A God of Mercy

(Hebrews 6:9-12 – A God of Mercy)

God is a God of mercy. We hear these words all of the time, and they are true. The words in the scriptures under review today are clear evidence of that. This is especially true when we consider the words leading up to this section of scripture.

The previous few verses talk about how there will be no possibility of repentance for those who commit apostasy against God. I looked at this is some depth in my last post. But we must understand that the type of apostasy spoken of here is not the same things as making a mistake, or falling down occasionally as we walk with Christ. It is a far deeper problem than those types of things.

And in these types of errors, God is a God of mercy. He shows Him abundant mercy through grace by forgiving us all of the errors we make. He does not hold our humanity and our weaknesses against us as we continue to learn and walk in Christ. God knows only too well that we are all a “work in progress.” So, let us be thankful that God is a merciful God and not a god of violence or anger as many non-believers think.

Today’s scripture

9 Though we speak thus, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness in realizing the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. (Hebrews 6:9-12)

A God of Mercy and Compassion

When we consider the nature of God, we know that He is a God of love. God loves His people, and indeed the whole Creation. His offer of salvation to all of mankind is because of His love, mercy and compassion.

God knows that we are beset with weaknesses, passions, lust, desires, and sinfulness. But while we could expect these issues to drive God away, they do not.

God has compassion on us because He knows these things. Jesus experienced these things for Himself, which is why He is our intermediary with God the Father. Jesus is able to understand because He went through life as a human. But He did so without succumbing to sin.

This is why He has compassion. In the first two verses of today’s scripture we see the compassion of God. He is not a rigid God who punishes and disciplines at the slightest mistake. Yes, He does discipline His people, but God is a just and merciful God who disciplines us to teach us right from wrong, and to correct our erroneous ways.

God, in His great mercy and grace, is willing to overlook our errors as we continue to look to Him. As we learn and grow, holding fast in faith and trust, God helps us to move on to victory over the flesh. But it is a long road and He allows for us to fall over as we learn.

A God of Mercy in Hope

We see also in the words of these verses that we can be assured in hope that we will receive the promises of God. He is a God of mercy, and because of that we stand in hope of receiving what He promised.

One of the greatest aspects of Christianity and the faith we hold, is that we have a hope in Christ. Our hope rests not on some unachievable pie in the sky wish. Our hope rests on the solid and unchangeable nature of God and the promises He has made through Christ Jesus.

It is in Him that we hope to receive mercy and eventually eternal life. This is the hope of salvation offered by a God of mercy.

Hope is not based in what we can see. It is also not based in the present. Hope is future focused and is based upon the words of God that have stood the test of time since the beginning of the Creation. God is merciful and He has provided a way for His people to find salvation and return to a state of perfection as He first created man. We are meant to be perfect, as the scripture says,

“You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

To be perfect is to be like God. We are being transformed into the image of Christ, who bears the stamp of the nature of God (see Hebrews 1:3). But to achieve that status is a long journey. And fortunately we have a God of mercy who is willing to overlook our mistakes as we walk with Christ.

Imitate what is Good

The last of the verses in the reading today is about imitating what is good. The writer of Hebrews explains that we should imitate those who are faithfully awaiting to receive the promises of God. Like young children who learn by imitating their parents and others, we too need to imitate the faith of those who are seeking the Lord.

And we need to study the scriptures and learn to imitate the ways of the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles and disciples. The scriptures have been given to us to learn from. There are many examples in the word of God that we can imitate.

Consider the great men and women of the Bible: Abraham, Moses, David, Joshua, Peter, John, Paul, and so many others. And don’t forget the many examples of Jesus Himself who taught the gospel in the first place.

All of these provided lessons we can imitate and learn from.

And imitating does not mean it is fake. It is a common practice for people to be trained by imitating how things are done from someone who is experienced. Consider the old saying that, “Imitation is the greatest form of flattery.”

While flattery is not a good thing and is often rejected in the Bible, imitation is a perfectly acceptable way to learn how to follow Christ and God. As we continue to imitate we learn and create habits that become our own. By imitating what is good and following the examples of faith, we grow in Christ.

We have a God of mercy who wants us to be with Him. But to do so we must learn how to live with one another in God’s love. This is the aim and one of the main reasons that God shows us mercy, so that in time we will live with Him.

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