Mercy and Truth
Proverbs 16:6 In mercy and truth Atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil.
God has always dealt with sin the same. For man to ever have his sin forgiven God knew it was going to take mercy and truth from God. From man’s end there was going to have to be a response to this truth resulting in repentance from the sin. How did God show mercy toward mankind and give us the truth that we needed to find our way to forgiveness?
John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Jesus came into the world for a two fold purpose. He came to be the ultimate manifestation of the grace and mercy of God toward mankind and to bear witness to the truth.
Romans 3:23-25 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood,
The grace and mercy of God is shown to us in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. The blood of Jesus was shed to atone for our sins with Jesus as the propitiation dying in our place. Through this sacrifice God is now able to show mercy to us even though we have sinned.
John 18:37 For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.
Not only did Jesus come to die as a propitiation for us, he also came to bear witness to the truth. Mankind needs revelation from God so we may know the truth about God and our relationship with Him. Through the scriptures we learn the truth about God and the truth about how sins separates us from God.
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth
Our faith in who Jesus is and what He has done for us is produced by the truth of the word of God. In the scriptures we also learn what actions are commanded to us by our God to live a life pleasing to Him. The truth produces our faith and the truth teaches us how to purify our souls by the obedience of faith.
For sin to be atoned for Christ crucified and mercy are required from God along with the absolute truth given to us by God to guide us to Him. From our end there is the obedience of the truth by faith needed to purify our souls.
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