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Redeemer Bible Church

Unreserved Accountability to Christ. Undeserved Acceptance from Christ.

The Ministry of Mercy, Part Eight

Selected Scriptures

Introduction
Several times a month the church office receives phone calls from people claiming to
be in need. Women claiming that they have lost their job, that their food stamps have run
out, and that therefore they need money for groceries. Men claiming that due to
circumstances beyond their control, they do not have enough money to pay their rent or
their gas and electric bills. People claiming that if they do not get $500 by such and such a
date that they will be out on the street. Others claiming that they suffer from acute allergies
that do not allow them to hold down jobs or live anywhere that has ever harbored mold
spores. I am not making this up. Churches all over the United States are contacted with
regularity by those claiming to be in need.

And how about in your private life? Have you ever been approached by a man or
woman on the street asking for money for food, or shelter, or cab or bus fare? Sometimes
they tell you their story about how they had lost their job in a factory or at a department
store or with a building contractor. And they may even tell you their plans for the future,
how your money will help them on the road to economic recovery and financial
independence.

Being now in my tenth year of pastoral ministry I have been called or approached by
many individuals seeking help of this kind. Once my colleague and I were at the church
office preparing the messages for the Lord’s Day and we got a knock at the door. A man
came to us and asked if he could speak with the Senior Pastor about getting some financial
assistance. So the other pastor, who was my senior in pastoral ministry, spent about half-
an-hour with this man, listened to his story, and ended up giving him (I think) $100. Before
the man left, he told the other pastor that he would be in church to worship with us on
Sunday and he cried in gratitude for the pastor’s generosity.

And yet, from the moment I met this man there was something suspicious about
him. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something just didn’t sit right with me. Well,
Sunday came and went and we never heard from this man again. When this happened, I
was compelled to follow up with Pastor Joe:

“Pastor, so-and-so didn’t come to church on Sunday. I knew it! Couldn’t

you tell that he was being disingenuous?”
“Yeah, I had a feeling he might be conning me.”
“So why did you give him a hundred bucks?!” I asked.

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“It’s always better to err on the side of mercy,” he said. “It’s better to err on
the side of mercy than to let a truly needy person go.”

Of course, I had no response. In light of what I knew from Scripture about the
ministry of mercy, I knew that Pastor Joe was right. And this was before I read this from
Jonathan Edwards’ sermon on Christian charity: “It is true, when we have opportunity to
become certainly acquainted with [the circumstances of the poor], it is well to embrace it:
and to be influenced in a measure by probability in such cases, is not to be condemned. Yet
it is better to give to several that are not objects of charity, than to send away empty one that is.”1

Edwards is right to point out that we are wise to research the claims of the needy; we
certainly do not want to be party to sin. However, when for some reason we do not have
the occasion to ascertain precisely the condition of those asking for our help, knowing what
we do about our responsibility to the poor, the prudent route to take is the one that doesn’t
accidentally neglect them.

With that said, I’d like to take this, our last message on the ministry of mercy to
address the question of how to decide who is to receive our mercy. In other words, when
we find ourselves in the place of having the opportunity to become certainly acquainted with
the circumstances of the poor, what should be the criteria that we use for dispersing our
resources? How do we determine who gets what, and in what proportions? Is it ever right
to stop giving aid? Should there be conditions attached to the mercy we offer the poor?

Well, let me say that these questions are quite complex; that is, they involve a variety
of factors, many of which intersect. For example, we will find evidence in Scripture that the
ministry of mercy is to be performed for the benefit of the believer and the unbeliever and
that the ministry of mercy is offered both unconditionally and conditionally. In order to
understand how these apparently contradictory ideas intersect in the ministry of mercy, it is
important for us to understand something of the nature of mercy itself.

Understanding Mercy
Turn with me in your Bibles to Luke 10:30-37.

Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving
him half dead. 31 "And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he
saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 "Likewise a Levite also, when he came to
the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 "But a Samaritan, who was on
a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, 34 and came to
him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on
his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 "On the next day
he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him;
and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.' 36 "Which of these
three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers'

1
Jonathan Edwards, “Christian Charity: or, “The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced,”
in Works, Vol 2, Sereno E Dwight (Ed) (Banner of Truth, 1997 reprint of the 1834 edition), 172, italics added.

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hands?" 37 And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said
to him, "Go and do the same."

In a previous lesson, you will recall that we spent some significant time unpacking
the details of this very important text for the ministry of mercy. Something that we did not
address in that earlier message is found in v 37. Notice how the expert in the Jewish Law
described the Samaritan’s behavior toward the man in need. He says that the Samaritan
showed mercy toward the man in the road.

Showing mercy, then, is not having a feeling of compassion toward a needy person;
though it is clear that this Samaritan was full of compassion toward the battered and broken
man in the road. Showing mercy is what describes the action that the Samaritan took in
response to seeing a man in such a dreadful condition. Showing mercy is bandaging
wounds and pouring oil on them. It is putting an injured man in his own car (on his own
beast) and delivering him to a safe place of shelter. It is taking care of this man all night
long. And it is offering cash to provide for the man’s need in his absence. This is what it
means to show mercy.

Now, then, we might ask why the Samaritan’s behavior is called “mercy” and not
something like aid or help or assistance. Well, the answer is not that it is a bad translation.
Mercy is an ideal word choice. The English word, which refers to “forbearance and
compassion shown to a powerless person, esp. an offender, or to one who has no claim to
receive kindness; kind and compassionate treatment in a case where severity is merited or
expected,”2—the word mercy properly conveys the meaning of the Greek underlying it.3 It
is the kindness or concern expressed for someone in need. In addition, it is especially
kindness or compassion expressed for a needy person in a case where severity is merited or
expected.

In light of Samaritan-Jewish relations of the first century, severity is precisely what

we would have expected. No Samaritan would help his mortal enemy. So when the lawyer
describes the Samaritan’s behavior of Jesus’ story in terms of showing mercy, he has hit the
nail on the head. The Samaritan gave compassionate treatment in a case where severity was
expected. So then, part of what makes mercy, mercy is that it is offered to those who have
not merited it; neither would they have expected it.

It should be kept in mind that this kind of concrete mercy is of a piece with the kind
of mercy shown to us in the gospel. Mercy is unmerited kindness and compassion. In the
case of the mercy we offer to others, it comes in the form of the meeting of physical needs;
and in the case of the mercy offered to us in the gospel, it comes in the form of eternal
salvation. Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in
righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by
the Holy Spirit.” Eph 2:4-7 says,

2
OED Shorter 1.1746.
3
e;leoj

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But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved
us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us
with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He
might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

And 1 Pet 1:3 says much the same: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” All this is to say that the
mercy that we offer to others in terms of meeting their physical needs operates according to
the same principle as the mercy offered to us by God in the gospel.

Now that we can see that biblical mercy whether to physical or spiritual needs
operate from the same principle, we are ready to tackle the questions that go to how we are
to determine who receives our service. I have already mentioned that in the ministry of
mercy several apparently contradictory notions come together.

Believer and Unbeliever

So part of the reason why the ministry of mercy is to be performed both for the
believer and the unbeliever, is precisely because it is a ministry of mercy. It expresses to the
Christian the ongoing mercy of God in his or her life and it expresses to the non-Christian
the compassion and kindness of the Lord who is declaring to all men everywhere that they
should repent. If we were to limit mercy ministry to the members of the believing
community, we would actually be defying what it means to show mercy. Mercy comes to
those who do not deserve it—believing and unbelieving. Turn in your Bibles with me to
Luke 6:30-36 to see this principle made explicit:

Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours,
do not demand it back. 31 "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. 32
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love
those who love them. 33 "If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is
that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 "If you lend to those from whom you
expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to
receive back the same amount. 35 "But love your enemies, and do good, and lend,
expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of
the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. 36 "Be merciful, just
as your Father is merciful.

