I have always been fascinated by the love and mercy of God. Before the foundation of the world, God saw what men would do. God saw evil and hatred and killing and every vile thing men could do. We look at what happened in Manchester, England or Egypt and our hearts ache with pain and empathy for these victims and families. Some might ask, does God care? Some might ask why God didn’t prevent it. But God does see evil? He does prevent many tragedies. God’s mercy is not defined by the number of tragedies that He prevents but the number of people He is willing to save.
Sin hurts the heart of God. One of the most beautiful and compassionate verses in the Bible is John 3:17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
Now God looked through time before the foundation of the world and God saw the evil of every single murder. I mean, every single violent and sinful act He saw. Now can you imagine the pain in God’s heart as He sees the evil? He could have come and grabbed the arm of Cain just before he killed Able. He could have prevented every killing, every rape, every act of violence, but that would still leave man to die without hope. That wouldn’t keep us out of hell.
So, God sent Jesus to die for us. In fact, the Bible says He died for all. That’s the loving merciful heart of God. He came to take our place in death. He came to take the wrath we deserve. Now, that’s love and mercy! He could have come and sent us straight to hell, but instead He came not to condemn, but to save. Have you accepted His saving grace?
Please, don’t blame God for the evil in this world. Put the blame where it belongs. Blame the depths and depravity of the heart of man without Christ. Read Jeremiah 17:9. Blame the devil. He is a murderer, and a lying and doomed spirit. Read John 8:44. Blame those wicked, fallen angels the Bible refers to as demons, but don’t blame God. Every single person ever born on this planet has an opportunity to be saved.
W. A. Criswell, pleading with his congregation once said, “Lord, why am I not crushed in judgment? Because God is merciful to me. Why does God not visit us in damnation? It is because he is long suffering. I have never been able to understand how a man could say he would rather choose death than life. Are you that way? Tell me, would you rather be saved than lost? To be blessed than to be condemned? To find everlasting life? That is the good news that in Christ all our sins are washed away. In Him there is hope for heaven now and in the world to come. Answer him with your life.”
Bro. Bruce Rudd