We say we love mercy, but do we? Really? We do…for our own sins, but what about the sins of others? Even worse, what about the sins of others…against us…against someone we love?
Betrayal, theft, slander, abuse, abandonment…and untold other offenses too horrendous to fathom.
Love mercy? Really?
What about a sense of justice? Isn’t it right to feel enraged? How could we overlook? More importantly, how could God?
…a just God.
You have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet you say, “How have we wearied Him?” In that you say, …“Where is the God of justice?” ~Malachi 2:17
So which is it? Mercy…or Justice? Which are you, God? Merciful…or Just? Like Moses, we want to see the real You.
Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin;
So, You are a God of mercy.
But wait…the verse doesn’t stop there.
yet …He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished… ~Exodus 34:6-7a
Oh my, You are a God of justice. How do we reconcile the two?
…Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed…
so that He would be just
and
the justifier
of the one who has faith in Jesus. ~Rom 3:24c-26
Since He is a God of justice, someone must pay.
Because He’s a God of mercy… some One has.
This is our God..…and He calls us to do the same…
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? ~Micah 6:8
I visited this topic before, but with some other emphasis here. And…there’s a super great visual here. Have a look.
You did a great job tackling these mercy vs judgement questions all believers wrestle with.
I ended my post with Micah 6:8 too…it just keeps going through my mind.
Cheers
Thanks, Leah. Sometimes it’s hard to reconcile things like these, but one thing we know….there is no injustice with God. Thanks for stopping by.
This is a powerful, thought provoking piece of art. Rosanne
Thanks so much, Rosanne. Isn’t it great how we express ourselves so differently but can appreciate each other’s “art”? I must admit, I was taken aback to hear this referred to as such. What an honor to think of being part of a company of people of which I am in such awe. May we all be encouraged to use our unique gifts to express Him and inspire one another. Thank you for doing that. 🙂
Love that you chose to look at a comparison of mercy and justice. Isn’t that something we all fail to reconcile at times? To know that Christ saved us in mercy by taking our just punishment. Amazing grace! So glad you linked up with FMF.
Erin, It makes me smile to see your happy face in that little icon. Thank you so much for coming by and for taking time to comment. I just love your words. They are filled with evidence of your grasp on grace. I’m so glad to “link meet” you!
This is so good! Jesus is the answer to that question . . . I love that verse about how He’s just and the justifier. Thanks for this post!
Well thank you so much…and you are so welcome. 🙂 I love that verse too! How DO we contain ourselves when we ponder His goodness? 🙂 Thanks for taking time to visit and comment. Blessings to you!
Loved this! & Love you! Keep writing!
Yay….THANK YOU! Right back at you with tons of ♥. Thankful to be a doer of I Thessalonians 5:11 together with you.