Mercy Trumps Judgment

This morning I am reading from James 2 a couple of verses that are so important for us to remember.

James 2:12-13 NIV
[12] "Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, [13] because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment."

The two sentences and verses really need to be read together, and understood together. The phrase 'not been merciful' from verse 13, is demonstrated by our speech and actions in verse 12. In other words when we are not merciful in our actions or words towards others, when we are quick to judge them by some set of rules other than the example of love shown us by Jesus, then we are not being merciful, and we set ourselves up to be judged by the Lord. This principle can be seen in Matt 18:21-35, Jesus parable about the unmerciful servant. We are called to treat each other the way the Lord treated us when we were still sinners, loving us, inviting us into relationship, forgiving our sins, etc. If Jesus calls us to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, how much more should we be treating those around us in love and mercy.

I think there is an attitude in the church at times, that once a person gets saved they should now be following a set of Christian principles (laws) and their lives should be free of sin, right now. I don't see this modeled by Jesus, rather He was incredibly patient with the Apostles, who though they were making strides, were constantly demonstrating there own pride or misunderstanding of the ministry or mission of Jesus. He didn't judge them harshly, but rather corrected them in love, showed them a better way and continued in relationship with them. He was about creating a new paradigm of life and perspective and He realized that it takes time to change and see things in a new way. Even after He ascended the Apostles were still making mistakes, Peter was corrected by Paul for trying to apply the old law to new Christians (which is exactly what James is writing about here). Let us remember what we were once like, and give each other mercy and grace, and trust the Lord to complete the good work He is doing in each of us.

So let us consider our words and actions towards those in the Body of Christ, and those who haven't yet found their way home. Let us act and speak towards each other in the same way Jesus speaks and acts towards us. Let us extend mercy, compassion, forgiveness, relationship, love and peace to all we meet. A merciful church will always succeed over a judgmental church.

Finally, Paul said in his letter to the Romans, as he was addressing judgment in the church "..Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?" Rom 2:4. God is kind, tolerant (another word for forbearance) and patient so that we might be lead to repentance. This is true for those outside the church as well as those inside the church. Let mercy trump judgment in our lives, in our example, and in our dealings with others.