pharisee or Publican?

The Pharisees perverted judgment by considering their desires ahead of others to the point of stealing widows' homes. Mercy never entered their minds - even for themselves, for they felt they needed none. As Christ noted, they would stand in the Temple, proclaiming their righteousness to God and man, while demeaning the publican, who would not so much as raise his face to God, praying "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:9-14).

When we honestly and squarely face our faults and weaknesses, we probably sympathize with the publican needing mercy, recognizing a great gulf between God's holiness and our own pitiful spiritual prowess. On the other hand, in actual living we may fall into the Pharisee's category without even realizing it.

Certainly we would never publicly proclaim our righteousness in church! Yet it is so easy - almost impossible not to - put someone else down; to cluck sagely at his foibles; to tarnish his reputation; to criticize his attitudes; appearance, family, doctrine, social standing or job; or to laugh at his crazy theology if it does not jive with ours. We do these things in church! Maybe not in a public speech, but we do this in front of one or several brethren. This lifts us unmercifully above another brother, deriding his faults, laughing at his calamities, rather than "supporting the weak."

Is there a difference between this and the "classic" Pharisee? In either instance, we lift ourselves above another, esteeming our outlook or approach better than his - and saying so! In our ego and vanity, we do not consider - or even worse, may not care! - how merciless and devastating this can be on our brother when it filters back to him. And eventually, it does.

Chickens in a barnyard will peck at a sore on another chicken until the sore becomes a hole. The pecking continues until the hole grows so large that it exposes the innards. It goes on until the innards are pecked apart, and the victim dies. The chicken is literally eaten alive! Though morbid, this is very real and happens daily in barnyards across the country.

Similarly, we can peck at someone until they expire spiritually, leaving "our splinter group," the church entirely and possibly God completely. We can swagger on in our "superiority," having pigeon-holed that person as "never converted," "always has been a little kooky," "never really fit in here" or "sure does get offended easily." Is there no penalty for such treatment?

In Hosea 4:1 God indicts end-time Israel and the church, as spiritual Israel, because "there is no truth or mercy or knowledge of God in the land." He promises, "I will destroy your mother" [the church] for this (verse 5). It is that serious!

Tender Mercies

Colossians 3:12-13 gives a different picture of our responsibility to a brother:

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

What a verseful! If the entire church of God could keep this verse in its spirit and attitude, we would take a major step toward unity!

The King James version says "bowels of mercies" rather than "tender mercies," implying a feeling of deep-down emotion. We should feel so tenderly and strongly toward others that our very insides react! We speak of having "gut feelings" - usually misgivings or doubts about someone. God wishes us to have this same depth of emotion toward others, but positively.

Paul instructs us to have the mind of God (Philippians 2:5). How important is mercy to Him? Cruden's Complete Concordance, under "endureth forever," lists God's eternal attributes: righteousness, praise, truth, judgments, name, word and mercy. We know that God often uses repetition for emphasis and importance. The times the Bible repeats "His mercy endures forever" eclipses many times over any of the other categories. In Psalm 136 alone, He repeats it 26 times and four times in Psalm 118:1-4! None of the other attributes are mentioned in this way more than three times in the whole Bible!

Psalm 30:5 says His anger endures but a moment, but God's mercy endures forever! Conversely, humans tend to show momentary mercy and hold lifelong grudges!

Mercy and Truth

Interestingly, God links mercy and truth on several occasions:

» "Mercy and truth have met together" (Psalm 85:10).

» "Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, and so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man" (Proverbs 3:3-4).

» "In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity" (Proverbs 16:6).

» "Mercy and truth preserve the king" (Proverbs 20:28).

» "In mercy the throne will be established; and One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David" (Isaiah 16:5).

Why do mercy and truth go together? We can find an answer by stringing together a short series of verses:

» God gives His Spirit "to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32).

» "Your word is truth" (John 17:17).

» "Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

» ". . . the word of the truth of the gospel . . . is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth" (Colossians 1:5-6).

