Mercy Multiplied

May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. Jude 1:2

 

Have you noticed that the longer you are a Christian the more you see of your sin? Does it make you more thankful for the mercy God has shown you?

It is true that one of God’s great mercies to His children is that He chooses not to show us all of our sin at once. Over time He convicts us of one thing and then the next.

That is merciful. He is patient!

With this in mind, take a look at what Jude says in his letter. He starts early with the verse at the top of this post, praying for mercy, peace, and love to be multiplied. What a great prayer.

But, he doesn’t end there. He wants that mercy to be spread farther.  In verse 22, he reminds the Christians he’s writing to that they should have mercy on the people who are doubting what they had learned because of what false teachers have brought into the church.

I wonder if the ones who had listened to the “scoffers” (Jude 1:18) were younger in faith.

He says, “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” Jude 1:22-23

As we wait for the mercy of the Lord (Jude 1:21), Jude wants us to pass it on to others. Questions, lack of understanding, perhaps even bad teaching, can lead even saved people to have doubts.

On social media and sometimes in our churches, we see the doubter being ridiculed instead of shown mercy. Jude reminds us to stay inside the love of God and to show it in mercy on those who are of faith – but may be doubting.

On the other hand, he also says to “snatch” others out of the fire. This does not sound quite as gentle. He tells them they have to “show this mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by sin (Jude 1:23).”

In this case, it seems he is warning them that when we approach someone stained by unrepentant sin, we must show mercy “with fear” (not our own fear, but the fear anyone should feel in unrepentant sin). They need to see the truth about sin and be warned of the consequences of it.

Mercy on the doubting believer or mercy on the unbeliever are both mercy multiplied. They require our own firm faith. Jude says faith should be built up, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God (Jude 1:20-21).”

Multiplied mercy then, is when we pass the mercy shown to us (by God and others) on to someone else. It requires sharing the love of God. It includes imitating the patience of God. And it brings with it the peace of God.

• Has God shown mercy to you as His child? Are you grateful?
• Who needs you to show mercy to them as their sister or brother in the Lord?
• Is there someone you know who needs to see the seriousness of their sin?

 

Intentional Influence: A Woman’s Guide to Biblical Mentoring available now on Amazon.com