Titus 3:4-5 But when
the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of
righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. NIV
Because of His mercy. God
saved us because of His mercy! These four words need to be repeated over and
over again in our minds. He saved us because or as some versions translate,
according to, His mercy.
Why is this so important to
understand? It frees us from the bondage of works. It reminds us that there is
no work we have ever done or could ever do that will save us from the judgment
of God. Without God’s mercy, we would all remain in our sin.
It means that we do not get
what we deserve. Rom 6:23 says, “For the
wages of sin is death…,” There is no doubt that because of our sin, our
rebellion against God, we deserve to die. If we are depending on our works to
save us, we are doomed to suffer God’s wrath. But, the second half of Rom 6:23 says,
…”but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.” The gift of
life is given, because of His mercy.
The apostle Paul makes it
clear in verse three of this chapter that we all lived in sin of one form or
another. Titus 3:3, “At one time we too
were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and
pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one
another.” I am sure you can see
yourself in at least one of these descriptions.
He saved us, it says in verse
5, not because of any righteous act of
ours, but only because of His mercy. It is because of that mercy that we
should desire our lives be a reflection of His. We should be merciful as well.
Does that describe you?
It is interesting that we are
so often eager to obtain mercy for ourselves, but find it hard to grant mercy
to others. However, Jesus said this, “Blessed
are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matt 5:7)
James tells
us that being merciful it is a critical piece of evidence proving our
relationship with Christ. James 2:12-13 “Speak
and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been
merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”
Peter says, “In his great mercy he has given us new
birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in
heaven for you…” (1 Peter 1:3-4)
How could we possibly be
unmerciful people when we have been shown such great mercy? Because of His mercy, we should be
quick to forgive and quick to show mercy to others.
Jesus told a parable about a
man who owed a king an enormous debt, one that he could never pay. The master
showed mercy and canceled the debt completely. That man then went to another
servant, who owed him a small debt and demanded immediate payment. Since the
servant had no money, the man, showing no mercy, had the servant thrown into
prison. Once the king found out what had happened, he called the man back. Lets pick up the story in Matt
18:32-35
'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours
because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow
servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the
jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you
forgive your brother from your heart."
I think you can see the heart
of God in this matter. We have been forgiven so much. God’s mercy on us is
immeasurable. We are to called to be people of mercy as well. In our human
nature, it would be impossible to show the kind of mercy that God does, but by
the power of the Holy Spirit, dwelling in us, all things are possible.
I pray that we, who are believers
in Jesus Christ only because of His mercy,
will reflect His glorious mercy to the world.
God Bess you
Coach
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