Streams of

Kindness
Rev. Chris Strevel
Covenant Presbyterian Church
Buford, Ga.
Kindnesses cascade through my mind like
a mountain stream. T rememher my sweet,
first-grade teacher giving me a hug for reading a
story welL Mrs. Cornelius, myoid and stooped
fifth grade teacher, stood up to me, kept me in
from recess, and told me in her raspy voice that
if I would not talk so much, I might learn more.
There was an old blind woman in a nursing
home we occasionally visited, Mrs. Daniels,
who always welcomed us into her room with a
smile, a song, and a story. I can hear the ball
swoosh through the net on the basketball court
my father built for me one summer. My high
school Bible teacher often met me for breakfast
before 8choo1 and used the time to encourage
me to rise above mediocrity and live for Jesus
Christ. For many years, the mailman would stop
his vehicle and talk with me about life. \Vhen I
graduated from high school, my pastor gave me a
life-altering book with an inspiring inscription.
Streams of ldndness continue to flow. A
student takcs the time to write a brief note
of appreciation for the year's instruction. A
church member sends me an encouraging note
of appreciation for a sermon or visit. One of
my children gives me a hug at just the right
moment - not knowing that I desperately needed
it. For years, an older Christian couple sent
my family a monthly gift; it often arrived in the
nick of time. A church member stops me on the
way out thc door to ask, "How are you doing?"
My beloved wife serves with cheerfulness.
The Counsel of Chalcecion
I am soaked with kindness.
realize that my life has been
a continual outpouring of my
heavenly Father's goodness
and love. He uses a variety of
persons and events. \Vhen my
heart is rightly humbled, these
memories inflame my heart to
love and serve him more. They
wipe away depression as the sun
shines through the clouds. The
goodness of God flows down
from the sacrifice and merits of
the crucified one. This is my
chief ancllife-defining kindness;
the Son of God died for me, for
my lovelessness, that in place of
my selfishness he might erect
a kingdom of selfless love.
I reflect upon those things that
seem to matter the most to men
today: comfortable surroundings,
economic security, personal
beauty, sexual satisfaction, fame.
What have these things to do
with love? Will they last? In old
age, will their memory sustain
and comfor-t? Today, will these
things change me for the better,
or will they cause me to descend
deeper into the inescapable
labyrinth of self-seeking pride, the
harbinger of further discontent. I
want something solid, enduring,
memories to cheer the heart and
give hope when the dark days
come, something to demonstrate
heyond any doubt that I truly
know God and am an heir of his
eternal kingdom. In the process,
I would like to make the world a
better place somehow, some way.
I am wearied with superficiality,
to-do lists, the meaningless
offerings of a burned-out culture
looking for meaning in a world
raped of purpose beyond the
immediate, the next big thing,
and the next opporttmity
to forget its emptiness.
place? It is too big, too distracted.
I see men fOCUSing upon political
change. If we could only get the
right men elected to high offtce,
better laws passed, less (or more)
government interference, more
(or less) market autonomy. Ah,
that would be lasting change. So
goes popular wisdom. Even the
church has become just another
political player, albeit with an
ostenSibly better platform and
moral authority from God. Yet I
see the lives of many Christian
leaders. Integrity is often lacking.
Those who shout "God's law" the
loudest are sometimes the first
to practice pragmatism, to seek
their own interests, not those of
Jesus Christ. Do we really have
moral authority? Our divorces,
immoralities, and everyday
meanness belie our profession to
be on God's team, to be servants
of the crucified One. We are
self-seekers. Celebrity-ism is
as rampant inside as outside
the church. Again, artificiality,
salesmanship, and marketing.
Will these things produce lasting
change? I sense that the tides of
political change are fickle. Good
and bad, conservative and liberal,
isolationism and globalism -
the voice of the sirens is heard
through both - calling me away
from what lasts, the real source
of lasting change, in my own life,
in the church, and in the world.
The hubris of professing
cross-bearers is suffocating. We
will change the world. 'Ve will
transform culture. We will build
the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Where? \'Then? Life in the church
has become like a new restaurant.
