The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Kayla M. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Research on Mercy
God's infinite mercy is described and demonstrated throughout Scripture. Both the Old and New Testaments proclaim God's kindness, forgiveness, and faithfulness to His people. Mercy, wrapped up in all of these, is a facet of God's character He loves to demonstrate. On Mount Sinai God calls Himself "the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Ex. 34:6). The Bible repeats this theme for thousands of years, because God's mercy never fails and He "maintains love to thousands" (Ex. 34:7). God "keeps His covenant of love" (Neh. 9:32) because of His mercy, not because His people deserve it. Paul writes that God chose sinful people to be "objects of His mercy" (Rom. 9:23). The showering of mercy He pours out on us inspires praise and gratitude.
The unfailing, everlasting mercy of God calls, saves and transforms His people. According to Romans 2:4, "His kindness leads you toward repentance." Instead of allowing us to escape responsibility for our actions, God's mercy turns us to Christ as the source of eternal salvation. His mercy makes salvation possible through Jesus. As Paul writes in Titus, "He saved us…because of His mercy" (Tit. 3:5). He will continue to show mercy to us from the day of salvation to the end of eternity as He comforts us with the Holy Spirit. The Lord transforms redeemed sinners into His church, a "holy nation, a people belonging to God" who are radically changed because they have "received mercy" (1 Pet. 2).
God demonstrates His mercy throughout the Bible as a fundamental attribute of His character. When His people in ancient Israel grumbled against Him and worshipped a golden calf, He relented from destroying them. God spared them and chose to go with them because of His unfailing love. Centuries later, Nehemiah writes that "in Your great mercy, You did not…abandon them in the desert" (Neh. 9:31). We praise God for His gracious love to us, for it does not depend on our actions or choices. He shows mercy to those whom He will because it is an integral part of His character that He loves to demonstrate. God listens to and cares for His people; "when they cried out to You…in Your compassion You delivered them" (Neh. 9:28). The Father's greatest demonstration of His mercy came in human form, when He sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to rescue sinners. In Jesus' own words, He came down from heaven not "to condemn the world, but to save" (John 3:17). The Creator of the universe has not only visited us, lived among us and walked with us, but He has also given His life for us.
Through Jesus Christ, "in His great mercy He given us new birth into a living hope" (1 Pet. 1:3). God's incredible mercy breathes life and hope and courage into us as His people. Let us obey Him and reflect Him by showing His mercy to others. And because of His great salvation of us, let us "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Heb. 4:16).