Notice very carefully what Jesus tells us in vv 35 & 36: But love your enemies, and
do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you
will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be
merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Here is what it means to be merciful as our
heavenly father is merciful. We must love our enemies, to do good (that is, to perform
good works for them), to lend them our money, expecting nothing in return. This is what
will make us the sons of the Most High; for he himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
Therefore we are merciful like him when we do the same.

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Clearly this text is referring not to the mercy we show to the members of the
believing community; rather it assumes that of course we would be inclined to show mercy
to our own, but what makes the members of the Christian community so remarkable is that
they show mercy to those who hate and despitefully use them. We are not to love our
neighbor and hate our enemies. We are to see everyone as our neighbors, not simply the
members of the New Covenant community. This does not mean that we do not show
mercy to them, but what it does mean is that we cannot limit our mercy to them.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul tells the Romans:

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of
all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never
take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is
written, "VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY," says the Lord. 20 "BUT IF
YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE
HIM A DRINK…21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Rom
12:17-21).

So then, the nature of mercy is what helps us to harmonize what may at first blush
seem to be contrary ideas. The ministry of mercy as such is designed to bring relief both to
the believing and to the unbelieving.

Unconditional and Conditional

The nature of mercy also works to reconcile the seemingly contrary notions of mercy
that is both unconditional and conditional. By now you would probably think that mercy
by definition must certainly be unconditional. The idea of conditions attached to our
ministry of mercy may even seem crass. But this is not at all the case. Biblical mercy is
both unconditional and conditional. Let me explain.

Our aid is called the ministry of mercy; it is not the ministry of merit. As such it
comes without conditions. We are to do good to those who are wicked and ungrateful. We
are to lend, expecting absolutely nothing in return. People do not earn mercy. Such a
notion is truly a contradiction in terms. The ministry of mercy, like God’s mercy, should
move toward all people regardless of their condition.

At the same time, however, the Bible teaches us that all people must work. The
Apostle Paul says in 2 Thess 3:10 that “if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to
eat, either.” The congregation is to allow the lazy brother to suffer the consequences of his
sloth. He tells the Thessalonians in effect not to support a person who would abuse the
mercy of the believing community. Our mercy should never be given knowing that it will
tempt a person to be disobedient to the Lord.

In addition, 1 Timothy 5 teaches us that even if someone is a widow, this does not
automatically qualify her for the church’s aid. Turn over to 1 Tim 5:5-6, 9-12.

Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her
hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day. 6 But she who

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gives herself to wanton pleasure is dead even while she lives….A widow is to be put
on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one
man, 10 having a reputation for good works; and if she has brought up children, if she
has shown hospitality to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has
assisted those in distress, and if she has devoted herself to every good work. 11 But
refuse to put younger widows on the list, for when they feel sensual desires in
disregard of Christ, they want to get married, 12 thus incurring condemnation,
because they have set aside their previous pledge.

You can see that both in vv 5-6 and in vv 9-12 the Apostle Paul tells Timothy that
only godly widows are eligible for the support of the church. The one who gives herself to
wanton (probably sexual) pleasure, the one who feels sensual desires in disregard of Christ,
that woman is not to be placed on the list. Since this is more commonly characteristic of
younger widows, they are to be instructed to remarry, bear children, and keep house. They
are not to receive the aid of the church.

In addition, even if there were to be women whose characters qualified them for the
church’s mercy ministry, this would not automatically result in receiving the church’s help.
The first line of defense for a defenseless woman is the members of her immediate family.
Look up to v 4: But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to
practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for
this is acceptable in the sight of God. Now jump down to v 16 and you’ll see much the
same: If any woman who is a believer has dependent widows, she must assist them and
the church must not be burdened, so that it may assist those who are widows indeed.

What this means is that even in the case of widows, those clearly singled out in the
Old Testament for the charity of the people of God, certain restrictions and conditions apply
to their eligibility for the church’s aid. Here, too, is a case of conditional mercy ministry.