It opens to rave reviews. It claims
to offer haute cuisine, to have
discovered the ultimate reCipe for
success, for things that will work,
satisfy, change, last. Do our lives
\\There should I search? Wbat back up thesc claims, or, as I fcar,
can I do to make the world a better is the name of God blasphemed
j'vJahin,g the lVations Chri.st's Disciples
--
among the Gentiles because of
us, because we say one thing and
live another, because even the
ostensible good we undertake in
the name of God is often done
with meanness and arrogance?
Have we changed anything,
recently, for the better? Or are
we simply another postmodern
player seeking to grab power,
whatever power we can, in order
to impose our image upon the
unwashed masses, which we
consider ignorant hoi pollOi,
unworthy of our time and energy
unless they can somehow serve
our interests or make us feel
better ahout ourselves, that we are
accomplishing something. Are
we simply religious consumers,
using up men, and
experiences to promote ourselves,
our own agendas, 'even though
we convince ourselves that our
agenda is written on the reverse
side of the Ten Commandments?
Good restaurants often fall into
mediocrity, or they are franchised
into sterility and sameness. Is
this our faith? Have we let the
truths that once excited us to
action and ardor become another
"been there, done that" phase,
leading us to search for the
next big thing in the hopes that
it will really be the answer.
'rVe sense that we must do
something. The evening news and
the evening blog give little reason
for optimism. Whatever is left
of the \Vest, of liberty, saCrifice,
and courage, whatever we once
really had of faith and family, of
kinship and worldview solidarity,
is rapidly deteriorating. Yet, do
not we have a great commission?
Do we not have the promise of the
Son of God's presence and power?
Yes, we say to ourselves. There
is power in the cross. There is
another King, one Jesus. I have
heard of his transforming power
in past ages, likely worse times
9
10
Streams ofJCindness
than those in which I live. So,
we think, let us duplicate the
past, recover its magic, speak in
its idioms, dress in its costumes.
Again, frustration ensues. The
glories of the past are not
connecting with the realities of
the present. No one is listening
to me, except the few who share
my concerns and have already
adopted my outlook. Should
we do as some have suggested,
prepare for a new darh: ages and
form enclaves of intellectual and
spiritual monasticism, hoping
to survive the approaching
storm, the surge of secularism.
Wherever one looks, this
surge is sweeping the lands that
once claimed to be bastions of
truth, knowledge, and freedom.
For several generations, our
economy has been controlled and
manipulated by an unholy trinity
of statists, corporate interests, and
speculators. \Vorthless, unbacked
currency, escalating debt, and
frantic consumerism are the
results. Our government schools
are indoctrination centers where
youthful guinea pigs are fed the
poison of behavior-controlling
drugs, revisionist history, and
sexual license. It is little wonder
that boys are rebelling, sometimes
taking up guns, and girls are
running to the temple of sex to
find warmth. There is no certainty
to be found, for objective truth
has been exiled; its claims are too
uncomfortable, demanding, and
embarrassing. The foundations of
nobility, honor, and courage have
been systematically eroded from
the broader culture by the forces
of agnosticism, materialism, and
entertainment. Relationships,
even the most intimate, are
used and tossed away like an
old shirt. The men who hold
the reins of power would not
have been allowed to serve
as janitors in past ages. The
fearful specter of professional
politicians, government by
unelected bureaucracy, and
special interest, against which
we were constantly warned by
our Founders, has left us with
few options; most withdraw
from the process in recognition
that the system is terminally
diseased. Yet we think our way
of life to be the best and go to
war to make others participate
in our mediocrity, support
our appetites, and enjoy our
definition of liberty: uncensored
access to pornography, radical
egalitarianism, and expensive
consumerism. Comparisons to
the ancient Roman Empire are
made. Julius Caesar, however,
when conquering Gaul, freely
admitted that Rome was not
bringing a better way of life to
the barbarians, and that if he
were in their place, he would
fight for liberty with the same
tenacity, refusing to yield to
those bent on subjugation.
