On Mercy and Love

10/20/2020

In the western tradition, the idea of God’s mercy is dominating theme. To be sure, it isn’t the only theme. Themes such as salvation, justification, incarnation, and even love play themselves out in contemporary theology. While these themes exist, I can’t help but notice that God’s mercy is highlighted more frequently. This includes the theme of God’s love. Many Christian leaders are quick to clench their teeth when the talk of God’s love comes up. There is a fear among many pastors, church leaders, and theologians that the theme of God’s love will be overemphasized. This, the logic goes, will lead to “cheap grace” (Bonhoeffer, Luther). Humanity will forget their own sinfulness and need for forgiveness (read: mercy) because God’s love has overplayed its hand. To be frank, this has been the battle between conservative and liberal Christians for over a half-century. One accuses the other of emphasizing God’s love at the expense of God wrath and humanity’s need for mercy. The other decries the emphasis on God’s wrath at the expense of God’s love. For this writer, the voice of those who cry for the of God’s mercy has been louder than those who cry for God’s love. To be sure, the whole western understanding of justification (as interpreted through Paul) is predicated on our need for God’s mercy

So we have love and mercy seemingly at odds with one another (one might say that the opposite of love is wrath. While this may be true, I’m not trying to create polar opposites. Mercy is necessary as a result of God’s wrath - different discussion for a different post). What is the relationship between God’s love and His mercy? Is one more important than another or does one take priority over another?

Just because you are showing someone mercy doesn’t mean you love them. A king might be merciful to a subject, but that doesn’t mean that they love them. For example, he might be getting something in return for his mercy - say a bit of information or perhaps accolades from onlookers for being so merciful. Either way, it doesn’t necessarily follow that mercy is evidence of love

Is there an equation in which mercy and love are partners? Surely there must. Perhaps if we ask a different question or approach it from a different angle. In the above example a king is merciful, but not necessarily loving. What, though, would be the outcome if king was loving? I would argue that if the king is loving that mercy would naturally flow out of that love. Put differently, love always produces mercy, but mercy is not always evidence of love.

The old equation is that God’s mercy shows His love (which may or may not be the case as seen above). In this new equation, love begets mercy. In fact, love always includes the aspect of mercy. Where there is love, there is mercy.

There are spiritual and theological implications for this new equation. Consider this: when God loves, He only loves He chooses to love. He certainly doesn’t love us for anything we have done (according to western theology - original sin), “when we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The problem with mercy is that it is dependent on our “response” to our own sinfulness. Mercy seems to become conditional (despite what Paul states in Romans 9:15) in contemporary application.

What I would like to propose is that we begin to think in terms of love being the starting point for God’s activity and not his mercy. “Cheap grace” does not have to be the assumed outcome for putting God’s love first. God’s love is compelling; compelling us to be transformed through the work of God’s love in Christ. By beginning with love you allow God to be truly who He is in His freedom. Alternatively, if you start with mercy you don’t start with God, but with yourself.

6 Comments

Angie Harrington link

10/21/2020 09:28:23 am

I read through last night before bedtime a couple times and looked forward to reading again this morning. Reading it several times helped me "get it" in a way I did not upon first reading. That first paragraph really hit me; I'd never thought about a battle ground between "conservatives" and "liberals" being about God's love vs. God's wrath. That makes sense. I've struggled my whole life to believe that I am God's beloved, His wrath always being in the background. My OCD has only exacerbated that tension. It occurs to me that, in all of the therapy/counseling I received through the years because of my OCD, the thing that helped me most was the constant and adamant assurance from trusted counselors that I was absolutely loved and cherished by God, and that He was not waiting to "whollop" me with His wrath. The more "liberal" atmosphere and learning in seminary was of great help to me in combatting my fears of God's wrath, of having no claim to His mercy.
I grew up in such a loving home and a loving church family; however, always in the background was the "Accept Jesus or you're going to hell forever," refrain, again exacerbated by my obsessive thoughts and fears. I have always struggled with how God is infinitely loving and eternally wrathful - huh?

I love this line: "Put differently, love always produces mercy, but mercy is not always evidence of love," calling to mind Paul's words that "If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."

Also love this: "“Cheap grace” does not have to be the assumed outcome for putting God’s love first. God’s love is compelling; compelling us to be transformed through the work of God’s love in Christ." I've always thought it odd that the love of God is not seen as compelling enough - that the threat of hell has to be thrown in there to finish the job.

Can you flesh out this statement, " The problem with mercy is that it is dependent on our “response” to our own sinfulness."

Steve Squires link

10/22/2020 11:08:07 am

Angie -

The traditional conservative evangelical response to mercy relative to salvation is that we have to "accept Jesus" (our response) to transform our sinful nature. So mercy isn't enacted or activated until we respond to the "offer" of Christ. Before this we might say that there is no mercy.

Let me know if that makes sense.

Paul Harrington link

10/21/2020 06:09:20 pm

There are some questions that come to my mind, which may or may not be the intended direction of this post. But first, some responses to the theme directly.

