Questions & Answers on the Mercy of God.
Key Scripture: “I will trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” Ps. 52:8.
Q: WHAT IS MERCY?
A: Mercy is an attribute of God, and is not to be confused with mere goodness.
Mercy is an attribute of God, and is not to be confused with mere goodness. Mistaking mercy for goodness happens often. Mercy is directly opposed to justice, while justice is one of the legitimate developments of goodness. Goodness may demand the exercise of justice; indeed it often does; but to say that mercy demands the exercise of justice, is to use the word incorrectly. Mercy asks that justice be set aside. Mercy and goodness stand in very different relations to justice.
Psalm 23:6 Goodness and mercy are two different things: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Luke 6:36-38 Mercy vs. Judgement: Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Q: WHAT IS MERCY?
A: Mercy is an endowment of pardon to the guilty.
Mercy is an endowment of pardon to the guilty. Its exercise consists in arresting and setting aside the penalty of law, when that penalty has been incurred by transgression. It is, as has been said, directly opposed to justice. Justice treats every individual according to his actions; mercy treats the criminal very differently from what he deserves. “Just deserts” is never the rule by which mercy is guided; while it is precisely the rule of justice.
Jer 50:20 Mercy is a pardon: In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and [there shall be] none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
Q: WHAT IS MERCY?
A: Mercy is something exercised only where there is guilt.
Mercy is exercised only where there is guilt. It always pre-supposes guilt. The penalty of the law must have been previously incurred, else there can be no scope or need for mercy.
Deut 21:8-9 Mercy is needed where there is guilt: Be merciful, O LORD, unto thy people Israel, whom thou hast redeemed, and lay not innocent blood unto thy people of Israel’s charge. And the blood shall be forgiven them. So shalt thou put away the [guilt of] innocent blood from among you, when thou shalt do [that which is] right in the sight of the LORD.
Q: WHAT IS MERCY?
A: Mercy is something that can be exercised no farther than the punishment deserved.
Mercy can be exercised no farther than the punishment deserved. Mercy may continue its exercise just as long as punishment is deserved, but no longer. If great punishment is deserved, great mercy can be shown; if endless punishment is due, there is scope for infinite mercy to be shown, but not otherwise.
Q: WHAT IS IMPLIED BY TRUSTING IN THE MERCY OF GOD FOREVER?
A: What is implied? … A conviction of guilt.
What is implied? … A conviction of guilt. None can properly say they trust in the mercy of God unless they have committed crimes, been tripped-up by sin, and are conscious of the fact. Justice protects the innocent, and they may safely appeal to it for defense, but for the guilty nothing remains but to trust in mercy. Trusting in mercy always implies a deep, heartfelt conviction of personal guilt.
Q: WHAT IS IMPLIED BY TRUSTING IN THE MERCY OF GOD FOREVER?
A: Trust in mercy always implies that we have no hope on the scales of justice.
Trust in mercy always implies that we have no hope on the scales of justice. If we had anything to expect from justice, we would not need to look to mercy. Generally, the human heart is too proud to throw itself upon mercy while it presumes itself to have a valid claim of justice. To trust in mercy is all together different and unique to Jehovah’s government. In fact, “mercy” is in the very nature of the mind, impossible.
Psalm 16:1 — Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
Q: WHAT IS IMPLIED BY TRUSTING IN THE MERCY OF GOD FOREVER?
A: Trust in God’s mercy implies a belief that He is merciful.
Trust in God’s mercy implies a belief that He is merciful. We could not trust Him if we had no such belief. This belief must always lie at the foundation of real trust. Once we get a revelation of God’s mercy, we must also extend mercy. (Important: church often fails here — eat their young)
2 Sam 22:26 — With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, [and] with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
Q: WHAT IS IMPLIED BY TRUSTING IN THE MERCY OF GOD FOREVER?
A: “Trusting in the mercy of God forever and ever” implies a conviction of deserving endless punishment.
“Trusting in the mercy of God forever and ever” implies a conviction of deserving endless punishment. Mercy is co-extensive with punishment and can (in its nature) go no farther. It is rational to rely upon the exercise of mercy for as long time as we deserve punishment, but no longer. For example, a prisoner serving a three-year sentence may ask for the exercise of mercy in the form of pardon. He would not ask a pardon for ten years when he needs it only for three. Likewise, he would not ask for a pardon after his prison term has expired. This principle is perfectly obvious. Where punishment ceases, there mercy also ceases — and therefore our trust in it. While the sentence of punishment continues, so may mercy, and our trust in its exercise. When therefore the Psalmist trusts in the mercy of God forever, he renounces all hope of being ever received to favor on the score of justice, and acknowledges that his debt is eternal.
