Mere Mercy

The joy of the Gospel is that it is for sinners.

Make no mistake: it is for sinners—not for those who glory in their sin, not for those who demand the church bless it, and not for those who hide behind “grace” to avoid repentance, but for those whose iniquities are as scarlet and whose transgressions are more in number than the hairs of their head and mourn their sin. The apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, did not shrink from naming the abominations that shut men out of the kingdom:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11″Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Consider this list with trembling. These are not trifling faults or passing weaknesses, but grievous sins that defile the soul, provoke the wrath of a holy God, and bring eternal ruin upon all who persist in them without repentance. Fornication and adultery pollute the marriage bed which God has ordained honorable(Heb. 13:4). Idolatry sets up rivals to the living God in the heart. The effeminate (man who act unmanly) and those who abuse themselves with mankind commit abominations that cry out against nature itself, as the law declares (Lev. 18:22; Rom. 1:26-27). Theft, covetousness, drunkenness, reviling, extortion, these are the marks of a heart enslaved to self and the world, dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). No man may enter the kingdom while cleaving to such wickedness, for “the soul that sins, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:4). The law is holy, and its righteous demands are unyielding: sin must be punished, or God Himself would be unjust.

His Mercy is More

Yet here is the wonder of divine mercy, the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price: the apostle immediately adds, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor. 6:11). How sweet are these words! Such were some of you, not are, but were. The sovereign, electing love of God has not left His chosen in their filth. He has drawn them from the darkness, with bonds of love (Hos. 11:4), enlivened them by His Spirit, and brought them to Christ, the great Physician of souls. They are washed, not by their own tears or merits, but in the fountain opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity (Zech. 13:1), the precious blood of the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). They are sanctified, set apart as holy unto God, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin (Rom. 6:6). They are justified, declared righteous, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).

And even greater are the riches of His grace! “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved” (Eph. 2:4-5). He delights to magnify His mercy upon the vilest: the woman who has shed the blood of her unborn child in abortion, crying out in the anguish of her soul like David after his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12); the woman who has given herself to many in fornication, now weary of her wanderings like the prodigal returning to the Father’s house (Luke 15:17-20); the man entangled in the lusts of Sodom or effeminacy, who once walked according to the course of this world, but now is called to stand firm as a man in the faith (1 Cor. 16:13); the drunkard, the thief, the covetous, the reviler, all of these may come. Yes, even the chief of sinners, like Paul himself, who was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Even I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all (1 Tim. 1:13-15).

Abusers and Deceivers

Are there abusers of this mercy? Of Course. The same apostle who proclaims such mercy warns: “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!” (Rom. 6:1-2). True repentance is no light thing; it is a turning from sin with grief and hatred, a broken and a contrite heart which God will not despise (Ps. 51:17). It is not a mere sorrow of the world that produces death, but godly sorrow that produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation (2 Cor. 7:10). The penitent must forsake his sins, put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit (Rom. 8:13), and walk in newness of life. Grace does not license uncleanness; it destroys its power and makes the soul cry, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25).

In our day, the professing church has grievously departed from this truth. Many, in the spirit of the Pharisee, would look upon the woman who has aborted her child, writing her off as beyond redemption, forgetting that they themselves were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds (Col. 1:21). They would condemn the wicked bastard man who has given himself over to the sins of video games and pornography as unworthy of the mercy of God. Others, in false tenderness, wink at sin, affirm what God condemns, and call darkness light, fearing the fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the LORD will be exalted (Prov. 29:25). They treat the woman stained by abortion as untouchable in judgment or coddle her without calling her to godly sorrow. They receive the fornicator or the homosexual without demanding repentance, twisting Scripture to bless what it curses. Whole synagogues of satan promote this wickedness. This is not the way of Christ, who came to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10), yet told the woman taken in adultery, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more” (John 8:11).

We Must Break Our Hearts

The faithful minister must preach the whole counsel: set forth the terror of the Lord that men may be persuaded (2 Cor. 5:11), use the law as our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith (Gal. 3:24), and then proclaim the free, full pardon in His blood. Let the church be a hospital for wounded sinners, not a museum for the proud, welcoming the repentant with open arms while guarding the purity of the flock from those who would cheer for what God condemns.

We must be willing to let the church itself be broken, to be damaged, to be hurt by people, even taken advantage of, for the sake of Christ. We are not called to a safe, pristine institution that shields itself from pain, but to a body that bears with one another (Col. 3:13), forgives as the Lord has forgiven us, and lays down its life in love even when it costs dearly. The early church endured betrayal, false brethren, and exploitation, yet grew because it trusted that God restores what is broken, rebuilds what is torn down, and loves with a love that triumphs over every wound (Rom. 5:8; 1 Pet. 5:10). When sinners come, truly repentant but still messy, still prone to fail, the church that fears being hurt more than it fears disobedience will close its doors. But the church that clings to sovereign grace will open them wide, knowing that Christ Himself was wounded for our transgressions (Isa. 53:5), and that the same power which raised Him from the dead can heal and sanctify His people through every trial. This costly hospitality is not foolishness; it is faith in the God who specializes in redeeming the broken.

