So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. | James 2.12-13
I have been sitting in this phrase for the last few weeks (maybe months): mercy triumphs over judgment. It isn’t because it is the most complex concept or because it exposes something I didn’t know; there is just something so beautifully comforting in seeing one part of God’s character overwhelming another part. God’s holiness is an all consuming fire, and yet His mercy obliterates it. His wrath is terrifying, but it is nothing compared with His grace.
Embracing this truth allows us to re-orient how we see the world (as this section is focused on). Specifically:
Mercy triumphing over judgment means we don’t need to be afraid of our failures. A good portion of our energy goes into proving ourselves and trying to cover up our sinful limitations. Living under the law of liberty allows us to be comfortable with who we are.
Mercy triumphing over judgment helps us to see God as a God of love. While judgment flow from His holiness, He makes a means for His loving mercy to break through and triumph. Both mercy and judgment are parts of Him, but the part that has more power is mercy. Living under the law of liberty allows us to be in loving relationship with God.
Mercy triumphing over judgment gives us a means of prioritizing our interactions with others. We don’t need to reject judgment and sin and Hell, but we need to balance them with the triumph of mercy. We can live this out by living as sinful people freed from punishment by the sacrificial action of Jesus. Living under the law of liberty allows us to love our neighbors as others struggling through the curse of sin.
Living out mercy triumphing over judgment requires us to be continually discerning, lest we adopt a rhetoric of judgment alone or mercy alone. The two don’t eliminate one another. Instead, God’s perfect judgment reveals to us how necessary the cross is and how great the sacrifice of Jesus was. His loving mercy reveals to us a care and concern that overcomes our rebellion. In both, we are faced to see God’s absolute love for His people.
Living out the law of liberty means being grateful for a God who would be both holy and just, and whose mercy triumphs over judgment for our sake. To Him be the glory, forever and ever. AMEN.