Clarity in What God Requires

One of my favorite verses in Scripture! It brings clarity in both what God requires of us and who the Lord is. God wants justice.

A community cannot continue to function when injustice reigns. As individuals, we must act justly. In light of living a just life, we are called to be merciful.

God is a God of both justice and mercy. Out of our own need for mercy, we are humbled by the grace of God. In Christ, we have received mercy.

God fulfilled His requirement for justice through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He now extends His mercy and forgiveness to all who repent and receive His grace.

We in turn are to extend God’s mercy. I confess that I experience tension when it comes to extending justice and mercy to those who do evil.

I want to see justice done to those who have committed harm to my fellow citizens. I also need to have mercy and pray that they will come to terms with the God who redeems and forgives.

There is both danger when justice reigns without mercy and when mercy reigns without justice. Without mercy, justice can easily turn to vengeance.

Without justice, mercy can easily turn to lawlessness. We are a country of laws. A lot of laws! We are also a country that has been merciful.

We have sought to repair injustice. We are a better people because we have righted many of our wrongs. As we move forward as a people, we need to be both people of justice and mercy.

Along with these two, we need the humility of trusting in God, the true source of justice and mercy.

Pastor Fred