At least he was honest.
I remember ldndness.
have seen beauty, sacrifice,
and nobility. The streams of
kindness wash over me. Love
has changed me for the better, I
hope. God's love certainly has,
for he has redeemed the world
through the sacrifice of his Son.
Here is something upon which I
can build my life, a power that
needs no great organization or
slick advertisement. Kindness.
Love. Putting the other person
first. Refusing to think only of
my own needs, duties, and desires
but recognizing that others are
image-bearers. Ultimately, life is
about the meaningful interaction
we have with others, whether
believers or unbelievers. Other
men are not a supporting cast in
the movie of life that is all about
me. This is the way most of us
live; we think of others only when
the tangent of their lives intersects
with ours. 'Ve then hasten back
to our private script, glad to
be frec of the inconvenience of
human contact. Back to the
computer, television, or whatever
electronic gadget givcs us a sense
of order and control. 'Ve slink
into the cave of self. This has
made us ugly, self-centered, and
useless. Even in the church, what
is the purpose of our theology,
our piety, and our programs if
not to glorify God and to serve
one another? Neither of these
is primarily directed to the self,
though the self flowers only if
in forgetfulness of self, God,
and my brothers are made the
object of my desires, service,
and sacrifice. Then, I remember
what Jesus said. "By this, all
men shall know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another."
The Power of Love
Jesus' words echo through
the universe. When he spoke
them, the world was dog eating
dog. The Roman philosophy was
"might makes right." Pilate's
agnosticism sums up the Roman
outlook "\hat is truth'?" In such
a climate, love was a hindrance
to conquest, to control. The
Jewish outlook is infamously
exemplified by the Parable of the
Good Samaritan. None but one's
own speci.fic group is worthy of
attention or affection; the entire
Gentile world was unclean,
sub-human. Jesus, however,
touched lepers. Unthinkable.
Among his circle of associates
were many godly women; in the
Talmud, to speak to a woman is
to take a step toward hell. He
counted the dregs of society as
his field of labor, moving among
them, encouraging them, healing
them, preaching to them the good
news of the kingdom of God. He
was moved with compassion
toward them, for they were as
sheep having no shepherd. 'hen
the fickle, unbelieving masses
The Counsel of Chaleedon
eventually turned upon him,
tens of thousands of healed and
restored men stood as witnesses
against themselves, against
their own experience of the
transforming power of the love
of God in Jesus Christ. It is no
wonder that the kingdom of God
was taken away from them. They
rejected love. To his disciples,
Jesus manifested the same love.
The night of his betrayal stands
out and is the context of his call to
love. The disciples were shocked
to find Jesus, their Lord, kneeling
to wash their filthy feet. It is not,
however, the filth that makes his
love so dramatic. It is, rather, that
the Son of God would so humble
himself, so love his disciples that
he would take the lowest place.
His was no false humility, no
artificiality, no pretense, but pure,
personal, sacrifiCing love. Peter
was so abashed that he initially
repulsed Jesus' display of love.
It is my guess that the strength
of his resistance was prompted
by the depth of his pride. If he
allowed Jesus to wash his feet,
Peter felt that his understanding of
leadership, of diSCipleship, of the
kingdom of God must be radically
altered. It was not a matter of
who would sit at Jesus' right
hand but who would kneel and
scrve with him. Jesus pointedly
demonstrated true greatness: to
assume the position of the lowest.
The power of love triumphed over
human arrogance. It crushed it.
Peter and the other apostles, the
church, and eventually the world
would never be the same again.
Another event, however, occurred
first that sealed the power of love
and gave universal significance
to his "go and do likewise."
Having loved his own, he loved
them to the end. This is not
dramatic flourish on John's part.
