CHRISTIAN EVIDENCES

This Month's Theme: 

“Compassion In Action”

Mercy is one of God's most suggestive attributes, and merciful behavior is among the actions of God in which biblical writers most obviously rejoice.

Exodus 34:6 “And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, "The Lord , the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,”

Psalm 86:15 “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”

Psalm 103:8 “The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”

While God's mercy encompasses all of God's benevolent acts towards His creatures, if we trace the references to God's mercy, two areas dominate this theme:

•  God's acts of providence by which He sustains His creation.

•  His forgiveness of their transgressions and sin.

This is a way of saying that God's provision for the physical needs of people is a merciful act, as is His provision for their spiritual needs. The later is described by the Apostle Paul, who would indicate God's ultimate mercy on the transgressions of His creation, through Christ (our Mercy Seat), note:

Ephesians 2:1-5 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”

This is written in the past tense to those who have already obtained God's mercy ‘In' Christ. It is not given as a statement of what they must do to obtain God's mercy, but is commentary on the condition and access they enjoy with God via His mercy. Life from death is the compassion that God has provided for His creation; a means to approach the creator.

This brings us to an understanding that God's mercy is not just compassion. Compassion is the sympathetic emotion, an instinctive reaction to someone or something, to want to help. However, if not acted upon, mercy is not achieved.

Thus, we can profitably think of mercy as compassion in action (by the very pattern of God).

In the Christ of God we find the mercy of God embodied and displayed in action. The Bible's story is built around the fall of man (separation from God, by sin); and the great plan of salvation, by which God through the Christ would act on His compassion for His fallen creation in order to heal them.

If God is love ( I John 4:7-8 ); If God is ‘rich' in mercy ( Ephesians 2:4 ), we must admit that these attributes are unconditional from Him! However, just as it was man who introduced sin in the Garden of God , it is man who stipulates the application of God's love and mercy, note:

John 3:16-21 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

God's love in this passage, displayed in the offering of His Son, is given as a statement of value. What item of value that exists within our earthly bounds (gold, silver, etc…), would we appreciate as a display of God's love and mercy, if we could obtain it ourselves? However, no one could deny the intrinsic value of God's love displayed in offering an intimate part of Him, to save man from the plight of sin.

With a gesture of mercy and love this profound, acted out on the part of all men, one would think that all who know of this great offering would want the life it gives!

However, just as the Lord would go on to say, men loved darkness rather than light. Here my friends, is the stipulation of God's love and mercy. Not on His part! What more could He offer than His only begotten Son?

‘Men' loved darkness rather than light !

Darkness is always symbolic of sin; or unrighteousness, and light is always symbolic of life; and truth. We always associate evil with the obvious (murder, immorality, lying, theft, etc…), however, it is simply lawlessness ( I John 3:4 ). Lawlessness is simply the rejection of God's laws for man.

1 John 5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

So, clearly we see that it is never enough just to believe that God is all loving and merciful and that Jesus the Christ is His mercy seat.

John 3:21 “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen , that they have been done in God ."

So what is the truth?

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

The Gospel (good news) of Christ is the power of God to salvation! The Gospel is about Christ and all that God has worked through Him for our salvation ( Romans 1:1-5 ). It is the Gospel of remission of sins in Christ Jesus and reunion with God. Jesus would hand pick Apostles (ones sent) to go into the world and preach this Gospel, note:

Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

Mark 16:15-16 “And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”

Within the teachings of Christ through His Apostles and prophets contains the righteousness of God that all who receives remission might continue to benefit from the continuous mercy of God in Christ ( II Timothy 3:16-17 ; Titus 2:11-14 ; I John 1:7 ).

God has acted on His compassion for you !

Won't you come to the light , that your deeds may be clearly seen !