MERCY (Aaron Pelsue Band)
One of the most miraculous aspects of God's character is that He is rich in mercy and abounds in steadfast love. This song, “Mercy,” by Aaron Pelsue Band captures the essence of that sentiment.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4–5).
In many ways, it is difficult to wrap our minds around the enormity of those absolute truths because it is impossible to understand how patient the Lord truly is with us. How can God continue to welcome us home with open arms like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) when we choose to sin and go our separate way? The answer lies in understanding who He is, first and foremost.
Scripture affirms, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Why? Because "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you" (Jeremiah 31:3).
It is hard to fathom that love could be everlasting, for we tend to view love from a selfish, conditional vantage point. However, we must recognize God is not simply our Creator but our Father in heaven, which helps us understand why His love endures forever.
Jesus said, "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:50), because by faith we are adopted into the family of God as His sons and daughters.
"In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved" (Ephesians 1:4–6).
As humans, we struggle with NOT keeping a record of wrongs because wounds cut deep and scars remind us of what we've been through.
Granted, we may choose to forgive, but forgetting how we've been offended and/or afflicted by someone we love is extremely difficult, especially when the sin is grievous and widely destructive. God does not operate in the same manner, though.
Rather, He promises to His children, "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins" (Isaiah 43:25). How amazing!
LYRICS: “Hear my cries, Lord, hear my plea. All around me all I see are canyons of heartache, rivers of mistakes. They're calling out longing for me. So hide me under Your wings of grace. Let your love be my hiding place. Wash me clean. Come make me holy. For I deserve all the worst, yet You offer mercy.”
From my personal perspective, sins I've committed in my life are constantly at the forefront of my mind, for better or worse. In other words, I benefit from not forgetting my past sins because the consequences of my actions keep my guard up to ensure I don't fall victim to the same mistakes.
However, in the same token I must be careful not to wear my guilt and shame like a scarlet letter, wallowing in self-pity and unwilling to accept God's grace and mercy which He freely offers. Healing and restoration begin with acknowledging how I have sinned and then seeking reconciliation with God through Biblical repentance for violating His righteous standard. King David famously said:
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment" (Psalm 51:1–4).
The beautiful part of this prayer is that David owned the enormity and consequences of his sin by acknowledging God as his righteous judge and supreme authority. He affirmed God's character as abundant in mercy, while at the same time elevated the necessity of personal accountability for sins he personally committed.
Finally, David willingly accepted whatever just punishment was due him in order to reconcile his heart to God. The problem many of us encounter, though, is that after we pray to God in a manner similar Psalm 51:1–4, we camp out in the depths of despair rather than embracing His forgiveness, learning from our mistakes, and guarding against future temptations.
In no way does God wish to render us incapacitated to forgive ourselves and learn from our mistakes. For in His sovereignty, God will use our failures as an opportunity to minister to others who find themselves caught in similar situations.
"Early in the morning he (Jesus) came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, 'Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?' This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, 'Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.' And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, 'Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?' She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more'" (John 8:2–11).
LYRICS: “When I'm parched, Lord, give me drink. Pull me up from on the brink. Dangers abounding, my head is pounding. It’s clouding up my clarity. So hide me under Your wings of grace. Let your love be my hiding place. Wash me clean. Come make me holy. For I deserve all the worst, yet You offer mercy.”
Satan would have us believe God is nothing more than a tyrant who strips away our freedoms, takes pleasure in punishing us for our sins, and lords our mistakes over us as a reminder of how wretched we truly are. However, that is NOT what the Bible teaches. For those who are born-again believers, Scripture affirms that while we are accountable for our actions, Jesus received the just punishment for our sins.
"But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).
What is even more incredible is that Christ's atonement for our sins is infinite, because He died once for all mankind and the sins we commit in our entire lifetime.
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit" (1 Peter 3:18).
Therefore, how could we ever express any other emotion to God but praise and thanksgiving for what He has done to assure our eternal salvation? Granted, we will be afflicted in our lifetime with trials, tribulations, persecution, illnesses, tragedies, and even death, yet all are TEMPORARY afflictions which do nothing more than testify to how precious the blood of Jesus is to rescue us from the depravity of this world.
"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit'—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that'" (James 4:13–15).
Even Paul was afflicted with a thorn in the flesh throughout his ministry, yet he understood it was temporary and meant for a greater purpose than he could fathom, to keep him humble and dependent on God as his source of strength.
