Rescuing Mercy (by Pastor Tom Pauquette)

Jude 22
Be merciful to those who doubt.

Yesterday we jumped in to a couple of verses from Jude which were just previous to this one. We talked about waiting for the fullness of God’s mercy to be extended to us in heaven. Continuing on, Jude commands us to “be merciful to those who doubt.” That’s a fascinating perspective, isn’t it?

We are nearly always surrounded by a true mixture of people – some who believe and some who do not. We know how the Bible calls us to act toward believers – in mercy. We know that we, as recipients of God’s mercy and forgiveness, are to become experts at freely giving away our mercy and forgiveness to other believers. That’s the Jesus thing to do.

But how are we supposed to behave toward those who do not believe? Are we called to live in judgment and condemnation of them? Jude clearly says here that we are to show unbelievers mercy too. He says that a person’s state of belief does not change whether or not we show them mercy. The call is the same.

But is the expression the same? Let’s read on, “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them…” The kind of mercy we are called to show to unbelievers has a much different expression, doesn’t it? It is a rescuing mercy that snatches them from the fires of hell. It is a warning mercy that shows them the way of escape.

It’s interesting to note that the Bible calls us to the urgency of proclaiming the fate of the unbeliever as an expression of genuine mercy. There are many different models for sharing our faith with unbelievers. But in the end, evangelism is really not so much about technique, is it? It’s really about our motives. Behind any proclamation of the Gospel message to unbelievers must be an underlying motive of mercy. The mercy of God is central to the Gospel message. Jude calls us to share the message OF mercy IN mercy.

Mercy Suggestion: When is the last time you spent time and money with an unsaved friend? How about showing the highest form of mercy to an unbeliever and invite them to dinner so you can mercifully share the Gospel message with them. Afraid? Good, do it anyway. Peace.