Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment
All of these ideas are true: the question is how to strike a balance between them. In Psalm 85:10 we read - "Mercy and truth meet together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other." This clearly illustrates the balance between mercy and truth, between righteousness (justice) and peace. In the final analysis, "mercy triumphs over judgment." God so loved the whole world that He gave His one and only Son. God wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
The Old Testament tends to emphasize God's wrath and judgment when the Israelites repeatedly messed up and reverted to idolatry, temple prostitution and human sacrifice like the surrounding nations practiced. But things changed in the New Testament: Christ summed up the Law and the Prophets in His dual commandments to love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself. These words, of course, are quoted from the Old Testament, but they seemed to have gotten covered up and forgotten by all the bad stuff that happened with Israel and God's response to their misdeeds.
The Apostle Paul puts it this way: "The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith" (Galatians 3:24). Picture a schoolmaster being strict with students, passing out punishments for infractions of the rules. That's how the Old Testament Law worked. But how does faith work? St. Paul continues: "faith works through love" (Gal. 5:6).
Then Paul goes on to explain -
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, that you may not do the things that you desire. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, gluttony, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts. If we live by the Spirit, let's also walk by the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16-25).
For many people today, the ideas of freedom and democracy mean that we're free to do whatever we want, we can vote to choose the laws and rules of society to match our desires and wants. This leads to the immediate gratification of our passions. The Apostle Paul writes about this as follows -
"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts; who having become callous gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness" (Ephesians 4:17-19). That's immediate gratification.
St. Paul continues - "But you did not learn Christ that way; if indeed you heard him, and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus: that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit; and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members one of another" (Eph. 4:20-24). This is delayed gratification, being transformed into God's likeness!
What does it mean to be transformed into the likeness of God? Paul gives the answer - "Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children. Walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance" (Eph. 5:1-2). Imitating God is giving up oneself just as Christ gave up Himself for us.
And here's the "how-to" of imitating God and becoming like Christ - "But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints; nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate; but rather giving of thanks. Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph. 5:3-5).
This all comes back to the idea that God is love: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3). God loves us and wants the best for us. His commands - His rules for life - are not mean and harsh, they're for our long-term good. We are destined for an eternity of joy in God's presence - let's not lose out on this wonderful opportunity!
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