Imagine yourself at an incredible banquet. People are enjoying conversations, the sublime entrees, and the luxurious setting. You, being a tad klutzy, sitting directly beside the host, fling your arms open wide splashing your champagne all over your host and the amazing table.
How would you want your host to treat you in that moment? What if you were the host, how would you treat your guest?
DOCTRINE #25: MERCY
Mercy is the postponement of justice. The postponement is the time between the unjust act and the reconciling through justice. Mercy allows God to give people time to repair the injustices they have caused. Mercy also allows God to wait until Judgment Day to equal everything out, both good and bad.
Question: Do you believe you are repairing the injustices you have caused?
Next Doctrine: Doctrine #26
Table of Contents
If you need it, here is the support from the Word of God...
SCRIPTURE
"13 But go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:13)
(Jesus quoted scripture to say God desires mercy, not sacrifice. If you say you are not a sinner you are justifying yourself and thinking as a man thinks. Sacrifice is a WHAT that brings things back to even. Mercy is a HOW/WHY and allows people time to repair damage they have done.)
"7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless." (Matthew 12:7)
(Jesus stated that if they had known what the scriptures meant (God's Thinking), they would not have condemned the guiltless. Basically, the Pharisees were quick to equal out justice, so quick they made a wrong decision. We know that men are not Right and Just, and do not have Holy measures. The Pharisees were without wisdom and condemned the guiltless: those who were guilty without just cause. Part of God being Right is that He is slow to equal out Justice. Here's the verse Jesus referenced...)
"6 For I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-offerings." (Hosea 6:6)
(In the King James Version, the word was "mercy" in the Old Testament. In the American Standard Version (the version we use on this blog) the word was "kindness" or "loving-kindness". For instance...)
"6 And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth,
7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation." (Exodus 34:6-7)
(Notice, God's mercy extends to everyone AND He will not clear the guilty. God will not violate justice. God cannot be always completely Just AND always completely Merciful. How would He handle the guilty? If He is always completely Just, He punishes them. If He is always completely Merciful, He doesn't punish them. This passage, and many others, state God will by no means clear the guilty, because He is always completely Just. So, what principles are the guides when God shows mercy?)
"19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of Jehovah before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy." (Exodus 33:19)
(God is Right, and Right guides when God shows mercy. It will be Right when God is merciful, and it will be Right when he executes justice. Has there ever been times when you needed mercy, and other times when it was best for you to get a spanking immediately?)
"7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy." (Matthew 5:7)
(In the beatitudes, this is the first principle that talks about dealing with other people. If you think of interacting with someone as exchanging currency mercy is like a "penny." If you cannot show mercy, you cannot progress towards being a peacemaker.)
"13 For judgment is without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment." (James 2:13)
(Just guides God's mercy. God gives mercy to those who are merciful. This is causality and wisdom. You prove How you want God to treat you by your actions and decisions. Right and Just guide every attribute of God. God is always completely Right and always completely Just. However, we will see God is not always completely the other attributes people claim, like merciful. There are times God is not merciful. Do you think that it would be Wrong if God was always and completely merciful? Just think of a child that never has any consequences, both good and bad; they are ususally not very pleasant.)
"8 Jehovah is gracious, and merciful; Slow to anger, and of great lovingkindness." (Psalm 145:8)
(God is slow to anger. This passage did not say that He is always completely merciful and never gets angry. God gets angry as we saw in Doctrine #18: Omnipotent when the children of Israel were sacrificing their children to the god of Baal.)
"6 And the priests stood, according to their offices; the Levites also with instruments of music of Jehovah, which David the king had made to give thanks unto Jehovah, (for his lovingkindness endureth for ever,) when David praised by their ministry: and the priests sounded trumpets before them; and all Israel stood." (2 Chronicles 7:6)
(This passage meant that God's ability to be merciful (lovingkindness) will be eternal. God does not have to equal out justice in eternity. In a later Doctrine, we will see why God won't equal out justice in eternity.)
"15 Let them be before Jehovah continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth;
16 Because he remembered not to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, And the broken in heart, to slay them." (Psalm 109:15-16)
(Your actions prove what you believe...again, this is wisdom. God will not be merciful to those who persecute others and are unmerciful to others. If He did, He would be contradictory and unjust.)
"12 I thank him that enabled me, even Christ Jesus our Lord, for that he counted me faithful, appointing me to his service;
13 though I was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: howbeit I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief;
14 and the grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 1:12-14)
(We saw faith is built by understanding and experience. Paul stated that he was a blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious. All the things from Psalm 109, yet he obtained mercy. Why? Because he did these things without understanding.)
"14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men;
15 but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16 And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David." (2 Samuel 7:14-17)
(God told David through Nathan that His mercy would never depart from David's son (Solomon). God never punished Solomon, even when his heart was led away by his many wives. Even when Solomon built up high places to other gods. However, Solomon had the most understanding of any man. God promised this to David. It was Right and Just of God to extend mercy to Solomon because He promised it and He gave Solomon wisdom so Solomon could learn by understanding because he couldn't learn by experience without being punished.)
"19 Yet say ye, Wherefore doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? when the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live.
20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21 But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
22 None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live.
23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? saith the Lord Jehovah; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?
24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds that he hath done shall be remembered: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel: Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal?
26 When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth therein; in his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.
27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.
28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord Jehovah. Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord Jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves, and live." (Ezekiel 18:19-32)
(If God immediately equaled everything out, there would be no mercy. If God didn't have mercy we would not have an opportunity to repent for the wrongs we have done. God does not force us to repent, but gives us the opportunity to choose. One of the purposes of mercy is to give wicked people time to turn from their wickedness. God does not have pleasure in the death of people who turn their face away from Him, but those who choose His CAUSES and live! Mercy allows God to continue to be always completely Right and always completely Just in the long term.)
Our entire lives are MERCY! God gives us so many opportunities to choose if we desire to justify God, and think the way He Thinks! The other options are to justify ourselves and think as men, or even animals.
The ultimate man, Jesus, choose to think as God thought, and choose to refuse evil and do good. There is an invisible battle going on between GOOD and EVIL. That battle is even happening right now inside of you. How would you know which side you are on unless you can define what Good and Evil mean?
