God’s Great Mercy

Psalm 145:8 “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.”

One misconception that I had, and found that many others had, was about the seriousness of sin. I didn’t understand when I heard, Not one of us deserves   God’s mercy, for “we have turned every one to his own way” - Isaiah 53:6, and “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” – Romans 3:23. Funny how we jump to “I never murdered anyone.” But, sin is transgressing God’s law and includes such things as lying, lust, cheating, deceit, evil thoughts, immoral behavior, and more. When I thought about how many thousands of times everyone (self included) have committed sins of both commission and omission and saw how we “have been weighed in the balances and found wanting” – Daniel 5:27. Almighty God doesn’t “grade on the curve” and doesn’t “sweep sin under the rug”. In thought, word and deed, we’re “guilty as charged” in the eyes of the Lord.

I read that God is merciful, and therefore doesn’t want to punish us. This is because “God is love” (1 John 4:8). And He says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). In fact, one of the very titles of God is “the Father of Mercies” – 2 Corinthians 1:3. Over and over the psalmist assures us that “his mercy endures forever” (26 times in Psalm 136:1-26; also Psalm 106:1; 107:1; 118:1). His mercy is not only infinite, but eternal. But the same Bible, which tells us that God loves us, also tells us that God is just and therefore must punish sin. He says “I will by no means clear the guilty.” - Exodus 34:7. And “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” - Ezekiel 18:4.

What we deserve is death and eternal separation from the God who made us. Nevertheless, “it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not” – Lamentations 3:22. “He hath not dealt with us after our sins . . . For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him” – Psalm 103:10-11. It is by His mercy, not our merit, that we are saved. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” – Titus 3:5. “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” – Ephesians 2:4-5.

1 Peter 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” 

We have a problem. God solved this problem for us in the “Person of Jesus Christ”. Jesus Christ came to earth and lived a sinless life, but while on earth, what did he do? He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and rose from the grave to purchase a place for us in Heaven. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him (Jesus) the iniquity (sin) of us all” - Isaiah 53:6. Jesus Christ bore our sin in His body on the cross and now offers you eternal life (Heaven) as a free gift. This gift is received by faith.

Lamentations 3:22-23 “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

How can one possibly reject His mercy? Romans 2:4  asks, “Do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”  Sadly, most do. Instead, the Divine challenge is: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” - Romans 12:1-2.This is our logical response to God’s great mercy!

In Christ, Brian