“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.“
Psalm 103:10

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God’s justice is the basis for His mercy. God does not just sweep sin under the carpet and pretend that everything is okay. No, God is painfully aware of the sin that wreaks havoc in our lives and world.

At its core, sin is rebellion against God. Sin essentially says to the Creator, “I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions without you, and I don’t care who I hurt in the process. Let me be.” God may indeed let the rebel be, to the rebel’s own demise.

But God is rich in mercy. Mercy by definition is undeserved. Sin leads to suffering but God grants mercy. How thankful we can be that our God is merciful! His plan from eternity past was to extend mercy while maintaining His perfect justice.

Under the law, the blood of sheep and goats served as the sacrifice for sin; remorse and repentance was required on the part of the sinner bringing the animal to the altar.

Then, Jesus Christ, the one and only Son of God without sin, became our sacrifice. His suffering and death paid the ransom for the sin of humankind. In Jesus, God demonstrates the depth to which He feels our suffering and sin, taking the pain and death into His own physical body—and in response to our rebellion providing us a path to forgiveness, wholeness, justice.

This is mercy. This is compassion. This is our God.

And this is the gospel. We, believers in Jesus, are fully aware of our continual need for mercy, because we are not free from sin in this life. We continue to live in a world full of injustice and pain. But we are recipients of God’s mercy, now sent as servants to care for the world around us with compassion, bringing God’s justice to the people and creation He loves.

Questions for reflection and discussion:

  • What does receipt of the mercy of God through Jesus Christ mean to you personally?
  • How does the fact that the mercy of God is completely undeserved affect our identity as followers of Jesus?
  • As one who has been shown mercy, to whom do you need to extend mercy?

 

Church Reading Plan: Jeremiah 13; Matthew 27