But God, being rich in mercy...Eph 2 v 4
This word mercy that we have in Ephesians 2 occurs 26 times in the New Testament. It involves compassion towards those in need as we see in the gospel. Jesus uses the word three times in Matthew and then five times in Luke 1. Mercy surrounds the birth of Christ.
In Matthew Christ teaches that mercy (along with justice and faithfulness) is among the 'weightier matters of the law' as opposed to 'tithe, mint, dill and cumin' that the Pharisees made so much fuss about.
I love that phrase in Roman 9 v 23; 'in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory...'
Mercy towards sinners is at the very heart of God and Christ's ministry radiates that on the pages of the New Testament.
As we read through Ephesians 2 we immediately see the reason why the human race needed saving in verses 1-3. As Dane Ortland says 'Christ was not sent to mend wounded people or inspire bored people or spur on lazy people or educate ignorant people, but to raise the dead.' In the process of saving people of course wounded people are mended and bored people have purpose and lazy people suddenly want to work for the glory of God, but the primary reason Christ came to this world is because the human condition was (and remains) so critical which is why we need a saviour and redeemer. We see this in Ephesians 2 v 5-6 where Christ saves his people.
But verse 4 shows us why God saved us. It was because he was rich in mercy. As Thomas Goodwin says 'He is rich unto all; that is, he is infinite and overflowing in goodness, he is good to an abundance.'
In Matthew Christ teaches that mercy (along with justice and faithfulness) is among the 'weightier matters of the law' as opposed to 'tithe, mint, dill and cumin' that the Pharisees made so much fuss about.
I love that phrase in Roman 9 v 23; 'in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory...'
Mercy towards sinners is at the very heart of God and Christ's ministry radiates that on the pages of the New Testament.
As we read through Ephesians 2 we immediately see the reason why the human race needed saving in verses 1-3. As Dane Ortland says 'Christ was not sent to mend wounded people or inspire bored people or spur on lazy people or educate ignorant people, but to raise the dead.' In the process of saving people of course wounded people are mended and bored people have purpose and lazy people suddenly want to work for the glory of God, but the primary reason Christ came to this world is because the human condition was (and remains) so critical which is why we need a saviour and redeemer. We see this in Ephesians 2 v 5-6 where Christ saves his people.
But verse 4 shows us why God saved us. It was because he was rich in mercy. As Thomas Goodwin says 'He is rich unto all; that is, he is infinite and overflowing in goodness, he is good to an abundance.'
Sometimes love and mercy seem like very abstract concepts to us but think of it like this. If one of my kids is suffering or accused of something the protective father rises up in love and defence. My son may well have done something wrong but I still want to defend him and put in a plea of mitigation. God's love is so much more than this because he loves us with an 'invincible love'. To quote Ortland again: '...as love rises, mercy descends. Great love fills his heart; rich mercy flows out of his heart.' As CH Spurgeon once said: “God’s mercy is so great that you may sooner drain the sea of its water, or deprive the sun of its light, or make space too narrow, than diminish the great mercy of God.”
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