Mercy Over All

James 2:13 says "Mercy triumphs over judgment". The one who will escape the charges justice will bring against him on the day of judgment is the one who as a condemned sinner fled for refuge to Jesus to receive mercy. The person who shows mercy to others gives evidence of having received God’s mercy. John Piper says "the apex of the glory of Christ is the glory of His grace, treating people infinitely better than they deserve, giving Himself for the everlasting joy of the worst of sinners who will have Him as their highest treasure."

All who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ go free because Jesus Christ was judged for us; the condemnation we deserved fell on Him. When you see it, when you grasp this truth, your view of the world changes, and you see God, yourself and others differently. Everything changes. You don’t have to be right and prove others wrong; you look, as Amy Carmichael wrote, with eyes of hope on all in whom there is even a faint beginning. You forgive; show mercy not judgment.

We need this because we are prone to forget this truth on a daily, moment by moment basis. We need to be reminded often. I think that is one reason why Jesus taught His disciples to pray like this: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors". God's mercy in Christ for those who believe alters everything; He took the punishment we deserved, His wrath satisfied by Christ's shed blood in our place. Our lives become a living exhibit of the triumph of mercy. At the end of the day mercy wins.