This costly hospitality is the way of our Savior, in-fact, it is the only way we ourselves were allowed in. Our Lord Jesus Christ did not stand aloof from the broken and the burdensome; He entered into our mess, bore our sins in His body on the tree (1 Pet. 2:24), and was wounded for our transgressions (Isa. 53:5). He welcomed sinners at great personal cost, eating with tax collectors and prostitutes (Matt. 9:10-13), touching the unclean, and ultimately laying down His life. As He has received us by grace, so we must receive others, even when it means the church itself is broken, damaged, or taken advantage of.

This is no sentimental openness; it is costly obedience. We are called to bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2 ), the law of love that demands we shoulder the heavy weights of sins, failures, and ongoing messiness in the lives of the repentant. We must be willing to forgive as the Lord forgave us (Col. 3:13), to restore gently those caught in transgression (Gal. 6:1), and to endure betrayal or exploitation without hardening our hearts. The early church knew this pain: false men, Judas-like betrayals, and the sting of being used by those who professed faith but proved otherwise, yet they pressed on, trusting the sovereign hand that restores what is shattered (1 Pet. 5:10).The church that fears damage more than disobedience will barricade its doors and miss the very gospel it claims to proclaim. But the church that clings to sovereign grace will open wide, knowing that Christ was crucified for the undeserving, that the Father’s house welcomed the prodigal at the cost of the elder brother’s pride (Luke 15:11-32), and that true love lays down its life for the sheep (John 10:11). This hospitality is not naivety; it is faith in the God who rebuilds ruins, heals wounds, and turns even the church’s scars into testimonies of His power. He who raised Christ from the dead can heal and sanctify His people through every trial, even the trials of being hurt by those He has called us to love.

If this seems too heavy a price, remember: we were once strangers, once far off, once enemies (Eph. 2:12-13; Col. 1:21). Yet we were welcomed in because of Christ’s costly love. Let us now extend the same to others, for the glory of the One who paid it all. And if you, dear reader, are burdened under any of these sins (or any other that presses upon your conscience) hear the tender invitation of the Savior: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Confess your sin, forsake it, believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (Acts 16:31). No sin is too scarlet for His blood to wash away; no heart too hard for His Spirit to break and heal. He has said, “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out” (John 6:37).

The Hope we Cling to

This is the hope we hold forth on the hill, the unsearchable riches of Christ, who is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them (Heb. 7:25). The Lord will grant to many repentance that gives life, that they may be washed, sanctified, and justified, to the praise of the glory of His grace. He can do it—it is not beyond His power, not beyond His grace, and certainly not beyond His sovereign grasp. The God who spoke light into darkness, who raised the dead, and who quickened us when we were dead in our transgressions (Eph. 2:1, 5) is more than able to awaken the hardest heart, to break the chains of the most entrenched sin, and to grant true repentance that leads to life. This is no mere wishful thinking; it is the confident declaration of Scripture: “Is anything too difficult for the LORD?” (Gen. 18:14). No sin is too great, no soul too far gone, no conscience too seared for the Spirit to convict, the Son to redeem, and the Father to receive.’

Consider how the Lord Himself teaches us to approach Him in this very confidence: through the persistent pleading of the widow before the unrighteous judge (Luke 18:1-8). Jesus told this parable to show that men ought always to pray and not lose heart. There was a widow who kept coming to an unjust judge, a man who feared neither God nor man, demanding justice against her adversary. For a while he refused, but her relentless cries wore him down until he said, “I will give her justice, lest by continually coming she wear me out” (Luke 18:5). Then Jesus drives home the point: “Hear what the unrighteous judge says; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly” (Luke 18:6-8).

Do you feel the contrast? If even a cold, self-serving, unjust judge finally yields to persistent pleading—out of mere annoyance and self-interest—how much more will our heavenly Father, who is rich in mercy, full of compassion, and infinitely just, respond to the cries of His own elect? He does not grow weary; He does not delay out of indifference. His delays are for our good, refining our faith, deepening our dependence, and conforming us to Christ. But make no mistake: He will act, and He will act in His perfect time, speedily for the vindication of His people and the glory of His name.

Have Faith

So let us plead without ceasing, as that widow did, not because God is reluctant, but because He is eager to show forth the exceeding riches of His grace. Let us come boldly to the throne of grace, confident that we will find mercy and grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). The same God who granted repentance to the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15) can grant it to any who cry out to Him. He delights to do it, for it magnifies His mercy and displays His power in transforming the vilest into vessels of honor.

Therefore, may the Lord indeed grant to many this precious gift of repentance unto life, turning them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Him (Acts 26:18 NASB95).

Soli Deo Gloria.
Brandon Charbonneau