|
Present Your Bodies
God's Mercy Toward the Church The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.—Psalm 145:9 Homer Montague The heavenly Father has justice as the foundation of his throne. Thus, the rule of law will always be applied by him with absolute fairness. Equally true, however, is that he is a God of mercy. This is reassuring because without God’s mercy, any deviation by his intelligent creatures against his laws would result in dire consequences for themselves. The father of the human family, Adam, was created perfect: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27). While God placed Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden where they could be sustained in perfection forever, God also tested Adam’s obedience by directing him not to eat the fruit from one of the many trees that grew in the Edenic paradise. Nevertheless, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and eventually experienced the penalty for disobedience, death.
In his foreknowledge God was aware that Lucifer would
rebel and instigate mankind’s fall into sin (Isaiah 46:10). As a result, from
the foundation of the world God made a merciful provision for recovering the
human family from the grave by arranging for his son to be the lamb slain as a
ransom for all, to be testified in due time (1 Peter 1:19,20). A Bride for God’s Son Additionally, God desired to have a bride for his son, who would be members of his divine family, and who would love, worship and praise him throughout eternity. Taken from Adam’s descendants, these former sinners would respond to the call for righteousness, obedience, and sacrifice, and become transformed into the image of their master. Initially, the offer to become a member of this select group was made by God through Moses to the nation of Israel: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel” (Exodus 19:5,6). Not only were the Jews given special favors, disciplines, and instructions that made them unique among all nations, when the fullness of time came God sent Christ to be Israel’s savior. Other than a remnant, they collectively failed to receive him as their king and lost the privilege of entering into the holy, spiritual high-calling of the church that was exclusively offered to them. For this reason the master uttered these words near the end of his earthly ministry: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:37,38). Spiritual Hope Offered to the Gentiles This wonderful spiritual hope became available to Gentiles some three and a half years after the nation of Israel rejected Christ as the Messiah. It is described by the apostle Paul: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ: even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him in love: having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved: in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:3-7, ASV). This merciful hope given to the church is described in other Scriptures as well: “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus” (Hebrews 3:1). Gaining the Spiritual Prize Paul wrote, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). Paul reminded us that to attain this calling involves a change in one’s perspective from earthly matters to heavenly matters. Those who faithfully undergo this transformation will be united with Christ Jesus, possess glory, honor, and immortality, and will serve as instruments for restoring fallen humanity back to sonship with God when all the families of the earth will be blessed during the promised Millennial kingdom (Daniel 7:13,14,27). This is how Peter referred to the church of Christ: “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied” (1 Peter 1:2). This implies these called ones would be especially treasured by the heavenly Father during their earthly sojourn; their conduct and understanding would reflect God’s grace because the sanctifying influence of the holy spirit would be manifest in their lives. To become a part of this elect class requires painstaking vigilance, determination, and effort, since each member of the church must be conformed to the image of Christ. Various graces must be added to each believer’s foundation of faith in God’s word. The precious promises contained in the Scriptures must provide daily inspiration and there must be a deep personal appreciation for the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ to atone for our sins. The glorious outcome of such a regimen provides great encouragement and anticipation for each prospective member of the body of Christ: “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10, 11). God’s Mercy in Developing the Church God’s mercy is manifested in providing for the church’s redemption. As members of the fallen human race, we were born in sin and shapen in iniquity (Psalm 51:5). The heavenly Father was under no obligation to do anything for mankind, but through his merciful love the demands of divine justice have been satisfied by the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” … “and not for ours [the church’s] only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 4:10; 2:2). The application of this mercy began to be evidenced by the Pentecostal outpouring of the holy spirit and the impartation of miraculous gifts to the apostles. Later that same day Peter spoke to the multitude: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the holy spirit. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call” (Acts 2:38,39). This benevolent provision continues to this day. Beginning with Cornelius, Gentiles also have been invited to become a part of the body of Christ and will participate in the blessing of the human family during God’s kingdom. As a confirmation of this new relationship with Christ, Paul wrote: “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). The consecrated now receive the benefits of this promise by having the influence and power of God’s holy spirit working in their hearts and minds so as to replace the works of the flesh with the fruit of the spirit. As each believer daily strives to develop more Christ-like character, he becomes transformed and, if faithful, inherits the innumerable promises of God reserved for the saints (2 Peter 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:3,4). In another reference to God’s mercy in providing redemption for the church, Paul wrote: “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). While Christ laid down his life as the purchase price to recover the human family from sin and death, thus far that price has only been applied to the church. “In harmony with this we read that our Lord Jesus after his resurrection ascended up on high, there to appear in the presence of God for us—for the household of faith —not for the world. Hence any blessing, and reconciliation with God, any arrangement of divine favor and everlasting life, is not open to the world, but merely to believers, the ‘household of faith’: ‘To us who believe, He is precious’; ‘We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous.’ Unbelievers have no Advocate with the Father, and consequently have no forgiveness of sins, no reconciliation, but are still under the condemnation of death. ‘We have escaped the condemnation that is on the world.’ ”—Reprints, p. 4998.