» In the Ten Commandments - which Christ said we must obey if we are to enter the Kingdom of God (Matthew 19:17) - God states He will show "mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Exodus 20:6).

Mercy and/or grace cannot be separated from truth and obedience to the law! Paul was right! We should not sin that "grace may abound!" (Romans 6:1). "God forbid!" he says. If we expect to continue in God's mercy and grace, we must cease from sin. Otherwise, we fall from grace (Galatians 5:4). Fortunately, as Paul explains in the context, we do not need to have kept the law perfectly, nor can we count on perfect obedience to it for salvation, but God is of a ready mind to give mercy to those who repent.

God says in Romans 9:15, "I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy." He reserves for Himself the choice of deciding to whom He will show mercy! We have all sinned and need mercy, but God ponders the heart and attitude. Apart from the explicit penalty of each transgression, God can choose to show mercy at His own discretion.

A parent does the same with a child. Sometimes, he decides to chasten, and at other times, to show mercy. Which, in each instance, is best for the child and those around him over the long haul? Truth and wisdom are critical.

Leaning Toward Mercy

Understanding our frame, God leans toward mercy. Three times He repeats, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13; 12:7).

He gets personal about it as well. In Matthew 5:7, Jesus names mercy as one of the primary beatitudes, or "attitudes to be in": "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." Here, in a very personal and positive setting, we begin to see mercy's cause-and-effect principle: Show mercy and you will obtain mercy.

Christ drew this principle from the attitude the unchangeable God has always maintained. Speaking of Him, the twin quotes from Psalm 18:25 and II Samuel 22:26 echo the beatitude: "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful."

Not only is God of the mind to be merciful, He expects it of us, even requires it of us. Notice how the tenor of Micah 6:8 becomes more intense, though remaining positive: "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?" This moves from a simple cause-and-effect principle to an absolute requirement.

We need to examine Matthew 18 in this light. With mercy and forgiveness in mind, Christ outlines His instruction on how to deal with those who sin against us. We show mercy by not escalating the problem beyond the sinning individual, if possible. Discuss it with him alone! We are not to bandy about anyone's sins. Doing so only makes it more difficult for the offender to swallow his pride and repent, for, by admitting his wrong, he is "losing face" with many who know the story. The object - never forget - is to gain our brother, not to gain vengeance or vindication for ourselves.

If the offender does not listen, then we are to take one or two other witnesses. Again, if at all possible, we should keep the situation from escalating beyond that. Do we like our transgressions spread all over the church? Only in extreme intransigence should we take the problem to the whole brotherhood, or to the ministry as their administrative representatives.

After this step-by-step instruction, Christ underlines the thought by showing that we should forgive - show mercy and extend grace - even up to 490 times a day to the same person (verses 21-22)! In other words, like God, our mercy should endure forever, since 490 times a day means "infinitely." It is almost impossible to offend that many times in such a limited period, especially if connected with real repentance.

Jesus then relates the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant who, though forgiven of enormous debt, threw a fellow servant in jail for not repaying a pittance. Christ then gives a stern warning: If you are merciless to your brother, expect like treatment from your heavenly Father. So, not only is mercy a good idea, God requires it, and severe penalties will fall upon us if we refuse to extend it.

James makes it even more emphatic! "For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). The apostle links the fair and impartial judgment of God directly with mercy or grace, for one without the other spells death for every sinner.

Unforgiving Attitudes

Frequently, we may state our willingness to forgive a brother or sister - but "only if they apologize!" What magnanimous largesse! What unassailable righteousness! "If they grovel, I will deign to forgive." No, what sickening, superior patronization! Mercy or grace need not always be contingent on the offender's apology or repentance.

Did not Christ ask His Father to forgive his assassins, "for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34)? This was not some minor social infraction or everyday offense in life, but the crime of the ages! They were certainly of no mind to repent or feel any remorse, yet He willingly turned the other cheek, taking every despicable sin of all mankind on Himself in abject humility without a whisper of protest!

Have we come to this point yet? Hardly.