"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:7–10).
Considering the topic of mercy, I often wonder why so many people boldly and emphatically reject Christianity. Why wouldn't someone want to be rescued from eternal hell and torment? What is more precious in life than peace, hope, joy and contentment?
Granted, we are not guaranteed this life will be void of trials and tribulations if we accept Christ, which unfortunately is the byproduct of prosperity doctrine (i.e. false teaching). However, we are guaranteed that Jesus is the final authority over our trial, pain and suffering. Therefore, we should not fear whatever the enemy throws our way to tempt us to reject our faith and assurance in Christ.
"I (Jesus) have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
For the promise of salvation is this: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).
In many ways, people simply fail to grasp the depth, breadth and magnitude of mercy. Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary helps clarify confusion by defining "mercy" as follows:
"That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being."
Keep in mind, mercy does not eliminate the consequences of sin, but willingly pardons the offender by choosing to forgive instead. Scripture affirms, "The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation" (Numbers 14:18).
We must recognize that God demonstrates His love for us by offering mercy and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus to atone for our sins. "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). However, this invitation is meant to bring us to salvation through repentance, otherwise our offspring will endure the wrath of our indignant choice to reject God.
LYRICS: “Oh, Lord, have mercy on me. Kyrie, Kyrie Eleison! Hide me under Your wings of grace. Let your love be my refuge safe. Wash me clean. Come make me holy. For I deserve all the worst, yet You offer mercy.”
It is a sobering reality when we consider that our indifference toward sin and lack of ownership and personal accountability can so heavily influence the next generation, but that is precisely what Scripture warns if we do not humble ourselves and seek eternal reconciliation with God for our sins.
Therefore, must cling to David's words as our own and humble confess, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). The Lord declares, "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
What then does Biblical repentance look like (compared to worldly repentance which begins and ends with a halfhearted apology)? Here is my perspective from comparing what I've learned through personal experience with the truth of God's Word:
I acknowledge the eternal ramification and enormity of my sin from God's Holy perspective (Jeremiah 14:20–21).
I take ownership for choosing to commit my sin regardless of who/what influenced my decision (Proverbs 28:13–14).
I accept personal responsibility for the consequences of my sin and the destructive wake it caused myself and others (Psalm 51:3–4).
I reject any fleshly desire to shift blame for my actions or minimize/justify my sin (Romans 2:1).
I confess my sin to God and others by seeking restoration/reconciliation (Psalm 32:5).
I humble myself by asking forgiveness from those I have directly and indirectly hurt because of my sin (Matthew 5:23–24).
By faith, I accept God's grace, mercy and forgiveness for my sin (1 John 1:9).
I rejoice in thanksgiving for God's healing and restoration (Psalm 103:8–14).
I commit to learn from my mistakes and sin no more by submitting to the authority of God's Word in faithful obedience and application (2 Chronicles 7:14).
When Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees concerning the quality time He spent with tax collectors and sinners, He simply replied, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners" (Matthew 9:12–13).
The enemy would have us believe that because the love of Jesus covers a multitude of sins, if we are saved, we do not need to humble ourselves and repent of our sins because the debt has already been paid. The danger of that mentality is that it promotes laziness and tempts us to consider salvation as a one-time event that has no bearing on our lives otherwise. No!
True faith is active faith, whereby we invest time seeking to know God through His Word and applying the truth of His wisdom in our lives. However, if we're honest with ourselves, more often than not, we treat repentance with indifference because we are sidetracked by a multitude of tasks and to-do lists which distract us from quality time with God.
The danger is that a lack of consistent and frequent quality time with God produces shallow faith, which is a detriment to the believer, the body of Christ at large, and secular society as well. In other words, if we're not tithing the first-fruits of our time and attention to God, fully engaged in the process of self-examination whereby we actively seek the Lord's wisdom and accountability, then we are completely missing the boat in understanding what Jesus says in Matthew 9:12–13.
What then does the Lord desire? David wrote, "For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51:16–17).
All God wants is our heart, fully devoted to Him and obedient in submission to His Word. Only then will we grasp the magnitude of His love which overflows with grace and mercy to those who humble themselves, repent of their sins, seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways.
"'Yet even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.' Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster" (Joel 2:12–13).
