Who decides what ‘Mercy’ is?
Jul 2nd, 2008 by Nathan White
What is mercy from God? What is punishment or judgment? If you’re like many, you probably just automatically assume that good things in life (financial stability, friends, family, health, happiness) are a sure sign of mercy from God, and that He’s somewhat pleased with you in blessing you with these things. But have we assumed too much? Who decides what mercy really is?
In the excellent work by Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies for Satan’s Devices, Brooks lists several ‘devices’ or ‘schemes’ or ‘lies’ that Satan uses to deceive and to lead us into sin. Upon giving these devices, Brooks then lists several ‘remedies’ in which to help us combat these lies. Of course, scripture is plentiful throughout, and it is one of the most thought-provoking and edifying books I’ve read in awhile.
One of these devices got my attention the other night, and it’s definitely worth a mention here:
“The fifth device that Satan hath to draw the soul to sin is,
Device (5). To present God to the soul as one made up all of mercy.
‘Oh! saith Satan, you need not make such a matter of sin, you need not be so fearful of sin, not so unwilling to sin; for God is a God of mercy, a God full of mercy, a God that delights in mercy, a God that is ready to shew mercy, a God that is never weary of shewing mercy, a God more prone to pardon His people than to punish His people; and therefore He will not take advantage against the soul; and why then, saith Satan, should you make such a matter of sin?”
Before I move on to the remedy, let me just stop and say that there are of course two dangerous extremes in dealing with the issue of God’s mercy. Let us not forget that there are certainly scores of people who do not present God as a merciful and loving God at all, which He most certainly is.
However, in our day, clearly the majority in error favor a God who is all love, all mercy, all compassion, and all benevolent, to the utter detriment of His justice, wrath, jealousy, and even righteous fury. This view of God, that He is somehow incapable of justice and anger even in this life, is what Brooks is getting at when he lists this lie of Satan.
Now the remedy Brooks gives us to combat the lie that Satan whispers, that God is all mercy and is not bothered by our sins:
“Now the remedies against this device of Satan are these:
Remedy (1) The first remedy is, seriously to consider, That it is the sorest judgment in the world to be left to sin upon any pretence whatsoever.
…When God lets the way to hell be a smooth and pleasant way, that is hell on this side of hell, and a dreadful sign of God’s indignation against a man; a token of His rejection, and that God doth not intend good unto him…”
So let’s go back to the original question: what is mercy from God? Who gets to decide?
If left to our own opinion, we’ll be quick to overlook our sins and affirm that God has blessed us/showed us mercy because of such and such good things in our life. In fact, there are preachers everywhere who will tell you this week in and week out –and all it takes to get in these ‘blessings’ is a one-time decision.
But scripture is clear, particular the book of Romans in chapters 1 and 6, that sin, and men being left in to sin as they please, is the worst of judgments upon men in this life, and salvation by God’s grace not only delivers us from eternal condemnation, but it delivers us from sin in this life as well.
So has God showed you mercy? You may have all the friends in the world, the best family, the best job, the best life of ‘blessings’, but do you have holiness? Have you gained continual victory over your sins and corruptions? Have you suffered for Christ so as to rely upon Him more? Have you been humbled and afflicted when you fall into sin? Has sin made you miserable to the point of despair, with greater repentance and holiness the only remedy? If you want to know if God has really shown you mercy, ask yourself these questions. Don’t be fooled by what you see with your eyes and what you feel in your heart; look to the scriptures my friend.
There is nothing as destructive and horrible as sin. How pitiful is it that men puff themselves up and claim God’s blessings/favor because they have a ‘decision’ and a life full of empty and comfortable amusements.
You want real mercy from God? Check your life for holiness and deep repentance. For the surest sign of God’s anger towards you is to leave you in your sins…
Nathan,
Good post. Very thought provoking.
That sounds like a good book, I’ll check it out.
bob
The thing that complicates the question is that the very same instance of “blessing” can be mercy to one and a judgment on another; or merciful discipline to one and destrution to the other.
I propose that the best time to know whether or not God was merciful to Person A is upon a fairly complete examination of Person A’s whole life. If Person A finished his race in faith and trust in Christ, we can look back and thank the Lord that all of His paths have been mercy and truth. We are promised that even the things that look like curses will turn out for our salvation, by God’s grace and mercy.
On, Brooks, I second the book recommendation heartily and would have to admit that I have sometimes fallen to temptation, in part because of a presumptuous assurance that God’s mercy would be waiting for me when I had had my “fun.” This is a grave and grievous error.
Gordan,
Ouch! you just described too much of my thinking…
Oh, good. For a moment there I thought I was unique.
Gordan–
I agree that we can see mercy in looking back over time, etc. But the particular error that I see is how we are so quick to look at favorable circumstances (mostly involving finances and comforts) and objectively say, ‘That’s mercy from God’.
True mercy can only really be seen when the end glorifies God; or in other words, the end meets up with some promise or blessing indicated in scripture. Just as David said, ‘It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes’. That is, David saw that learning God’s statues was a good thing, and he knew that because of the testimony of God Himself. Thus, he was able to objectively see that his affliction was a mercy because of the end that it brought.
Thus, the lie of Satan is to present God as all of mercy and no justice, and the remedy that Brooks puts forth is that we must see that to be left in sin is the sorest of judgments. My point was to take that and demonstrate how we’re so prone to misinterpret ‘blessings’ from judgments, though I might not have been as clear as necessary to make the point.
No, Nathan, I think you were clear. I was just reiterating that concept, that the very same instance can be mercy to one and judgment to another; and my suggestion that only time can really tell objectively. I’ve thought this for a while on the topic of tragedies like Hurricane Katrina. The very same judgment poured out on a population: but, with different effects on different people, even those whose experiences were very similar. Some now count it a mercy.
I actually appreciate this post a good deal. I tire of hearing of this event or that event being a “clear indication” of God’s punishment or His pleasure or that because person y has been abundantly blessed with x that they must have earned God’s favor (which is really another way of describing the caste system of India in a way - the poor are the way they are because they somehow made God unhappy and have “earned” their lot).
Such statements about the will of God in the events of life must be made with reservation and great, great caution and discernment.