Teaching in a Christian preparatory school, I am accustomed to including an “honor code” on each quiz and test that my students take. Because they live in a world of moral relativism, some students are accustomed to signing on the line even when they’ve cheated. Recently I had to turn a student in for cheating, and as I watched the administration seek to respond with grace and justice, I saw in action what Jesus tried to impart to those around Him. People and principles go hand-in-hand.
Comfortable in their list of rules, the Pharisees couldn’t understand why Jesus would heal a woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13:12-14). Due to their own self- righteousness, they missed the point—and the grace of God. The rule was to put aside work in order to save the Sabbath for God’s glory alone. Jesus’ point? What better way to glorify God than by allowing Him to do the work of healing. They saw the law; Jesus saw the person.
In our dealings with others, we need to hold fast to the truth of God’s Word and its principles. To become passive in our response to sin is to build our houses on shifting sand (Matthew 7:26). Jesus came to show us that the law for the sake of the law brings only death (Romans 4:15), but implementing the law to demonstrate our need for Jesus brings life (Romans 3:19-24).
God’s justice and His mercy are not opposing forces. The purpose of mercy is to make way for grace, and extending grace doesn’t mean setting aside principles. Grace understands that the true purpose behind any standard is found in what Jesus lifted up as the most important of all—God-centered love (Mark 12:30-31).
More:
Read Micah 6:8 to discover how we should live out both God’s mercy and His justice.
Next:
Are there places in your life where you have become more focused on a principle than a person? In what specific areas have you experienced God’s mercy? How have you been transformed by His grace?
eppistle on February 17, 2011 at 5:46 am
In responding to the sins we see in others, we can either:
1. Ignore the sin.
2. Approve the sin and enable the sinner to continue the self-destruction (as all sin is).
3. Condemn the sinner.
4. As fellow strugglers, lovingly help the sinner overcome the sin.
The last option is the hardest but I think that’s how to live out Micah 6:8
tom felten on February 17, 2011 at 3:35 pm
eppistle, I second the “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) approach found in #4. And, yes, following Micah 6:8 is a great way to do just that!
regina franklin on February 19, 2011 at 11:20 am
Tom,
I think it’s interesting that you reference Micah 6:8. When I think of justice, I think of bringing God’s standard and “rightness (or righteousness)” into the world around us. We cannot love mercy and embrace justice without addressing sin.
Eppistle,
I, too, appreciate the way you made truth so simple. Sometimes we like to hide in the gray areas because it keeps us comfortable.
Elyza on February 17, 2011 at 5:57 am
Thank you very much for this great devotional. I would summarise it for me like this: Principles/standards can only work according to God’s will when they are accompanied by God-centered love.
And God-centered love means that I look for what is truly best for the person in God’s eyes and not to my selfish desires in a specific situation. And that I then act accordingly without caring about how people might see me/react when I do something unconventional.
tom felten on February 17, 2011 at 3:39 pm
You’re right, Elyza. It’s a radical way to live when we truly follow Jesus and show both the tender and tough sides of love. As you mentioned, sometimes selfishness will keep us from speaking hard words of love to someone. We simply want to keep things status quo. May God give us courage to speak and do the things that His love requires.
daisymarygoldr on February 17, 2011 at 5:54 pm
The Pharisees saw their own man-made law that permitted for an animal to be removed from a pit or taken to water on the Sabbath. Jesus saw God’s Law which does not forbid good works of service towards God. The work forbidden by God’s law on the Sabbath is “your ordinary work” (Exo 20:9).
God’s Law is His character. It is the moral code for God-centered love. And it is God’s grace that enables me to obey His Law. Saint Augustine said, “Grace was given, in order that the law might be fulfilled”.
Naturally in my flesh, I am not able to show mercy to the person who does not deserve it. I can only obey that principle by grace with the help of the Holy Spirit.
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Heb 4:16)
regina franklin on February 19, 2011 at 11:17 am
Dear daisymarygoldr–
You’ve put it so well. It is truly God’s grace–and only God’s grace–that enables us to walk according to the Word. We diminish the beauty and strength of His grace when we excuse our sin rather than going head to head with the things that so “easily entangle us” (Hebrews 12:1-3). Christ has made it possible for us to be free.
Blessings!
katydid58 on March 21, 2011 at 1:05 pm
I have just spent time reading through many of your writings. I am sure you want the best for those young women and students that God has placed in your life. It is so easy to focus on rules and what we believe to be “righteous” that we forget the person. There are gray areas and each must listen to the Lord and discern what he is directing them to do in that gray area. Discernment in gray areas is a sign of maturity in Christ even though adhering to a list of rules may at first seem like the most righteous. Whether it is with a youth group, a classroom, or our own children, building relationships will always point others to Christ more effectively than keeping up with the sin in their lives.
regina franklin on March 30, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Dear katydid58–Well said. While it may seem initially “safer” to have a list of rules, Christ has called us into a love relationship with Him and then to extend His love to those around us.