MERCY – It’s what God’s love looks like towards the sinner.

Merriam – Webster defines mercy as compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one’s power.

The reason there is no anointing on the message of love within the postmodern gospel which has infiltrated many churches, is because it is rooted is a self-centered, humanistic, lie, which rejects the biblical account of the justice of God.

God is a holy God, and his love is bestowed on sinners as mercy. Jesus died for sinners, not because God was madly in love with them, but because God is merciful.

In John 3:14-15, Jesus says the following:

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Jesus makes reference to the serpent in the wilderness, as recorded in Numbers 21.

5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

6 And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. ~ Numbers 21:5-9

The serpent of brass which God commanded Moses to make was the atoning provision to save the people from the judgment which God had sent. Notice that the text says: And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died (v.6)

According to Jesus, this was a type of how God would deliver us from our sins (John 3:14-15) and this was a type of how God would “so love” the world through the giving of his Son, Jesus.

I read something once which I think is very indicative of how many people have come to view God’s love in the postmodern gospel. The comment said of God “He is madly in love with people. That is why He dealt so furiously with sin. He crushed Jesus so He could save me.”

This is incorrect. The truth is, we were under his judgment because of our sins, and he saved us because of his mercy!

Many times people ask: “Why would a loving God condemn people to hell?” Yet this question gets it backwards, because first came judgment then the atonement.

Therefore the correct question should be: “Why would a righteous God (the Judge of all) give life to a condemned sinner?”

The answer is: because he of his mercy!

In his mercy, God demonstrated his love towards sinners by sending his Son, Jesus, to die for their sins, so that whosoever would believe would not perish but have everlasting life.

⁴ But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

⁵ Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

⁶ Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

⁷ That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. ~ Titus 3:4-7

When a sinner understands that he is condemned, and repents, he doesn’t question the justice of the love of God – “Why would a loving God condemn anyone to hell?” Rather, he praises God for his mercy, by which he demonstrated his love towards sinners.