MERCY

A lot of us have been underestimating mercy...some mistake mercy as a sign of weakness. Christians always see grace...but never did take the time to see the other side of it which is mercy. Ephesians 2:3-5 states that we were once objects of wrath (before we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior) and still bends, from time to time, to the desires of our old sin nature. But because God is rich (abundantly overflowing) in mercy, He provided a way of recovery (1 John 1:9). If you think about it, Mercy is not getting what we deserve...Grace on the other hand is getting what we don't deserve!

Think of a criminal, being found by a Supreme Judge as guilty, is suddenly given his freedom...now that's mercy...but then think of the same criminal after being freed is given 10 Billion Pesos...now that's grace! But if you think about a convicted criminal being set free...it violates an attribute of God...JUSTICE! So, is grace and mercy opposed to God's justice??? Nope...not at all...but, Justice needs to be satisfied in order for grace and mercy to function. That's where Jesus Christ comes in.

In reality...everyone has fallen short of God's glory (Rom 3:23) and has no innate capacity to satisfy God's Justice...Because of that inability, we are therefore sentenced to death...spiritual separation from God...but still we are offered a gift of eternal life (Rom 6:23). Can you see the intent of mercy to preserve us? We are already sentenced to forever be separated from God because of our fallen nature...but still God provided a way of escape...But how can God provide this gift when His Perfect Justice demands Perfect Righteousness??? Who has the sufficient amount to pay for the gift??? 2 Corinthians 5:21 answers that question directly...it is Jesus...He who has no sin...perfect in righteousness, became sin for us so that when God sees that we have accepted and believed Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9; Acts 16:31) His perfect justice is satisfied...not because of us, but because of Jesus in us! That's how a sinner like us can roam free and still be alive...because someone else took the punishment for us!

Going back to Ephesians, we see that It is because of God's rich mercy that we, as Christians, even though we make stupid decisions, are still protected...at some point! But if sin becomes a lifestyle...Then God's mercy will become God's wrath...or what we call as Divine Discipline (In reality...God has no emotion, saying that God is angry connotes the Biblical concept of Divine Discipline...ANTHROPOPATHISM...attributing an emotion to God for better understanding...but that's another topic)

In closing...I want you to think of the many times you got well from a very serious illness, escaped a near death experience, was short of being humiliated, not going bankrupt and still waking up everyday! Those situation has God's mercy written all over...be honored because God has thought of showing mercy to you for the Nth time!