Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
I think that "mercy" is a great topic. The LC was based on judgment: that "Christanity" had become utterly corrupt and must be abandoned. Where is the mercy? Where the considering and receiving others, "just as I am, without one plea"? Where's the bearing one another in love? Where the covering?
When Witness Lee sinned we were told to "cover drunken Noah" but Lee was signally disinterested to aid or cover in the frailties of others.
And yet the bare, unrelenting principle of the NT is that what you do to others you do to yourself. To those who show mercy, mercy is shown; those who show no mercy receive none.
"Mercy and truth met together, righteousness and peace kissed each other." ~Psalm 85:10 We could spend our lifetimes exploring the deep connotations of these words.
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If you have "righteousness" without mercy then you will not have peace. Imagine what would have happened to Joseph's brothers if he had exposed them in a way of "righteousness and truth" but without mercy? It would have created a situation similar to Ishmael. Either the Jews become nothing more than the "Hatfields and McCoy's" or the Middle East becomes even more confusing than it already is.
Matthew 18 is a chapter on dealing with sin so that you have righteousness and truth. It is very instructive that the conclusion of this chapter is to remind us to be merciful in the same way that we have received mercy.
Why are religious leaders always vilified as hypocrites? They make a big deal over righteousness and truth, but have forgotten mercy.