Mercy and the Everlasting Gospel_02_Salvation and Mercy

In Romans 1:16-17 Paul says the following words regarding the gospel:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

Paul defines the gospel as being the power of God for the salvation to those who believe. We read of Jesus in Matthew 1:21 that when He came to this earth He came to “save His people from their sins.” So the salvation Paul is referring to is none other than salvation from sin, or salvation from disobeying God’s law (see 1 John 3:4).

So in the gospel, the “power of God unto salvation”, God exercises His power to save man from sin. Thus the gospel is good news about that very fact.  And this power is none other than the power God used to create the universe, because “He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” (Jeremiah 10:12) Catch the idea: the same power that was used in the creation of the universe is the same power God uses to transform a man from a sinner to a righteous saint. All this is bound up in Jesus’ mission, because He is “Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God” by which we may be saved from sin.  

Now In Titus 3:5 Paul shows us the driving force behind what we have just mentioned, that it was

 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us...”

 In the gospel we find God exercising His almighty creative power to turn man from sin, but what Paul brings about is that this is carried out as prompted by the fact that God is merciful.

We are saved according to the mercy of God. That is to say, if God were not merciful, we would not have a hope at being saved.

Jesus came to save His people from their sins, and it is “By mercy and truth (that) iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.” Proverbs 16:6. Mercy, along with truth, is an essential ingredient in the work of purging (removing, abolishing) a man’s iniquity from him.

The reason God wants to save man lies and originates with Him, and not so much in us who are the receivers of His mercy and love. What a powerful idea this is to oneself personally: God’s motive for saving me lies in who He is as a merciful God. This becomes more beautiful when one considers the words: “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6)

What motivation this should then bring to the one who realises his/ her own unworthiness. When a person looks at themselves, they may realise that they are not worthy of God’s love, not deserving of receiving anything from such a holy God. This is indeed true, but the reason He wants to save is not because of anything good possessed by the individual, but because of who He is as a God who is abundant in mercy: For that reason we can have hope.

Note the promise: “Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear Him, upon them that hope in His mercy; to deliver their soul from death, to keep them alive in famine.” Psalms 33:18-19. Those who hope in his mercy are the ones whom God will deliver (as in save) from death.

God’s mercy is not changed, increased or lessened by our circumstances and conditions, for it is a part of who He is as God. Our condition does not make God merciful, but rather it is a chance for Him to express how merciful He already is. 

In this segment, the thought must be observed that God’s mercy is a crucial point as it relates to our salvation, so much so that without it, we could not be saved.

From here we’ll take a look into the Steps of conversion; how it is that we can obtain that salvation from sin and in doing so we will see how the mercy of God is a vital part at each and every step.