Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

James 2:12-13 “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.  (13)  For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the apostle James teaches us that as believers, we will be judged by the law of liberty on that day. In other words we will be held to account according to God’s standards for His saints under the new covenant, i.e. whether we met those standards or whether we fell short. In this passage when the Holy Spirit tells us that we will be judged by God’s word, He links mercy with that judgement. It is only those who are found guilty that require mercy. And so clearly there will be believers who will be found guilty of transgressing God’s laws on that day, and will therefore need to receive mercy from the Lord. In James’s teaching he tells us that one who has shown mercy to others during his life can expect to receive mercy on that day, even though they may be found guilty. However he also tells us that those who have not shown mercy in this life cannot expect mercy when they are judged on that day. And so we see that some saints will receive mercy on that day and some won’t. For the saints who receive mercy it will impact positively on their eternal inheritance, whereas for the saints who do not receive mercy it will impact negatively on their eternal inheritance. The mercy referred to in this passage of scripture pertains only to the judgement of the saints, for the unbelievers will not experience any mercy when they are raised to their judgement of condemnation.

2 Timothy 1:16-18 “The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain; (17) but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me.  (18) The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day--and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.”

In the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul again gives us some insight as to just how strict the saint’s judgement will be. In context the apostle Paul was speaking to Timothy about a fellow believer named Onesiphorus, and Paul mentioned that this particular believer had ministered to him in many ways. And so one would think that with a recommendation like that from one of the Lord’s leading apostles, that Onesiphorus could expect to approach his day of judgement with great boldness. But I want you to note the comment made by Paul, specifically regarding Onesiphorus’ day of judgement, for Paul prays that Onesiphorus may find mercy from the Lord Jesus on that day. Clearly Onesiphorus will need mercy on that day; otherwise Paul would not have requested that the Lord grant him mercy. The apostle James says that we all stumble in many things (James 3:2); so clearly we will all need mercy from our Lord Jesus on that day.

1 John 2:28-29 “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.  (29) If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.”

There will however be some believers who will stand before the Lord Jesus unashamed on that day, for in the passage of scripture quoted above the Holy Spirit said there would be. So which believers will stand unashamed before the Lord? This passage declares that it will be those believers who have been abiding in Him, that will have confidence before the Lord Jesus on that day. So what does it mean to abide in the Lord? In this passage the Holy Spirit gives us some insight as to what it means to abide in the Lord Jesus, for He tells us that the one who practices righteousness qualifies. To practice righteousness means to stay away from sin. It is one thing to be made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, which every believer has become, but it is entirely a different thing to practice the righteousness that we have already become. And so those believers, who have not been practicing righteousness and have been continuing in sin, will not have confidence and will be ashamed before the Lord Jesus at His coming. There is a false teaching that has arisen in some parts of the church recently, which states that God has already forgiven every sin the believer commits, past, present and future. And so believers are taught that they do not need to ask forgiveness for any sins they may commit. These believers are in for a shock on their day of judgement.

Matthew 12:32 “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”

We have seen earlier that sin that has been forgiven in this current age remains forgiven in the age to come. However, in the passage of scripture quoted above our Lord Jesus taught us that there are certain sins that are not forgiven in this age or in the age to come. We know that one of those sins is the sin of rejecting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. In this passage Jesus taught us that the other sin that would not be forgiven in either this age or in the age to come is the sin of speaking against the Holy Spirit. When our Lord taught us this truth He also therefore implied that for the believer, there are sins that are not forgiven in this age but which will be forgiven in the age to come. So which sins fall into that category?  These are all the unconfessed sins that believers commit in this age. The reason that all unconfessed sins must be forgiven is because no sin is allowed in the kingdom of God. The sin of unforgiveness will be the first sin that will be dealt with on that day, for the scripture is plain when it tells us that unless we forgive others then our Lord cannot forgive us, and that principle applies even in the age to come (Matthew 6:15). There are many believers who have fallen asleep while still holding onto unforgiveness toward others. And so every believer who fell asleep while still holding onto this sin will immediately repent and forgive all others when they stand in the presence of their Lord on that day.

Revelation 21:4 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

As each unconfessed sin is revealed on that day the believer will tearfully repent of each one and ask the Lord’s forgiveness. That is why the scripture declares that some will be ashamed before Him on that day. In the passage of scripture quoted above the scripture reveals to us that God Himself will wipe away every tear on that day, for our Lord Jesus who is rich in mercy, will be merciful to His saints on that day and forgive them their sins. Nevertheless, even though their sins will be forgiven they will incur loss for their chosen lifestyles of practicing sin.

Michael E.B. Maher

Eternal Judgement

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