If chosen to be of the body of Christ, we are
required to be faithful to the end of our Christian walk. Some of the Lord’s
followers, however, may not be the willing, joyful sacrificers that God desires.
Nevertheless, because they do love God, he has made a merciful provision to
grant them spiritual life even though they do not attain the glory, honor, and
immortality promised to the church. This group is described in Revelation 7:9 as
a great multitude who have robes and palm branches. Verses 14 and 15 state that
they experience great tribulation and wash their robes to make them white. They
would never have received their robes, nor needed to wash them, had they not run
for the “mark of the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus” (Philippians
3:14) and renounced any hope for an earthly life by sacrificing the restitution
rights provided to the rest of the human family (Romans 12:1). Mercy During the Christian Walk God’s mercy extends to believers throughout their entire Christian walk as footstep followers of Jesus. A merciful provision available to spirit-begotten believers is having access to the heavenly Father through prayer. God is keenly aware of the difficulties associated with their Christian sojourn. As a means of providing them with the needed strength to ease their burdens and to receive grace to help in time of need, they are encouraged to approach God in personal communion to obtain guidance and comfort: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee” (Matthew 6:6). As believers, we have been accepted as sons of God through Christ Jesus. However, we must be aware of our fleshly defects and inability to do his will perfectly. Our failure in so many areas might be cause for discouragement were it not for the Scriptural testimony that we have a unique standing with the Father. He does not cast us away simply because of our imperfections: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). How precious is this merciful assurance!
Another aspect of God’s special mercy to the church
is the ecclesia arrangement whereby we can receive support and encouragement
from fellow members of the body of Christ, thus enhancing our spiritual growth
and development. Throughout the Christian era, brethren around the globe have
profited from their studies of the Scriptures with others of like precious faith
for mutual edification: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down
on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments”
(Psalm 133:1,2,
NKJV). Mercy Through Chastening One evidence of God’s mercy that may not always be fully appreciated is his use of chastisement as a corrective measure. The heavenly Father requires that all who will receive the divine nature must be transformed into the image of Christ. Sometimes we succumb to temptation, make inappropriate decisions, or fail to be sufficiently diligent in thought, word, or deed, thereby hampering the proper development of our character according to divine standards. The discipline God provides for us in such instances is therefore to be viewed as an act of his love. We should submit to it and make the changes in our lives that would merit his approval: “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby” (Hebrews 12:11). The heavenly Father’s mercy was most evident with Saul of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul. Saul’s persecution of Christians while thinking he was doing God’s will, left an indelible imprint in his mind for the rest of his life: “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9). Nevertheless, Paul appreciated the forgiveness he had received and with tremendous zeal he pressed on in doing God’s will throughout the remainder of his Christian walk: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed” (1 Corinthians 15:10,11). As believers today we have received forgiveness and mercy from God on countless occasions; we, likewise, should manifest a merciful attitude toward others when they transgress against us (Matthew 6:12). Mercy Through the Brethren God’s mercy also is extended to the church through the actions of his saints toward one another. During the time that Paul and Barnabas labored together as coworkers, Mark, who had accompanied these two brethren on a missionary journey among the Gentiles, abruptly departed from them and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13; 12:25). When planning a second missionary journey with Barnabas, Paul was unwilling to have Mark accompany them again because of what he had done earlier (Acts 15:36-40). Paul’s actions caused a rupture in his relationship with Barnabas. So Silas became Paul’s traveling companion and Barnabas sailed to Cyprus with Mark. Near the end of Paul’s ministry, however, Mark had matured greatly and was highly esteemed by Paul, who gave a written endorsement for him to be received by other churches: “Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11). Thus, God’s mercy to Mark through Paul, undoubtedly strengthened Mark, with the realization that his faithful efforts in the ministry were recognized and appreciated. Extending Mercy to Others The Illustrated Bible defines mercy as “kindness we do not deserve.” Lovingkindness is another word with the same meaning. We read: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God” (2 Corinthians 1:3,4). God expects us to pass on the comfort and mercy we receive from him to others with whom we come in contact. God works in us to do his will (Philippians 2:13). Acts of kindness and service toward fellow believers are expressions of the Father’s mercy toward his people, even at this stage of the church’s history. Some of these acts include providing humanitarian aid for needy brethren, visits to encourage the isolated followers of Christ, making telephone calls to brethren who are ill, fulfilling requests for prayers made in testimony meetings, volunteering for ecclesia services that are necessary, redoubling efforts to encourage brethren to not forsake assembling themselves together with others of like precious faith, and transporting others to meetings or conventions. As we manifest these and other acts of kindness, we are imitating the heavenly Father, whose abundant mercy provided for our redemption and invited us to become members of his divine family: “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 136:1). |