So then, the Bible seems to suggest that the ministry of mercy is both unconditional
and conditional. Still, I haven’t explained how understanding the nature of mercy helps us
to reconcile these ideas. Well, what you must remember is that the reason we offer mercy
to the needy is entirely different from the reason the world offers mercy to the needy. We
offer mercy ministry in order to spread the kingdom of God. Thus we are interested in
something more than temporary relief or even an end to the suffering of the needy. We are
interested in their restoration and reconciliation to God. True mercy seeks all of what a
person needs. True mercy seeks to bring people under the Lordship of Christ in every aspect
of their lives. This, then, is how mercy can be both unconditional and conditional.

It can be unconditional because it gives to show the free grace of Christ and to soften
others’ hearts. And it can be conditional because like the Lord’s mercy, our mercy cannot
be satisfied until every fiber of our being is happily submitting to his sovereign authority. At
first we testify to the free love of Christ in our mercy, but eventually we must call the whole
person to Christ. To expect anything less is to be less than merciful. One writer puts it this
way:

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We must let mercy limit mercy. Sometimes we let revenge limit mercy. “Look
at all I’ve done for that person,” we say, “and what thanks do I get?” Perhaps you
have looked foolish to others for your involvement with a needy person, and his lack
of response has embarrassed you. In other cases, we may let selfishness limit mercy.
“That family is bleeding me dry. I quit!” But in the final analysis, only mercy can
limit mercy. We may cut off our aid only if it is unmerciful to continue it….Let mercy
limit mercy.4

So in the case of the person who is unwilling to work, it would be unmerciful to

allow him not to suffer the consequences of his laziness. In the case of the widows
mentioned in 1 Timothy 5, it would be unmerciful to allow women who should be married
to persist in sin, it would be unmerciful to create a situation in which our mercy would lead
to their sin, and it would be unmerciful to those who were widows indeed not to require the
immediate family to meet their needs first. Mercy comes in a variety of forms, and
sometimes for the sake of the persons involved, it may change variously throughout the time
they are receiving the church’s aid.

So then, understanding the nature of mercy helps us get at the questions that go to
how we’re to discern how to disperse our funds to the needy. Nevertheless, it doesn’t
answer them completely.

Some Additional Principles

Several principles emerge from the texts that we have already examined that move us
in the right direction.

First, we are individually responsible for those closest to us, beginning with the poor
in our own families. First Timothy 5:8 says, “But if anyone does not provide for his own,
and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an
unbeliever.” And I should add that the teaching of 1 Timothy 5 is reflecting something of
the teaching of the Old Testament. Leviticus 25:25 says, “If a fellow countryman of yours
becomes so poor he has to sell part of his property, then his nearest kinsman is to come and
buy back what his relative has sold.”

Second, the church institutionally is responsible for the poor in its midst. We must
make the needy of Redeemer Bible Church our chief priority. This is what Paul means
when, for example, he tells the Galatians to “do good to all people, and especially to those
who are of the household of the faith” (Gal 6:10). Christians should receive priority
assistance without neglected outsiders.

Third, if mercy ministry is offered in imitation of Christ’s ministry to us in the

gospel, then it seems biblically warranted to conclude that we should not be passive in
pursuing the ministry of mercy, but active in it. In other words, we should not wait for the
needy to come to us; we should move out to show mercy to the needy.

4
Timothy J Keller, Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road, Second Edition (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R
Publishing, 1989, 1997), 98.

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This is precisely how God acts in his mercy toward us. Christ seeks and saves that
which is lost. He seeks us out that he might lavish us with the riches of his mercy and grace.
So we, too, ought not to be content with waiting to show mercy should a needy person
arrive on our doorstep. Instead we should be praying to the Lord for increased
opportunities to meet the needs of the oppressed, of those who have suffered from some
disaster or other calamity, and even of those who have sinned their way into a condition of
need.

