“‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy’” ( Matthew 5:7 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. ).

Pure mercy is a gift of God that comes with the new birth. People can be merciful only when they have experienced God’s mercy.

God has both absolute and relative attributes. His absolute attributes—such as love, truth, and holiness—have characterized Him from all eternity. But His relative attributes—like mercy, justice, and grace—were not manifested until man, whom He created in His own image, sinned and became separated from his Creator. Apart from sin and evil, mercy, justice, and grace have no meaning.

When man fell, God extended His love to His fallen creatures in mercy. Only when they receive His mercy can they reflect His mercy. Thus God is the source of mercy. “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness [mercy] toward those who fear Him” ( Psalms 103:11 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him. ). It is because we have the resource of God’s mercy that Jesus commanded, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” ( Luke 6:36 36 Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ).

We cannot have the blessing apart from the Blesser. We cannot even meet the condition apart from the One who set the condition. We are blessed by God when we are merciful to others, and we are able to be merciful to others because we have already received salvation’s mercy. Furthermore, when we share the mercy we have received, we will receive even more mercy.

Ask Yourself

When we talk about Christ’s character being formed in us, we understand the concept in theory. But what are some of the telltale signs that He is actually working His will through us in our interactions with others? How do you know when it’s Him, not you—when it’s the Spirit of God bearing fruit in your life?

From Daily Readings from the Life of Christ, Vol. 1, John MacArthur. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Moody Publishers, Chicago, IL 60610, www.moodypublishers.com.

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