Notes of Faith February 18, 2025
Illustrating Mercy
And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
The book of Proverbs is filled with comparisons using like or as (a simile). For example, “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control” (Proverbs 25:28, NIV). A lack of self-control is compared to a city with broken-down walls. Instead of saying, “Practice self-control,” the image of the city illustrates the danger of the lack of self-control.
The apostle Paul used a simile to illustrate how we are to forgive and show mercy toward others: We are to forgive others “even as” God has forgiven us through Christ. God’s forgiveness of us is an example of His mercy. We were deserving of judgment for our sins, but God withheld our judgment and judged Christ instead by His death on the Cross. That is what mercy does—it withholds judgment, punishment, or retaliation even when it is deserved. To show mercy is also to forgive. And we are to forgive others the way God has forgiven us in Christ.
The next time someone hurts or offends you, consider the mercy God has shown you and extend that same mercy and forgiveness.
No one is redeemed except through unmerited mercy.
Augustine
Matt 5:43-48
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.' 44 "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 "If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
We have been given life, abundant life, eternal life. We are to live differently than those who do not know God, who do not walk in His truth and statutes. Therefore, we are to pursue holiness, fight against our old nature that wants to practice regularly things that break the heart of God, that are hurtful to our daily living. It is hard to show mercy and be forgiving to those who hurt us, but that is the character and example of God. It is what we are to do in order to grow to be more like Jesus. Stay in the Word of God daily. Pray often…the Apostle Paul says without ceasing. I will say as often as your mind brings a thought to pray. If you practice prayer…yes, you can do that…you will learn to pray more and more often! God will use our intimate time with Him to help us be more like Him around our family, friends, coworkers, even those we don’t agree with or might say beyond don’t like. God will work on those attitudes if we truly want to be more like Jesus and follow in His footsteps of living in this fallen world. Let us learn to practice the love of God as well. I ask this is Jesus name for all of us! Amen.
Pastor Dale