“MERCY” Micah 7:18
Mercy is one of God’s
glorious attributes. It is as essential to the character of God as
righteousness, truth, holiness, power, and justice. Not until he ceases to be
God will he cease to be just. And not until he ceases to be God will he cease
to be merciful.
John
Gill said, “The mercy of God arises from the goodness of his nature, from his
special love to his people, and from his sovereign will and pleasure. As he
loves whom he pleases, and ‘is gracious
to whom he will be gracious,’ so ‘he
has mercy on whom he will have mercy.’”
The mercy of God is
infinite, eternal, and immutable. The mercy of God is freely and sovereignly
bestowed. And the mercy of God is constant and fresh. In these respects, it is
similar to both the love and grace of God.
However, mercy presupposes
misery. In that regard it is distinguished from both God’s love and his grace.
The elect angels are the objects of God’s love and his grace. In love he chose
them. In grace he preserved them when others fell, and confirmed them in their
holiness. But the angels of God never have or can experience God’s mercy. Mercy
presupposes misery.
The mercy of God is in
Christ, only in Christ. God out of Christ is a consuming fire. It is only in
Christ that the triune God reveals himself and proclaims his great and glorious
name, "The L“rd, the Lord God,
merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin!”
Christ is the mercy seat and
throne of grace, at which men obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of
need. He is the channel through which mercy flows to guilty sinners. All the
blessings of God’s mercy love and grace come to chosen sinners through Christ,
only through Christ.
We cast ourselves, upon
Christ our mercy-seat, and upon the mercy of God in him, like the Publican
(Luke 18:13). Mercy is spoken of here as that in which God distinctly delights.
It is spoken of throughout the Scriptures as exceedingly great, abundant; and
bounteous. We read that there is in our great God and Savior a multitude of
tender mercies. Our God is "rich" in mercy. And his mercy to sinners
in Christ is "plenteous" mercy (Ps. 103:11 51:1; 1 Pet. 1:3; Eph.
2:4; Ps. 86:5).
It is foolish to talk of Divine mercy or to
call for Divine mercy apart from Christ. When Micah says, “He delighteth in mercy,” he is talking about God as he is revealed
in Christ. It is a vain delusion of proud and sinful men to trust in God’s
mercy when they refuse to trust in God’s Son. Out of Christ there is no mercy
to be had. God does not show mercy except “for
Christ’s sake” (Eph. 4:32). Yet, in Christ, and for his sake, the holy Lord
God is both able and willing to be merciful to perishing sinners. Indeed, it is
that in which he delights!
Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For
Today Radio Message #666
2734 Old Stanford
Road - Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net