1 Chronicles 16:34 — O give thanks unto the LORD; for [he is] good; for his mercy [endureth] for ever. We deserved hell for all eternity according to the law, but we got heaven — that’s mercy!
Q: WHAT IS IMPLIED BY TRUSTING IN THE MERCY OF GOD FOREVER?
A: Trusting in mercy implies a cessation from all excuses and excuse-making.
Trusting in mercy implies a cessation from all excuses and excuse-making. The moment you trust in mercy, you give up all apologies and excuses at once — and entirely. You stop trying to defend yourself. This example of trust displays your reliance upon God’s justice. An excuse or apology is nothing more, or less, than an appeal to justice; a plea designed to justify our conduct. Trusting in mercy forever implies that we have ceased from all excuses forever.
Now it is always understood that when a man pleads guilty he desists from making excuses, and appeals only to mercy. So in any private matter with my neighbor. If I justify myself fully, I surely have no confession to make. But if I am conscious of having done him wrong, I freely confess my wrong, and appeal to mercy. Self-justification stands right over against confession.
An example in parental discipline: If your child sternly justifies himself, he or she makes no appeal to mercy. But the moment when they cast themselves upon your chest with tears, and say they are wrong, they ceases to make excuses, and trusts themselves to mercy. So it is in the government of God — Trust in mercy is a final giving up of all reliance upon justice. You have no more excuses; and you make none.
Q: UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS CAN WE SAFELY TRUST IN MERCY?
A: God is a just judge, aware that public justice must be appeased.
Public justice must be appeased. Its demands must be satisfied. God is a great judge, sustaining infinitely responsible relations to the moral universe. He does what he does with great care.
Perhaps no measure of government is more delicate and difficult in its bearings than the exercise of mercy. It is a most critical point. There is eminent danger of making the impression that mercy would trample down law. The very thing that mercy does is to set aside the execution of the penalty of law; and the danger is that it will weaken the law itself.
Now if the exercise of mercy in such cases is difficult, how much more so in the government of God? Hence the first condition of the exercise of mercy is that something be done to meet the demands of public justice. God’s standard must be sustained. To do otherwise would be like throwing out a license to sin, and open the very flood-gates of iniquity. When God extends mercy, this difficulty is wholly removed by the atonement of Christ — who paid the price to justify those who put their trust in Him.
John 5:30 — By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him [the Father] who sent me.
Q: UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS CAN WE SAFELY TRUST IN MERCY?
A: We must repent
A second condition is that we repent. Certainly no sinner has the least ground to hope for mercy until he repents. Will God pardon the sinner while yet in his rebellion? No.
Mark 1:15 — And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Q: UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS CAN WE SAFELY TRUST IN MERCY?
A: We must confess our sins.
We must confess our sins. “He that confesses,” and he only, “shall find mercy.” Jehovah sustains such relations to the moral universe that he cannot forgive without the sinner’s confession. He must have the sinner’s testimony against himself and in favor of law and obedience.
Ezra 10:11 — Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure:
James 5:16 — Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Q: UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS CAN WE SAFELY TRUST IN MERCY?
A: We must really make restitution so far as lies in our power.
We must really make restitution so far as lies in our power. This entails going back, giving back and making the situation “right” to the very best of our ability.
Luke 3:8 — Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance
Q: UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS CAN WE SAFELY TRUST IN MERCY?
A: We must seek real reform
Another condition is that you really reform. Suppose there is a criminal in our neighborhood who has become the terror in our city. He has already murdered people and robbed homes and every day brings more reports of his crimes come to light. No one feels safe. At last he is arrested; and we all breathe more easily. Peace is restored. He receives a sentence of death, but petitions for pardon. He professes no penitence whatever, and makes not even a promise of amendment; yet the governor is about to give him a free pardon — What good can the mercy of God do him, or anyone, if he does not reform?
Lev. 26:23-24 — And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.
Vessels of Mercy
Romans 9:23-24 — And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Key Scripture: “I will trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.” Ps. 52:8.
