We know that sin is deadly and has deadly consequences. And so, by all means, we must not play games with sin. We must not minimize the evil of it. We must not justify it. We must not downplay the consequences of it. And we must remember that, without repentance, our sins will always find us out (Numbers 32:23; Proverbs 28:13).

All the more, then, should we be in awe of the mercy of our God. How extraordinary it is that an indescribably holy being could show such love to us.

Paul wrote this to Timothy:

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:13–16)

This reminds me of Bro. Yesupadam, one of my dearest friends in the world and the truest Christian I know. Before Jesus appeared to him when he was in his early twenties, he was an alcoholic atheist involved in murderous terrorist activities. Yet the Lord revealed His love to him, he was radically and instantly converted, and he has done more to help the hurting and downtrodden than any man I know. Great is the mercy of the Lord.

Trophies of Mercy and Grace

David, a recipient of God’s massive mercy, wrote,

The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:8–14)

Micah, a prophet who called Israel to repent and warned of coming judgment and whose very name in Hebrew means, “Who is like the Lord?”, had this to say about the heart of our Father:

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. You will be faithful to Jacob, and show love to Abraham, as you pledged on oath to our ancestors in days long ago. (Micah 7:18–20)

Breathtaking and Serious

Our God delights in showing mercy. This takes my breath away. As He said through Jeremiah, “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)

Peter denied Jesus three times, with oaths and curses, shortly before He was crucified. Jesus restored him personally after His resurrection and, less than 40 days later, used him to preach at Pentecost.

David’s sins of adultery and murder cost him and his kingdom dearly, also resulting in the death of the child that was conceived in adultery. Yet the Lord set His love on the next child born to David and Bathsheba (namely, Solomon), calling him “Jedidiah,” in Hebrew, “Beloved of the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:24-25).

Not only so, but the Lord supernaturally gifted Solomon and would have transferred David’s legacy to him – in other words, the Messiah would have been known as the son of Solomon, sitting on Solomon’s throne – had Solomon not sinned (see 1 Kings 9:1-9). Who can understand the power of God’s redemption?

In the words of Paul,

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:1–10)

Let us, then, not play games with God’s mind-boggling grace. If there is sin in our lives, let us deal with it ruthlessly, let us come clean rather than get caught, let us repent from the heart, and let us forgive others as the Lord has forgiven us.

How great is the mercy of our God!

Dr. Michael Brown is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. He is the author of more than 40 books, including Can You be Gay and Christian?; Our Hands Are Stained With Blood; and Seize the Moment: How to Fuel the Fires of Revival. You can connect with him on Facebook, X, or YouTube.