What Is At the Heart of Christian Faith?

A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death. "But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy."

"But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied. "Sir," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for." "Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman's son.    -Luis Palau, Experiencing God's Forgiveness, Multnomah Press, 1984

When it comes to your relationship to God as an individual, and to our relationship with God as a church, what would you say is our greatest need? What is it, above anything else that we need as we approach God? What is at the top of the list for prime importance? I will tell you, because I know the answer! It is mercy. Mercy is to be looked upon by God, not as we deserve to be looked upon, but looked upon favorably.

That is what mercy is. It is a greater need than any other. Because without it, we can never ever come close to God – we can never ever seek his face, we can never ever depend upon him and call him our Father. We need mercy.

Mercy is at the heart of the Christian faith. Listen to what Paul says about our salvation in Ephesians 2:4,  “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” God is not just merciful – he is rich in mercy.

Mercy is a word we tend to use casually. We use it often in our prayers. We sing it in our hymns and songs. I started to look through Praise and count the number of items there that include the word – but I soon lost count. Then I looked through the Psalms – 27 of the psalms focus on God’s mercy and our need of it. But I guess that if we use it so often it is either a word we understand very well – an aspect of God’s character that we fully grasp, or one which is simply another piece of jargon, or lingo.

However, take care when using jargon – let’s make sure we understand, we grasp, even if we have understood, we appreciate what we are singing and talking and praying about. Therefore, if it is of such great importance, then as we consider the character of God, (which, remember is what we have been doing), we certainly need to think about God’s mercy. That just makes sense.

Now, we've considered God as the Creator – the one who is far above the heavens and put everything in its place. What power, what might and majesty the creation displays. God’s mercy knows no limit. There is none who is beyond his saving power. Why is this so important for us to grasp? Why, as we think about God’s character, do we need to remind ourselves of the extent of God’s mercy? The answer is, because of our need of it.

Let's face it, the Bible paints a very bleak picture of our lives without Christ. Continuing without Christ would find us, literally in the depths of the grave. To be plucked from all of this requires something pretty special. Something big. Something without bounds. God’s mercy.

But there is still more we need to know about God as a merciful God. It’s not enough to know that he is a God of mercy and that his mercy is unbounded. We need to know who it is available too. You see, if it's not available to me, I may as well go home now – and you as well. We would be wasting our time. Who then is this great mercy available to? It is available to all! We sometimes lose sight of the fact that the offer of God’s mercy is free and available to all.

The Bible shows very clearly that the offer of grace is there for all who call on the name of the Lord. Let's not limit God’s mercy. We can be guilty of doing this in our minds, our lives, and in our church life. We feel deep down that there are certain people who are somehow beyond God’s mercy. It's simply not true! It is available to all.

If we are honest there are certain groups of people that, if they walked in through the back door, would make us feel uncomfortable. People with certain backgrounds, with certain lifestyles; sinners of all shapes, types, ages, sizes, and orientations. But God’s mercy is available to all!

Yes, our sin is great. But God’s mercy is greater. Our sin is enormous, yet God’s mercy is boundless. Our sin drives a wedge between ourselves and God, yet God’s mercy is freely available to all who call on him and comes with a solid, lifetime guarantee. So call on him. Whether you have never done so before or not. However long you have followed him, appeal and call on his mercy today!

Scripture: Hebrews 4:16; 1 John 1:9; Romans 12:1-2; Malachi 3:17; Galatians 5:1; Micah 6:8; Isaiah 64:4; Galatians 3:28

Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for working forgiveness into my life. Thank You for healing me, and for cleansing me from all my sin. Thank You, Father, for restoring me to fellowship with You. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

God bless you,

Briana