Given Mercy to Give Mercy | Theocast Clips

Mercy Received as the Pattern for Mercy Given

In James chapter 2 and in 1st or 2nd Peter 1, both of those are motivations of mercy and the gospel. James says it this way, he says, let me just read it to you here, verse 12. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty, meaning that there is no judgment, there is only mercy, you've been set free from it.

So your words and your actions are that of one who lives according to the mercy received. Same thing in 2nd Peter 1 .9, he says, if you are not increasing in showing these first, or sorry, the third use of the law, the love of God and love of neighbor, he says you've forgotten that you have been cleansed from your former sins.

James and Peter are using mercy. Let me use one more, this is Philippians, I'll turn this over after you, Justin. This is Philippians chapter 2, he says this in verse 3, do nothing for selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves.

Why? Well, otherwise, if you don't, you're gonna be proved that you're not a Christian. He doesn't use a fear tactic here. No, he doesn't use dread, he uses delight. Let each one of you look not only to his own interests, but also the interests of others.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, what's the motivation? Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. But he goes down to talk about all the way to verse 8, and being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

He's saying all of us have that same mind. We're considering each other more significant, we're loving each other. And why? Because our minds are unified in what? The mercy we received in the cross, the gospel.

Love as the Fulfillment of the Law

All right, so to double down on this, and then I'm gonna pivot. Romans 13, 8 to 10, owe no one anything except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. So this is third use of the law as well.

Because Paul's been super clear in Romans already what Jesus has done. And now he's talking to people at a horizontal level, like how are you to act with one another? So love each other, and if you love each other, you fulfill the law.

Verse nine, for the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and any other commandment are summed up in this word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. That's really good. So this is what we've strived to do and how we strive to live with one another, and we're keeping the law, we're living in conformity to the law of God when we love our neighbor.

And we could do a whole episode, and I don't wanna get off on this tangent right now, John, because I know you and I agree on this. It's very interesting that people that often beat the drum of obedience have created all of these good works that aren't even in the scriptures that we need to do, and then this piece of love neighbor, it's just kind of assumed at best, if not neglected altogether.

So another podcast for another day. Romans 15, five and following. God is called a couple of things. He's called the God of endurance and the God of encouragement. What wonderful words those are. Because I don't know about you, but when I'm feeling low and when I'm really struggling and feeling flat and gray or whatever, I have no hope within myself whatsoever that I'm gonna be encouraged in my spirit.

And I have no hope whatsoever that I'm gonna endure, because I'm like, I don't even feel like a Christian right now. And so it's a tremendous comfort to the saints and always has been that, picking up on what you said earlier, that God is the one who sanctifies his people.

And he is the one who is faithful utterly, even when we are faithless. Like he will not deny himself and he will accomplish the work that he has set out to do in us. And this does not, in the lives and hearts and minds of the saints, does not produce apathy and a lack of concern for obedience.

It comforts us in our pursuit of it. And so I'm comforted to know that God is utterly faithful, that he will complete the good work that he has begun in me, that first Thessalonians five, that was Philippians one, six, first Thessalonians five, 23 and 24, that may we be sanctified completely and that the one who has called us is faithful, he will surely do it.

God is the one who is faithful always and God is the one who ultimately does the work of sanctification in and through us by his spirit, through the means that he's given. And that doesn't mean that we don't participate, of course we do, we apply means, we pray, we strive, we do all that stuff by virtue of the fact that we've been given life from God and by virtue of the fact that we've been united to Christ by faith.