It is a declaration that our Savior's
life of suffering and service, his
Making the Nations Christ's Disciples
final hours of agony, and his
atoning death were all prompted
by his love for his people - eternal,
unfailing, sacrificing love. Yes,
he was absolutely committed
to doing the will of his Father,
but even here we must fall back
upon love. Jesus loved the Father
perfectly; this is the reason he
obeyed the }lather perfectly. Jesus
loved those given to him by the
Father; this is the reason he was
willing to endure the cross and
despise its shame. At the cross we
are confronted by divine justice
satisfied; we are also confronted
by absolute love manifested. God
so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son. It was love that
prompted such an incomparable
gift. It was love that motivated
Jesus to offer himself for our
sins. It was love that led to a
new idea and power in the world:
agape. Love is sacrifice. Love is
active. Love is service. Love is
selfless. Love lays down its life
for its friends. \\'hether we think
of Jesus' interaction with the
struggling men and women of his
day, his example to the disciples or
supremely of his sacrifice on the
cross, love defines and dominates
the horizon of thought. It seizes
the heart and will not let it go. It
is no wonder that Paul prays that
we might know the height, width,
depth, and breadth of the love of
Christ. It is no wonder that the
knowledge of this love is said to
fill us with all the fullness of God.
God is love. His love redeemed
the world, changed the world, and
introduced a new paradigm of
power. What neither politics, nor
education, nor all the treasuries
in the world can do, God did by
love. He reached down to us
from infinite glory to provide an
indescribable gift that we might
know, have, and practice love.
Stream'> of Kindness
Love Transforms
And so God's love changed
the world. His love was not
mere sentiment, a blank check
of forgiveness, or any other of
the love potions ordered by men
today. His love is sacrifice, the
active purpose, compassion,
and power to do good, to benefit
the undeserving, to save his
people from their sins. His love
is not lawless, for the first step
in restoring the rule of love was
to satisfy the demands of his
justice. In his Wisdom, mercy
and truth, love and justice, met
and kissed. Love proVided the
sacrifice; justice was satisfied
through substitutionary love.
Propitiation was provided through
sacrifice. By thiS, by taking us
into the depths of Trinitarian
love, he demonstrated that the
world is fundamentally changed
not through politics, education,
or philosophy, but through love -
his love first, the love of his Son
in history, then the love of the
Spirit in our hearts responding to
and pulsating with his love. The
earliest believers were known for
their agape feasts, the meals they
shared together at the conclusion
of their worship gatherings,
during which they observed the
Lord's Supper. Even the pagans,
who despised this new sect, first
as nocturnal perversion then
as an enemy of the state, were
compelled to note the reality
of their love for one another,
even for the lost. Here was no
private sect, enfolded into itself,
viewing outsiders with suspicion,
concerned with nothing but its
own piety, making political change
its primarily goa1. According to
the followers of Jesus, the old
prejudices of race, economics, and
class, the fodder of power politics,
conspiracies, and imperialism,
were abolished. All were sinners;
Continued on Page :36
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Stremns of Kindness
Continued/rom page 11
all might enjoy the reality of God's
love. But the love of Jesus was the
strongest love of all. Men, women,
even children would die for the
love of the crucified One. And
they would die singing praises,
practicing kindness to their
tormentors, calling upon them to
repent and know this love. The
last surviving apostle, John, when
he was no longer able to make it
to service under his own power,
was carried in a litter. His last
known public words were: "Little
children, let us love one another.
If we do this, it is enough." It
was. The masses of Roman people
began to notice. By the end of the
second century, many of the pagan
templcs, according to Pliny, were
hardly attended. Love began to
triumph. Sacrifice was noticed.
Pagans became non-pagans.
Persecution only intensified the
torch of love, for it caused the
masses to feel pity for those being
tormented for such a simple,
wholesome, and kindly faith.
Dangerous Delusion
Then, a great tragedy occurred.