First, I love the exploration of the love and mercy dance. I think one of our problems that is an undercurrent to understanding this relationship is the issue of justice and it's purpose. If we say justice is established to exercise God's wrath, or appease it, or whatever term, we would like to throw in there, I think we miss the purpose of justice. While there are indeed countless passages that could support that view, the question is never asked underneath those texts, why must God's wrath be satisfied? What purpose does that serve God? I would rather suggest that the purpose of God's justice is to redeem creation to himself. It is a cleansing or winnowing. So if righteous punishment is cleansing, so is righteous mercy; each of these are aspects of justice aimed to serve God's purpose, which ultimately is redemptive.

I fully agree that mercy and love are partners, and I wonder, and even that mercy is inherent in love and not necessarily the other way around. In truth, I bristle at the thought, "God loves whom He chooses to love," principally because it begs the question, "Whom does He not choose to love?", and secondarily, if "God is love" as we read in 1 John, then it is a fundamental character of God, it is His nature. Love then is not just a verb or an action, it is an adjective describing the very central nature of God. I find it difficult to conceive of God going against his own nature to not love whom He chooses not to love. (This is why, perhaps, to me the idea that justice has a purpose and its purpose is redemptive strikes me as important. He may love and express justice at the same time.) Getting back to the love and mercy tango, these thoughts bring me to these ideas:

that love is both adjective and verb when it comes to God; the essence of God is love. That said, the attribute of mercy seems more something that is expressed outwardly, as in "God gave me mercy," or "God is merciful." Perhaps I could be argued out of that; perhaps it is also adjective, though it is not used that way to my recollection at the moment (I don't recall 'God is mercy'). The idea that love begets mercy appeals to me, That character/attribute/deportment/disposition of God that is love exudes mercy at His will. (Agreed, not by what we've done but rather by what God has chosen is the redemptive course of action.)

So many thoughts flooding my head, sorry.

I would suggest that love maybe a compound of grace and justice. Within that justice, mercy is expressed at the times when God perceives it redemptive to exude mercy. It seems to me the primary motivating purpose in the activity of God is redemption/restoration, reclaiming His rightful rule and reign, so to speak. But that purpose is driven by His very nature, love.

"We love God because He first loved us." Well, yes, but even further He first loved us because it is His nature rather than something He has chosen. That brings us to the experiential part of it all. This part I struggle with because it seems to me to miss the mark a bit. If we are focused on the expression of God's justice (whether punishment or mercy) as it comes to us, making it about whether or not we accept His mercy or choose (actively or passively) his punishment, then we miss, I think, the purpose of it. The purpose to restore, to draw near, to more intimately identify with this God.

Questions integral to this include, for me, must I accept mercy for mercy to be expressed? Is the purpose of mercy for my benefit, God's or both? If mercy is acclaimed by conservatives, what is a better way for the conservative to understand love? Likewise, if love is the watchword for liberals, how can they better understand mercy? (To me, those questions get at the heart of purpose). Finally, admittedly these are two things that rattle around in my brain always, how do love and mercy relate to identity and vision?

Stephen Squires link

10/23/2020 08:33:04 am

Hey Paul -

I've been trying to reply, but the computer has been a bit weird not letting me or erasing my comments.

You had a lot of stuff there. For time's sake I just want to contribute to your thoughts on conservatives and liberals on the issue of mercy.

I think conservatives see mercy as mostly an act of God. The problem is that they don't emphasize the communicable nature of mercy. That mercy is given by Christians to others in community. In other words, mercy is fundamentally relational. Liberal conceive of mercy the exact opposite way I think - totally relational in the realm of ethics and moral behavior. It is not necessarily bestowed on us by a divine being. It is inherently present in own own understanding of what is moral.

Open to different thoughts :)

Paul Harrington

10/25/2020 02:56:27 pm

In conservative circles, I think, mercy is given "in community" depending on the nature and severity of whatever infraction is perceived. Conservatives (and liberals to some degree) are quick to shoot their wounded, on one hand, and quick to overlook (not the same as living out the condition of mercy) on the other. For conservatives, mercy is given outside community, and it is essentially a mission effort, mercy granted in the hopes of reaching the lost for Christ. In that circumstance, mercy hits a limit when the desired result is perceived to not be attainable. (This is how the Crusades ended up so tragic, perhaps.) So on some fundamental level, maybe conservatives do see the communicable nature of mercy, but only as a mere shadow of that which is delivered by God to the individual.

I think, as you, that liberals think of mercy as totally relational, what we can offer each other, because it is the ethical and moral thing to do. At the same time, I think Christian liberals think of their ethics and morals as the kingdom-not-yet. So in that sense, it too is a shadow, but this time a shadow of the activity of God to creation (not the individual).

Just spit-balling on this

Stephen Squires

10/25/2020 04:52:15 pm

Good insights Paul :)

On Mercy and Love

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