"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."Matthew 5:7 (ESV)
PART 1: Few words are so misunderstood as the biblical word "mercy". Our contemporary world (along with contemporary preachers) understands 'mercy' to mean a loving, generous and accepting spirit. This is certainly true, but it does not go far enough. Don't misunderstand, even this partial definition is powerful. Today there are many Christians and non-Christians who exhibit this type of mercy. Even with this kind of mercy the hungry are fed, the sick are healed, the poor are given clean water, the unlearned are taught to read, and the oppressed are being rescued. Certainly there is much work to do, but the real fact is that there are many wonderful folk who are actively being merciful. The real problem with this type of mercy is not in what it believes, but rather in what it denies.
D.A. Carson defines mercy as "a loving response prompted by the misery and helplessness of the one on whom the love is to be showered." "Mercy" implies an inherent judgment because it takes notice of the horrid condition the other person is in. When we see a man starving we understand his situation to be bleak and, without outside intervention, hopeless. How silly would it sound for a starving man to accuse the man giving him bread of being judgmental! Perhaps he might say, "Who are you to think of me as a starving man? How dare you judge me?" If an analysis of the situation wasn't made the man wouldn't have offered him the much needed bread. Yet today even believers deny the need to point out the reality of sin. But without a proper analysis of the situation we can never offer the fullness of Christ's mercy.
Christ-followers are those who exist to show mercy to others: both physical and spiritual mercy. When we see physical hunger we offer physical food. There is no pretension, pride, or arrogance--just a desire to see a hungry man fed. Likewise, when we see spiritual hunger we offer spiritual food. The true Christ-follower does not think himself superior to the non-Christian. Instead, we simply have a desire to see the man spiritually-fed.
It is inhumane to allow a starving man to die without offering him food. How much more unChristian is it to encounter a non-believer and not offer him the life giving nourishment of the Gospel?
JG
Per K.P. Yohannon:
ReplyDelete"In few countries is the failure of Christian humanism more apparent than in Thailand. There, after 150 years of missionaries showing marvelous social compassion, Christians still make up only two percent of the entire population. Self-sacrificing missionaries probably have done more to modernize the country than any other single force. Thailand owes to missionaries its widespread literacy, first printing press, first university, first hospital, first doctor, and almost every other benefit of education and science. In every area, including trade and diplomacy, Christian missionaries put the needs of the host nation first and helped usher in the 20th century. Meanwhile, millions have slipped into eternity without the Lord. They died more educated, better governed, and healthier—but they died without Christ and are bound for Hell."
Reminds one of the apocryphal quote usually attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words." To which Ray Comfort replied, "That's like saying, "Feed the hungry. If necessary, use food.""