Mercy is defined as compassionate treatment of those under one’s power, and a disposition to be kind and forgiving.
God’s justice and mercy go hand-in-hand. God is righteous because He does the right thing. He is just because He requires the right thing to be done. God’s righteousness is borne out of His goodness and love. And His mercy is borne out of His righteousness and His justice.
God is not a tyrant, looking for any excuse He can find in order to hand out punishment for any law that has ever been broken. God is just, meaning that punishment certainly awaits every law-breaker, but God is also loving and merciful. He desires repentance - a heart-felt remorse and commitment to do better - rather than punishment.
God doesn’t just show mercy if He’s in a good mood. God is merciful. It’s in His nature and character. He is kind and forgiving.
Being merciful is the right thing to do when someone is truly sorry and repentant for the wrong things they have done. It would be mean, and cruel, and un-just to expect someone who is not perfect to always be perfect. That’s an impossible standard to live up to. Mercy is the loving, righteous, and just thing to do when it is deserved.
Now, it would be foolish to show mercy to someone who is un-repentant. If someone is not sorry for the wrongs they have done, and fully intends to keep doing those wrong things again, then why would you show mercy to that person? No, that person is still in need of restraint and correction, and, if they are truly bent on doing the wrong thing, punishment as a consequence of their actions. That is justice.
Justice is the requirement that we do the right thing. Mercy is the acknowledgement that we are incapable of always doing the right thing - even though we might want to. And the line that is drawn between mercy and punishment is a matter of the heart.
If someone does wrong, but is sorry about it and does not want to do it again, then mercy is in order - because what good does punishment do for the person that admits their mistake and feels remorse for their actions. But if someone loves to do wrong, and has no intention of changing their ways, then what good is mercy for them - it only allows them to do even more harm.
So, you see, God’s mercy is not an exception or a contradiction to His justice. It is a requirement of His justice. God would not be just to punish someone who is repentant of their sins. Sure, He would have every excuse to punish anyone that ever did anything wrong, but it would contradict His goodness and love to punish someone who is truly sorry for their mistakes, and wants to keep learning, and growing, and trying to get better. A tyrant looks for an excuse to punish, and God is not a tyrant. God is our good Father who looks for any reason to correct, forgive, and love, so that we can continue to grow, and mature, and reflect His image.
I think people tend to lean more in one direction or the other when it comes to God’s justice and mercy. They either forget that God loves them and think that He is tyrannical, expecting Him to squash them like a bug at any moment. Or they think God is a weak-willed, push-over and think that just because they said a few magic words that they can keep getting away with every wrong thing they want to keep doing. What we all need to keep in mind is that God knows our heart, and judges us by our heart, and mercy and condemnation come down to matters of the heart.
A tyrant is weak-willed, hiding behind every excuse to exercise their power and cause suffering. But being merciful takes much more strength than that. It requires an exercise of wisdom and lovingkindness in order to determine what the truly right thing to do is. And it requires giving up the right to exercise power in order to allow the repentant wrong-doer to learn and grow instead of suffer.
And, since God IS merciful, then we too, in His image, are to be merciful. And, oh boy, do we need help with this.
How much mercy do you see being exercised in the world today? Sure, it’s out there, but everything you see on TV and the news is all about the tyrannical nitpicking of people who are thirsty for power. Accusation and blame, fear-mongering and division, offence and condemnation - all topics endlessly in the headlines. And the more people focus on them, the weaker our society, our nation, and our world becomes. It’s the opposite of what God created us to be.
God created us in His image, and in Him we are filled with the endless capacity for both justice and mercy. The question is, how much are we reflecting them in our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and conversations? Do we look at each person’s heart, seeking to do the righteous and just (and merciful) thing - or do we make snap judgments and look for every excuse to accuse and condemn?
Jesus said that it is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. And it is not the perfect that need mercy, but the imperfect. And we, in God’s image, and with God’s help, are to show mercy.
Jesus also said that it is the merciful that will be shown mercy. So, is that perhaps a measure of repentance? Are you so sorry for the wrongs that you have done, and so grateful for the mercy that God has shown you, that you can have empathy on others who have done wrong but want to change, and treat them with mercy too.
That doesn’t mean that you become a doormat. You are still to reflect God’s justice into the world too, but you must do so with the disposition towards kindness and forgiveness. It’s not our job to judge every action of every person - or, worst of all, condemn people based on superficial excuses such as skin color, political party, or nationality.
It does mean that you were created to be better, and mercy is what gives you the chance to get better - if you truly want to. So don’t throw away the precious gift that God has given to you through Jesus Christ. Embrace the mercy that has been shown to you, admit your wrongs, repent of your wrong-doing, follow in the footsteps of Jesus, and grow into your purpose - to reflect God’s image into the world.
May God bless you. Blessed be the Lord our God!
Exodus 34:6-7 (NLT) The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected— even children in the third and fourth generations.”
Deuteronomy 7:9-10 (NLT) Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands. But he does not hesitate to punish and destroy those who reject him.
Psalm 103:8-18 (NLT) The LORD is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone— as though we had never been here. But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children of those who are faithful to his covenant, of those who obey his commandments!
Hosea 6:6 (NLT) For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
Matthew 5:7 (NLT) God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Luke 5:31-32 (NLT) Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
Ephesians2:3-5 (NLT)All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
1 Timothy 1:16 (NLT) But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.
Titus 3:5 (NLT) he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.
1 Peter 1:3-5 (NLT) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.