Theology Proper: Divine Attributes and Practical Application 2

Introduction: Luke 6:36 - “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”

There is a natural inclination inside of humanity to sin against their neighbor. There is a natural inclination to not only get even, but get ahead. There is a desire inside of mankind to love only those who love them and to hate those who hate them. The Heavenly Father and the Son of God shows us something different and unnatural.

God shows us a way to live that is not of this world, and every adult needs to understand this about God. God is a God of justice, and God is a God of mercy. The God of the Bible desires to show off His holy love, divine grace, and He chooses to give mercy instead of judgement to all. This God is speaking to all of mankind, but especially to the adults who have experienced this mercy and who are called to model it to their family and co-workers. Be merciful, because your God has shown you mercy.

Be οἰκτίρμων or “compassionate” just as God is. Show mercy, show compassion, or have pity on others, just as God has. This is referring to the act of doing merciful deeds. When it relates to the previous and following verses, it seems to refer to a kindness and forbearance in judgment.

The Scriptures declare that the Lord is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love (Exodus 34:6-7; Psalm 103:8; Psalm 145:8-9). Before Christians can show God’s mercy, they first must know and experience God’s mercy. Mercy is that active choice of giving not the judgement to one who may deserve judgement. Showing mercy is a choice of compassion and pity, instead of anger and or wrath. God’s mercy is His loving compassion towards His people. His mercy is His tenderness towards the needy (Erickson 2013, p. 266).

Who is needy? For humanity to understand God’s mercy, or godly mercy, mankind must understand the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. All are unrighteous, there is no one who is good; our best practices are like filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6; Luke 18:19; Romans 3). All will be judged one day by how they lived, and all will be found in big trouble on that day (2 Corinthians 5:10).

God has every right to be angry with sinners. Scripture teaches that God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11). God’s wrath is against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). All of mankind without God’s righteousness are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3). This is where all men could stay if it was not for the grace and mercy of God.

All men are sinners, and therefore are deemed guilty. God cannot let the guilty go without penalty (Exodus 34:6-7). He who justifies the wicked is an abomination to the Lord (Proverbs 17:15). Mankind has this serious depravity problem and sin has affected every part of them. Mankind is guilty, unclean, and it rightly subject to God’s holy wrath, but God provides a way for mankind to escape the wrath to come.

God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even while we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-5). According to His great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).

The Gospel of Jesus Christ declares all men are guilty of sin, and at the same time the Gospel proclaims that He Who knew now sin became sin so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). God provides the way to forgive and reconcile sinners to God. God provides the way to show mercy, even to enemies. While we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to God through the blood of Christ (Romans 5:9-10). Instead of destroying everyone, God shows mercy and gives His only begotten Son to become their substitute, and to remove the hostility that existed between them, making peace between God and men.

What is man’s response to this message? Let us then draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; throw yourself upon Him and be saved from the wrath to come, and experience God’s peace today.

In light of such a great salvation, how shall the Christian live? In light of such great mercy, how shall the Christian respond to others around him or her?God desires mercy, and not just sacrifices (Matthew 9:13). For God has told us what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

Going back to Luke 6:36, what do we see before and after this passage? Verse 27 teaches the Christian to love their enemies by doing good to those who hate them. Verse 28 shows the Christian to bless instead of curse, to pray for those who mistreat them. The Christian response to the Gospel is not retaliatory. The Christian response is not harsh, it does not mistreat or judge harshly. The Christian shows the mercy of God to others by not giving them what they deserve. Instead of giving others judgement, anger, or wrath, we show the mercy that was extended to each one of us.

God’s mercy means God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress (Grudem 2020, p. 239). God showed goodness, was patient, kind, gracious, slow to anger, and was abounding in love. The Christian was in distress, lost, an enemy of God, deserving nothing but judgement. But God chose to show mercy instead of judgement.

All of these that have been mentioned in the previous verses do not deserve mercy. All of the Christian enemies, all of the haters, mockers, and critics are guilty and deserve judgement. But judgement from whom?

Who is the Judge? For the Lord is our Judge (Isaiah 33:22). Christ is our final Judge (2 Corinthians 5:10). What did our Judge do for us? Our Judge has shown us mercy instead of judgement. So then, how shall we live? Shall we live as judges, or as recipients of mercy and grace.

God alone reserves the right to judge everyone and to exercise wrath where it is needed. The Christian understands that they were in debt and would never pay it off. The Christian understands that they would be dead, in hell forever, and there is nothing they could have done to change their circumstances. They just understand that God chose to give grace and mercy instead, and freely we have been given this through the work of Jesus Christ. Freely we have been given, so now, freely we give to whosoever.

Let us now consider the whosoevers in our lives as we strive to live this out. Starting at home with our spouses and our children. What is our Christian worldview now? We are all made in the image of God, and for the glory of God. We are all sinners in need of a Savior, and though I didn’t deserve it, God gave me mercy, showed me kindness and had compassion on me.

We are at home. Here comes the spouse at the end of the day and they are livid, impatient, and they are acting more animal like than human like. They may not deserve kindness and compassion. They may not deserve a listening ear and a smile. They may deserve the quite treatment and the cold shoulder. But it is not about deserving, is it? God’s mercy has nothing to do with deserving.

We are still in the home. Here comes the child home from school at the end of the day and you are tired. They want to talk about their day, ask some questions, act a little needy, and they request some homework help. Maybe you deserve a few moments to yourself, and maybe they deserve a loud response, and impatient action, and a pop on the bottom end. But it is not about deserving, is it? God’s mercy is not about getting what we deserve.

We are at work. There is this boss and there is this co-worker who never smile, always needing, never encouraging, and at times that can act very demeaning. They may deserve an eye for an eye and a retaliatory response. They may deserve a fist-full of suggestions, and a good kick out of the door. They may deserve all of these things. But God’s mercy is not about deserving.

God’s mercy is about not giving what people deserve and showing compassion instead.