Do we still mercilessly assassinate Herbert Armstrong for "allowing harsh government?" Because the ministry failed us (Ezekiel 34), do we still look with hardened, jaundiced eyes at those who are at work trying to rectify those wrongs, real or imagined? Are we still distrustful, dubious and resentful? Time may indeed wound all "heels," but does not necessarily heal all wounds. Sometimes we have to take the bull by the horns consciously, deliberately and unequivocally, and enforce mercy - demand it of ourselves. God requires it of us. But it does not usually come easily.

Hurts between the sheep and shepherds immediately come to mind, as they are among the greatest relationship problems in the greater church of God today. Many have simply written off the ministry. Period. The same is often true of brother-to-brother relationships. Husbands and wives recognize a need to be merciful to each other, but in the heat of battle, even they sometimes bring up supposedly forgiven transgressions from umpteen years past. This is often done in the most heartlessly cruel, merciless, emotionally destructive manner they can conjure. In their anger, they seek to hurt.

Though we may technically understand the dire consequences of our unforgiving attitudes toward others, we must never allow ourselves to treat others in any way other than how we want to be treated (Luke 6:31). This is especially urgent considering the potential consequences to our eternal judgment and possibilities for mercy. Matthew 25:34-46illustrates that Christ takes very personally how we treat every human being - not just those we like. His judgment is commensurate to our treatment.

When Jesus Christ returns in glory, the expression "Oh, my God!" might, for once, be used righteously in total astonishment at the actual appearing of God in glory. "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!" might also be exclaimed in utter sincerity and knee-knocking need.

Our hope of receiving mercy from Christ is in direct proportion to how we have treated others. Eternal life or eternal death hinges on Christ's response. "He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness and honor" (Proverbs 21:21). What a truly weighty matter!

Source: Forerunner, August 1997

by John MacArthur

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."
(1 Peter 1:3)

Because of His mercy, God desires to lift sinners out of their pitiful condition.

Several years ago I spent about a week in India. Each day I saw countless starving, diseased people with no home but a few square feet of filthy street. I could not help but feel compassion and pity on those people who lived in such misery.

In a spiritual sense, though, before God saved us, we were each even more pathetic than any beggar in India. Spiritually, we "were dead in [our] trespasses and sins . . . and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ" (Eph. 2:1, 3-5). God saw our wretched condition and was moved to do something about it.

How does mercy compare with grace? Mercy has respect to man's wretched, miserable condition; grace has respect to man's guilt, which has caused that condition. God gives us mercy to change our condition; He gives us grace to change our position. While grace takes us from guilt to acquittal, mercy takes us from misery to glory.

Doesn't it give you great joy to know that God not only removed your guilt but looked at you and had compassion? And He's not through giving us mercy: "The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness" (Lam. 3:22-23). We can always "draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank God for His great mercy, for the forgiveness and blessings you have as His child.

For Further Study

Luke 15:11-32 contains the well-known parable of the prodigal son, a moving illustration of God's loving compassion. What was the son's condition when he returned? What was his father's reaction? How does God respond to us when we turn to Him in repentance and humility?

By Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis proclaimed a special year of worldwide efforts by the Catholic Church to stress mercy, not severity, saying the institution's credibility was at stake.

At St. Peter's Basilica Saturday evening, the pope listened as a Vatican prelate read from a papal bull, or decree, in which Francis proclaimed an "Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy" Holy Year. The year begins Dec. 8, 2015 with Francis' opening the normally closed Holy Door in the back of the basilica and ends Nov. 20, 2016.

"The church's very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love," Francis declared in the 12-page long decree.

"In a word, wherever there are Christians, everyone should find an oasis of mercy," Francis said.

Whether this emphasis on mercy will affect church teaching will likely be closely watched by those feeling excluded by the Vatican, including divorced Catholics who remarry and who want Francis to allow them to receive Communion. Gay faithful are also watching to see how they are welcomed.

