God’s mercy is well exemplified in the life of the apostle Paul. Before Paul was converted, he bore the name Saul and zealously persecuted those who followed Jesus (Acts 8:3).
As he was traveling to Damascus to find Christians to persecute, Saul was met by Jesus who asked, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul learned that he had been living in sin. He learned what he needed to do to be forgiven, and then did it. Because of Saul’s repentance and choice to obey God, the grace of God was extended to him.
When Paul looked back on this, he realized that he was undeserving of God’s mercy (1 Tim. 1:15-16).
In his letter to the Romans, Paul pointed out that we have all done things that make us undeserving of God’s mercy. Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
No matter what an individual has done in the past, though, he or she can be forgiven by God through obedience. This is a testament to the merciful character of our Creator. The mercy God directs toward mankind is strong motivation for us to show mercy to others. In Matthew 5:7, Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Part of showing mercy, or pity, toward others involves giving a helping hand to those in need as we have the ability and opportunity (cf. Luke 6:35-36).
A more specific way we should show mercy is to show a willingness to forgive, as God has toward us. Like God demonstrated with His attitude toward Saul of Tarsus, He desires the salvation of sinners, instead of harboring resentment toward us for sins we’ve committed (cf. 2 Pet. 3:9). We should likewise have this merciful spirit toward those who’ve mistreated us.
In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus spoke a parable that well-illustrates how God’s mercy should affect us. This parable tells of a servant whose master was willing to forgive him of a debt he could not pay, but this same servant was unwilling to show mercy toward a fellow servant. An interesting thing about this parable is that the servant owed his master “ten thousand talents” (verse 24), while his fellow servant owed him “one hundred denarii” (verse 28). The servant owed his master about 600,000 times as much as his fellow servant owed him.
This contrast has a lesson for us. No matter how much one has wronged us, it doesn’t compare to how much we have wronged God. Without Christ’s sacrifice, the “debt” we owe God could never be paid. If God is willing to show us mercy, how much more should we be willing to show others mercy?
To look at the other side of the coin, if we are unwilling to show others mercy, God will not show us mercy. This is seen in Matthew 5:7 when we consider that it’s those who are merciful to others who “shall obtain mercy” (cf. Matt. 6:14-15).
While it’s God’s preference for each of us to receive His mercy, He won’t force us to receive it. Part of the recipe for accepting His mercy is to show mercy toward others. God’s own character provides an example and strong motivation for heeding this instruction.
– Michael Hickox