The mercy of God is legendary. The truth is, He created it. God is the progenitor of mercy. He gave birth to it.
2 Corinthians 1:3 (ESV)
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.
Mercy is what we might call the other side of grace. Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve, while mercy is God holding back from us what we do deserve. What do we deserve? Condemnation. Why? Because we are all guilty of sin.
Romans 3:23 (ESV)
23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
As one preacher said, “All means all, and all is all all ever means.” There is not a person who ever lived and reached an accountable age who did not sin against God. Anyone who denies that they have sinned is a liar.
1 John 1:8, 10 (ESV)
8If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us…10If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
What does this mean for us? It means that we were all once separated from God by our sins. How does a man who is separated from God get reconnected with Him, that is, how does he attain reconciliation or a restoration of friendship with God? From the standpoint of human effort, there is no means to do so. Under the Law, the only way to maintain a relationship with God was to never sin. The Law required sinless living because it could not forgive sin.
Acts 13:38–39 (ESV)
38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
Paul was dealing with the Law of Moses here because that was the law to which the Jews, to whom he was preaching, were clinging. However, what was true regarding the Law of Moses is true of all law except the law of the Spirit of life, which is the gospel (Romans 8:2). This means anyone living outside the gospel of Christ can only be saved one way—sinless living. So, here is the question again. How does a man who is separated from God attain reconciliation? The answer is by the mercy of God. How does a person obtain this mercy? It is by obeying the gospel of Christ.
Romans 1:16 (ESV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Remember, the gospel is, in part, the story of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and everything involved in it was done so because God was willing to show mercy to man.
Always keep in mind, God could have said to man, “If you want to go to heaven, all you have to do is live without sin.” Since God created us as free-will agents, with the ability to choose how we live our lives, it would have been perfectly just for God to demand this from us. Thankfully, God rose above justice and offered a more merciful way to us. That way is His Son (John 14:6). God extends mercy to every soul that comes to Jesus in faith and obedience. Will you choose works of law or God’s mercy? The right choice could not be any clearer.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.