Constantine the Great adopted
Christianity as the official religion
of the Roman Empire. This in
itself might have been a good
thing. Love and sacrifice might
have continued to flourish. Being
freed from the constant specter
of persecution, love might have
found broader and more efficient
outlets and opportunities. Yet
when Constantine attended the
Council of Nicea in 325 A.D., he
saw elders and bishops entering
without limbs, with gouged out
eyes, wearing the garments of
their poverty - the effects of the
last great Roman persecution only
two decades earlier. He thought
to himself, "The leaders of the
church should have the same
dignity, prestige, and earthly pomp
as their former persecutors." lIe
erected grand worship facilities,
clothed the church's leaders in
the vestments of worldly dignity.
Love was undermined. Ambition,
greed, and splendor obscured the
brilliance of love and the beauty of
sacrifice. The cross lost its thorns.
Constantine's actions, whatever
his intentions, laid the foundations
for the medieval papacy, with
its external religion, political
intrigues, and non-crossing
bearing ethic. Constantine sought
to enrich the church; he actually
impoverished it by removing
the cross from its shoulders and
clothing love with worldly robes.
Yet, love was too powerful
to die. It was kept alive in the
hearts of many of the church's
leaders, like Augustine, Anselm,
Bernard of Clairvaux, and the
V{aldenses. As long as the gospel
of grace was kept more or less
pure, even if many non-authorized
traditions crept in under the cloak
of expediency, external unity,
and tradition, love survived. It
flamed forth again when the word
of God began to strum the chords
of the human heart. Romanism
was dying. It denied the crucified
One, reduced him to a cooperating
grace, denied the all-sufficicncy
of his once-for-aU sacrifice,
and sought true religion in the
traditions and rituals of power-
hungry bishops and popes. God's
word became available again in
the common tongues of men,
who, finding this long-forgotten
treasure and selling everything
for the pearl of great price, began
dying again for truth, for the lovc
of God in Christ, for onc another
as fellow-servants of the Lord of
love. A great Reformation bcgan.
The cobwebs of a millennium
of love-choking false doctrine
and life-destroying ritual were
swept away. The magnificence
of God's love began to pecp
through human ambition and
pomp. Sacrifice surged. Simple
religion, biblical religion freed
from human wisdom and tradition
gained ascendance. Nations were
reformed. God's law and love
for Christ formed new nations.
Truth begat love; love begat
sacrifice; sacrifice begat liberty.
Then, religion turned inward.
Great awakenings of religiOUS
feelings often gave way to
emotionalism, pietism, and then
transcendentalism. Prosperity
hrought forgetfulness of God. Men
began resting in the trappings of
liberty while ignoring its roots
in the truth of God's love. The
city of man desired the fruits of
love through the centralization
of governments, planned
economies, and commercialism.
Theological liberalism joined
the fracas by turning God's
love into mere sentiment, or a
paradigm of thc God-within,
or social humanitarianism of
general religious feelings without
the ties of divine truth that bind
the heart of man to the saving
love of God in Christ and give
legitimate direction to love. And
now? \Ve seem to have imbibed
Constantine's vision of an
outwardly splendid church: grand
buildings) political involvement,
diminished cross-bearing. The
church in the West has lost its
edge because it no longer wields
the two-edged sword of Christ
upon itself, then upon the broader
culture. Vve seek detente with
the world through conservative
alliances. \"/."Te market religion)
as if gospe11ove and doctrinal
orthodoxy can be sold in a catalog.
\\Te worship gurus. We look for
light, but hehold darkness. Truth
is trampled in the streets, the
money-changers have returned
to the temple, and love perishes
in the wake of our hubris. vVe
are too busy to wash the saints'
feet, too impatient to engage in
The Counsel qf Chalcedon
man-to-man discipleship, too
leveraged to live the sacrifice
of our Savior. Our religion is
another commodity, a personal
hobby, something to make us feel
good after dinner, intellectually
superior, and morally satisfied. We
have put our trust in governments,
top-down political movements,
and dominion slogans. And
thus, our circumstances become
more perilous, our liherties
more precarious, and our lives
more puerile. 'Ve have almost
placed ourselvcs in the position
of needing a miracle to survive.