Francis said the Vatican's modernizing reforms of the 1960s reflected "the need to talk about God ...in a more accessible way" and tear down "walls which too long had made the Church a kind of fortress," he said. Quoting St. John XXIII, who began the reforms, Francis said the church needed to renounce "arms of severity" for the "medicine of mercy."

In explaining his choice of year of mercy, Francis said that "great historical change" means faithful must renew their "capacity to see what is essential" in the church's mission.

by Paul Louis Metzger

The Beatitudes are filled with paradoxes. For example, the kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit, not those with spiritual bravado. The meek will inherit the earth, not those who are easily provoked. Following these and other beatitudes, Jesus goes on to say,

"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy"
(Matthew 5:7; ESV).

John Calvin writes of this beatitude:

Happy are the merciful[:] This paradox, too, contradicts the judgment of men. The world reckons those men to be happy, who give themselves no concern about the distresses of others, but consult their own ease. Christ says that those are happy, who are not only prepared to endure their own afflictions, but to take a share in the afflictions of others, - who assist the wretched, - who willingly take part with those who are in distress, - who clothe themselves, as it were, with the same affections, that they may be more readily disposed to render them assistance. He adds, for they shall obtain mercy, - not only with God, but also among men, whose minds God will dispose to the exercise of humanity. Though the whole world may sometimes be ungrateful, and may return the very worst reward to those who have done acts of kindness to them, it ought to be reckoned enough, that grace is laid up with God for the merciful and humane, so that they, in their turn, will find him to be gracious and merciful… (Psalm 103:8; Psalm 145:8.). [1]

While it might appear paradoxical that people should be merciful, a merciful disposition naturally or supernaturally resonates with the very character of God. Moreover, it is not paradoxical but predictable that those who are merciful will receive mercy.

Having said this, all too often, those who pursue self-righteousness snub their noses at those in need rather than show them mercy. It is as if they are saying, "It serves them right. They must be lazy…It just goes to show that you reap what you sow." Those who come to terms with their spiritual state of extreme poverty (Matthew 5:3) and who mourn their spiritual condition (Matthew 5:4) are slow to pass judgment on others. In this same vein, they are not easily provoked when someone does them wrong (Matthew 5:5). Rather than passing judgment, and positioning themselves as above judgment, they hunger to be filled with God’s righteousness (Matthew 5:6); they realize that their righteousness is hollow.

The truly merciful realize how indebted they are to God for his mercy, and so they show mercy to those in need. In turn, God shows them mercy over and over again: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy." (Matthew 5:7; ESV) How we treat those in need serves as a barometer for how well we have accounted for God’s mercy on display in our lives. Unlike the ungrateful and merciful servant, we should never cease to extend mercy and forgiveness toward others given how merciful God is toward us (See Matthew 18:21-35).

This discussion calls to mind Les Misérables, where Jean Valjean becomes a person who displays great mercy toward others as a result of experiencing the profound mercy of a Catholic bishop who does not turn him over to the authorities for clubbing and robbing him. I love the scene where the authorities bring Valjean (the former convict who had spent years in prison doing hard labor) back to the bishop’s residence with the bishop’s prized silver tableware, which they had found in Valjean’s possession. Instead of accusing him of stealing the silver and sending him back to prison, the bishop tells the police that he had given the silver to Valjean and that Valjean had forgotten to take the silver candlesticks. He then gives Valjean the candlesticks. So, the police release Valjean. Left alone, the bishop tells a dumbfounded and confused Valjean that he no longer belongs to evil; the bishop says that he has bought Valjean’s soul and ransomed him from fear and hatred and has given him back to God (you can view the scene here). His profound act of mercy transforms Valjean; later, Valjean even shows mercy to the police officer who spends years trying to hunt him down; Valjean’s mercy toward the authority undoes him; this policeman (Javert) who believes that the law does not permit mercy kills himself.

