Mocking God’s Mercy
In the book of James there is a verse ordained of God and directed toward the church, Christ’s body.
James 2:13
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
This verse is basically saying that for the Christian, mercy triumphs over judgment. For those of us who have a relationship with God the Father through the Son Jesus Christ we understand this verse quite clearly. We are to show mercy to others just as mercy has so incredibility been shown unto us. Since we are all lost sinners we are to be patient and merciful toward one another and not to judge harshly. God directs this verse to believers who had been saved by His grace. This verse is directed to a redeemed church. Redeemed because we are sinners.
I asked myself a question. As sinners, our mercy is to triumph over our judgment. But is this true for God himself? God is perfect and has never sinned. Does God’s mercy triumph over his judgment? I asked myself this question.
God died on a cross so that we might live. He sacrificed His own life, His own being, and His very own self. We are the recipients of that sacrifice. But why did God do it? What choice did He have? Why did anyone have to die? The conclusion: because it is God’s judgment that indeed triumphs over his mercy.
If God’s mercy triumphed over His judgment then Jesus Christ would have never had to die. If God’s mercy were higher than His judgment then in that mercy He would have just excused sin and let everyone into heaven. But He did not. Sin existed and sin had to be judged. Now, because God loves mercy He decided to judge our sins mercifully through His son, but the judgment did ultimately happen. If God’s mercy were to triumph over His judgment then Jesus would have been excused from ever having to suffer on the cross and there would have been no judgment because mercy being superior would have triumphed over it. But God had to judge sin. The judgment had to happen. Sin had to be judged.
So it is apparent that since judgment happened then with God judgment ultimately comes before His mercy. Here is another way to look at it. Since Jesus died for us none of us has to die for our own sins. His mercy took away the fact that we will ever have to be judged. If Jesus’ mercy takes away the fact that we will ever have to be judged then wouldn’t God’s mercy triumphing over His judgment abolish the fact that there would of ever needed to have been any judgment at all. Plain and simple, if God’s mercy triumphed over His judgment then there would have been no judgment. But this was not the case. God is perfect, and because He is perfect His perfect judgment triumphs over His mercy. But since God is good, in His mercy he judged sin through his son. God is love, but we must always remember that a loving Father does not hold back judgment (Proverbs 13:24), in fact He relies upon it, He only does so in a merciful way.
We must also discern the difference between mercy in God’s judgment and mercy through God’s judgment. There’s a difference. There was no mercy in God’s judgment. When God judged sin he had no mercy. Jesus’ crucifixion was the most painful death every devised. Someone who is crucified actually dies from suffocation. The person cannot hold himself up in order to breathe so he suffocates on his own fluids. It is true Jesus had to die for our sins, but He did not need to suffer to that extreme. God could have picked an easier method of death, but He didn’t, He picked the most painful death to demonstrate His wrath against sin. There was NO mercy in God’s judgment against sin at all. Was there mercy through the way God judged sin? Certainly, there was an abundance of mercy through God’s judgment of sin. When God judged sin, He decided to mercifully judge our sins through his Son. God didn’t have to do this; in His great mercy he poured His wrath on His Son instead of on us. So as you can see there was an abundance of mercy through the way God decided to judge our sins, but there was no mercy in the actual judgment of those sins.
All of this I have discussed for what reason? Why would I come to this conclusion at all? Let me first insert a scripture below and I will explain.
Titus 3:8
This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
I love the Lord. There was a time when I was quick to judge others. I would use Galatians 5:13 and 1 Peter 2:16 to remind people that although we are under grace, we should not rest in that grace so fully that we create opportunities for the flesh. I wanted people to know that although God did show mercy by dying for our sins, yet He is still a perfect judge. We as Christians know that even though we are saved by God’s grace, our works for the Lord are still going to be judged (1 Corinthians 3:13-15), and our works should be our continuous fruit before Him (James 2). I wrote this interpretation for this reason: We need to keep in the back of our minds that God is a sovereign judge, and that if you are a Christian and are living carelessly and wantonly and are simply relying on God’s mercy, be careful, because it is indeed God’s judgment that triumphs over His mercy. We as Christian’s should, through a reverent (healthy) fear of the Lord, love Him through obedience and never mock Him.
Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.