Progressive Change
The miracle is in our midst? It
is love. There is nothing like it in
the entire world. Love changed
the world. Through the sacrifice,
resurrection, and enthronement
of Jesus Christ, the lover of our
souls, the world is no\v filled
with men, women, and young
people who profess to know his
love in their hearts. They may
be black or white, rich or poor,
scientists or plumbers. Each has
one testimony. "I was saved by
the love of God through the Lamb
of God." "He first loved me."
"Herein is love, not that we loved
God, but that he loved us, and gave
his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins." Where this confession
is legitimate, it will manifest
itself in "labor produced by love."
Such labors are very simple but
indescribably profound: meals
taken to the sick and elderly,
compassion to the homeless,
service to an unbelieving
neighbor, teaching toddlers
in Sunday school, thinking of
others as being more important
than oncself, praying for others
without ceasing, refUSing to
pass on gOSSip, endeavoring to
believe the absolute best about
others, patiently bearing with one
another's faults, longsuffering,
1VlaJdng the Nations Christ's Disciples
rejoicing in the success of others,
even if I am no t particularly
successful, giving any anonymous
gift of money to a poor brother in
Christ, lOVing the outcast, showing
hospitality to the stranger. Even
giving a cup of cold water, Jesus
says, if it is done in his name, will
be rewarded. The works of love
arc cndless, each carrying within
itself the power of the Savior, the
presence of the Spirit, and the
imprimatur of the God of love.
Each contributes to the bUilding
of Christ's kingdom, the overthrow
of Satan's regime of sin-blinded
selfishness and self-absorption.
Each requires no great
organization or advertisement.
The love of the crucified One
cannot be augmented by our pomp
and circumstance. It thrives best
where mcn sec their citizenship
as being in heaven, their glory
the cross, their banner the love
of God in Christ. And even with
respect to enemies of the gospel,
they arc not the true enemy, for
we battle not against flesh and
blood. They can be released, as
we have been, from thc clutches
of the evil one by the power of
divine love. I must show it to
them. I must declare how he loved
me, the wretch in the famous
song, the wretch whose only
testimony is that amazing grace
and love brought me out of the
kingdom of self and stuff. rfhere
is no room for rancor or ridicule,
for the servant of the Lord must
not quarrel but be gentle toward
all men. I must forgive, even
as Christ forgave me. If Christ
forgave his enemies, can I do less?
Admittedly, love docs not
change the world ovelnight, and
our impatience has made us easy
prey for promises of quick change,
whether that change is primarily
thought of in terms of politics,
economics, or educational. The
real changes, the lasting changes,
Streams of Kindness
arc usually hard fought, the result
of patient continuance in well-
doing. At the top of the list of
well-doing is daily living the love
of God in Christ. Jesus said this
is the way all men will know we
arc his disciples. For the world to
know the transforming power of
love in the fullest sense intended
by Jesus, the world at some level
will have to be converted. It
will come to believe in Jesus
Christ as the Son of God. It will
come to recognize that there
are legitimate disciples of Jesus
Christ out there - not religious
users, political manipulators,
arrogant strategists with whom
one cannot spend more than five
minutes without questioning
whether they really IUlOW the God
of love. The Bible never says that
all men will know we arc Christ's
disciples because we have resolved
the great political questions of
our times, or discovered the
educational paradigm of the ages,
or out-argued all faith's detractors.
It says this only of love, the love
of Christ's disciples . .And for this
love to effect transformation,
it must embrace all. Calvin
once said that believers ought
to embrace the whole world in a
universal feeling of love. Vve are
the only ones who have a reason
and arc able to do this, for we
are the only ones who see past
the divisions produced by class,
race, and greed. 'Ve arc the only
ones who have felt the intense
lovelessness in our own hearts and
have run to the Savior of love to
change our hearts. And thus, we
arc the only ones who can truly
love others, sacrifice for others,
and forgive even our enemies.
Vle were once God's enemies; he
loved us whcn we were unlovable.
Transformed by love, we desire
and have the power of God's Spirit
to love as Christ loved. His love
changed the world; the love of
his disciples will do the same.