Hugo gets at the heart of mercy and grace in this volume. On the back cover of my copy of Les Misérables, V. S. Pritchett is quoted as saying that Hugo conveys human nature in mythical proportions in service to poverty stricken and oppressed souls. For Hugo, this volume was "a religious work," to which Pritchett adds, "…it has indeed the necessary air of having been written by God in one of his more accessible and saleable moods."[2] If only we would not readily treat God’s mercy toward humanity as myth, and see that mercy reflects God’s dominant mood; it would be equally amazing if we were to treat our fellow humans mercifully in mythical proportions!

Only those who have experienced mercy factually-and not simply mythically in great works of fiction, and have taken God’s mercy to heart-realize that they are not number 1. They realize that the universe does not revolve around them. They comprehend that if it were not for the favor of others, whether God or fellow humans, they would not be alive today.

At the outset of this piece, I spoke about how the beatitudes are filled with paradoxes. There are also paradoxes in theology and problems with our perceptions concerning God and the Law. One of the many paradoxes revolves around the ultimate number 1-God. All too often, we look at God as easily provoked and lacking in mercy. We even think that the God of the Old Testament presents himself in this way. According to my colleague, Karl Kutz, Professor of Hebrew at Multnomah University, Exodus 33:18-19 and Exodus 34:5-7 unpack the self-defining God of Exodus 3:13-15 ("I am who I am"):

God does not say, "I am." He says, "I am WHO I AM." The Hebrew seems to suggest that God is self-defining. God will be all that he is, especially as it relates to our humanity and need. This thought is vividly displayed in the description of Moses’ encounter with God after the episode of the golden calf. (italics added)

After quoting Exodus 33:18-19 and Exodus 34:5-7, Kutz argues,

These are not the things that perhaps first come to our mind when we think about defining the character of God. Perhaps we would have started with things like his holiness, transcendence, and immortality.

Yet when God chooses to express his name he chooses first and foremost to identify the attributes that meet us in the depths of our human need. It is only at the end of this statement that he reminds us that he will not be part of who he is. His judgment of sin is equally a part of his character. This is the self-defining God. He is a God who will be all that he is. He is God who cannot be part of his essence. He is God who can only be known in relationship.

We should not be surprised to find that attributes which we sometimes associate primarily with purity and judgment are used to underscore God’s mercy and compassion.

Kutz then refers to Hosea 11:8-9 and reasons, "The question is[:] how will you and I respond to the invitation of such a God-a God who reminds us that he will bring all of his character to bear on our behalf? As the infinite God of the universe he is not obligated to do this. It is an invitation of supreme magnitude."[3]

Yes, God is merciful; mercy conveys the idea that God is not obligated to act compassionately on our behalf. Certainly, God is righteous and will judge sin and injustice. If we are honest with ourselves, we would have it no other way; the only caveat is that we often wish we were God so that we could pass judgment ourselves on those who provoke us and do to us and those close to us wrong-after all, we’re number 1. However, the one who is truly number 1 is merciful toward us "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation." (Exodus 34:6-7; ESV)

God is not obligated to treat us mercifully, but he does; this is one of the reasons why he is truly number 1. We see the core of his being revealed in Jesus, who not only declared that those who are merciful toward others are truly blessed (Matthew 5:7), but who also lived it out to the very end, even while providing judgment on sin in himself on the cross. There he cries out to his Father regarding those responsible for his crucifixion: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34; ESV).

If this is how God treats us-and we are all responsible in one way or another for Jesus’ suffering and death, how can we not extend his mercy to those around us, especially those who appear to be in greatest need? More than a paradox, it is a contradiction in terms to act without mercy and claim Christ. May we be logically and existentially consistent and pour out mercy as the recipients of God’s compassion of unfathomable extravagance.

Footnotes:

[1] You can find the online source for the quotation here; see also the text in Calvin’s New Testament Commentaries, A Harmony of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke, vol. 1, trans. A. W. Morrison, ed. David W. Torrance and Thomas F. Torrance (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1972), p. 171.

[2] Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, trans. Charles E. Wilbour (New York: The Modern Library, 1992).

[3] Karl Kutz, "Torah Scroll Dedication," Multnomah University, Feb 5, 2015.