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Streams oj Kindness
I loathe my lovelessness, my
selfishness. I keep running back
to the fountain of God's love,
Jesus Christ. I desire to be healed
by his touch. I have seen other
heaIed men, other loving men,
and women. Jesus has touched
and healed me by his love through
their love. I would not be here
without their kindnesses. I shall
remember their cups of cold water
given to me in Jesus' name for
Blessed are the J.\lerci/ul
Continuecljrmn page 15
and is an insult to the real gift
and blessing of the salvation of
the King. The religious leaders
of Jesus' day failed to honor God
and live truly righteous lives.
They did not have as the source
of their behavior - the Spirit of
God, working in renewed hearts.
Therefore, they had forgotten
mercy. In fact, Jesus admonished
them to go and learn mercy.
B. Mercy is a perfection of God
The word merciful in v. 7 is
deornan. (2) It is those that
show mercy in all their being.
The word comes from eleos
meaning compassion, which is
a sympathetic consciousness of
other's distress, coupled with a
desire to alleviate the distress. It
is a sympathetic sorrow for the
one suffering. It is also described
as pity. One of the primary words
of the Old Testament, chesedh,
communicates the deep richness
of mercy, especially as it is seen in
the perfection of God. It relates
compassion, lovingkindness, the
pity that God has, not only on
redeemed man, but the entirety of
ereatian.(3) Ps. 145:9 "Jehovah is
good to all, and His tender mercies
are over all His works", v16 "Thou
eternity. Until then, I know what
I must do to contribute to the
healing of the nations. 'Vhatever
my particular caIling and gifts,
there is only one tree whose leaves
heal: the cross of Jesus Christ. It
was a thorny and bitter tree upon
whieh the Lord of glory hung for
my salvation; for me it is the tree
of life. I hear Jesus forgiving his
enemies while hanging there. I
hear his concern for his mother.
openest thine hand and satisfiest
the desire of every living thing."
The word in Hebrew
communicates identifying with
an individual and the suffering
they are experiencing. Jesus,
for example, in Hebrews 2:17,18,
"Therefore, He had to be made
like His brethren in all things,
that lIe might become a merciful
and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the
people." And also in Hebrews
4:15, "For we do not have a high
priest who cannot sympathize
with our weaknesses, but one who
has been tempted in all things as
we are, yet without sin." He has
literally experienced what we have
experienced. He has walked in
our shoes.
Mercy is clearly an important
aspect of the Christian faith; a
mark of the redeemed (the blessed
man). To better understand
mercy, we must understand
the mercy of God, who is the
fount of mercy. In Ex. 34:6,7,
as God displays His goodness
before Moses, He proclaims His
perfections saying, "The Lord,
the Lord God, compassionate
I am inundated with the love
displayed through the cursed
tree. And I hear my Savior calling
me to take up the cross daily, in
self-denial, in sacrifice, in love. I
have overcome the world, he tells
me; be of good cheer. I have laid
down my life in love; you do the
same. If you would be used by me
to change the world, love as I have
loved. I3y this, all men wi11 know.
and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in lovingkindnes8 and
truth; who keeps lovingkindness
for thousands, who forgives
iniquity, transgression and sin;
yet He will by no means leave
the guilty unpunished ... "
'Ve see in God, the perfect
balance, as expressed in Ps. 85:10,
where lovingkindness and truth
have met together, righteousness
and peace have kissed each other.
The same God ,,,ho says He is
angry with the wicked every day
can at thc same time, without
contradiction, proclaim Himself
to be full of compassion, loving-
kindness, and pity. There can be
no mercy if there is no justice.
Mercy presumes sin. God can
exact justice which vindicates I-Iis
honor and gives the unrighteous
the due for their iniquities as
lawbreakers. At the same time,
He displays His mercy in forgiving
iniquity, transgression, and sin.
The mercy of God is seen as that
perfection which flows from His
goodness. His goodness generally
means that lIe is in every way
as God should be, He is absolute
perfection, He is the fount of
all good and the highest good.
The Counsel Qf' Chalcedon