Perhaps this last phrase is the most troubling for you. You may be asking, “Why
would we help a person who has arrived in a condition of poverty because of their own
sin?” Well, let me answer that in three ways. First, we need to ask ourselves if this reflects
the mercy God has shown to us. Our condition of sin and misery is our own fault. We
have sinned our way into condition of need regardless of our material circumstances. Yet
while we were still sinners, rebelling against God, Christ died for us.

Second, think of it like this. If you encountered a man who looked sick and
emaciated, crying out for food, you would feel compelled to feed him. No one should
starve when it is in our power to give them sustenance. But what if this man was sick and
starving because he spent all his money on “Meth”? Would you look at him as he cried out
for food, starving, and say, “Sorry, buddy, you made your bed, now sleep in it!” Do not the
love and compassion and mercy of Christ compel us to feed the hungry man and then
persist with him that he might know freedom from sin in the gospel? I think so.

Third, you need to keep in mind that the reasons people find themselves in poverty
are quite complex. It is very rare that a person is poor or starving solely because he or she
has sinned. Many times there is a combination of factors that have led to their condition,
including their sin. Such complex arrangements are humanly impossible to unknot. Let me
give you an example.

Two people from church are visiting the home of some kids who came to
Bible Day Camp. While there, they find a mother, Mrs. C., age thirty-two with five
children. The oldest girl is sixteen, single, and has one-year-old twins of her own.
Mrs. C. has only a third grade education. Her husband left her five years ago, and
she can barely provide for her family. She has been unable to work for a couple of
years because of chronic back problems. The oldest daughter Joan shows signs of
genuine interest in the gospel. But she admits to you that her mother is a drug
addict, and that she gets Joan to supplement their income through occasional
prostitution. “That’s how I got the twins,” she adds sadly, “and maybe I’ve got
another coming.”5

Try and untangle that knot! We could attribute their poverty to several causes:
unjust treatment by Mrs. C.’s parents—allowing her only to obtain a third-grade education;
unjust treatment by Mrs. C.’s husband—he left her with five children when she was 27; she
cannot work because she is physically debilitated with back problems; and she has a drug

5
Adapted from ibid., 102.

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addiction and is selling sex in order to supplement her income. She has been sinned against
and she is sinning. Can we pin down a single cause for Mrs. C.’s predicament? I think not.

Therefore, in imitation of Christ’s mercy toward us, not only should we take the
initiative to meet the needs of the oppressed and those who have suffered from some disaster
or other calamity, but we should also work to meet the needs even of those who have sinned
their way into their lack. As Edwards rightly points out, “Now Christ hath loved us, pitied
us, and greatly laid himself out to relieve us from that want and misery which we brought
on ourselves.”6

So then, what additional principles do we have? (1) We are individually responsible

for the needy of our own families; (2) the church is institutionally responsible for its own
members; and (3) our mercy to others should look like Christ’s mercy to us.

Conclusion
Well, we began this morning’s message by asking about what criteria should be used
dispersing our resources among the needy. We began by asking how to determine who gets
what, and how much. We began by asking if it is ever right to stop giving aid. And we
began by asking if there should ever be conditions attached to the mercy we offer. What we
found was that our questions did not avail themselves of simple answers.

Yes, we were able to determine that our charity should be aimed at believers and
unbelievers alike; and we found that our mercy should be both unconditional and
conditional. And we also saw a biblical priority placed upon us individually for the
members of our own families, institutionally for the members of the church, and in
imitation of Christ, a proactive and initiating ministry of mercy for sinners of every stripe.

Yet in spite of all the principles we have gleaned not only this morning, but for the
last eight weeks, we are still left scratching our heads. What percentage of my income
should I give to the ministry of mercy? What activities, if any, should I eliminate from my
schedule? Should I go out to dinner less often? Should I cancel my magazine and
newspaper subscriptions? Should I have only one car?

Dear brethren, as we have been saying all along, these are questions that cannot be
answered by a pastor; indeed, they cannot even be directly answered from the pages of
Scripture. Thus we are left to the mercy of God. Ironic, isn’t it? Isn’t it ironic that after all
our study that we are left to the mercy of God for the outworking of the ministry of mercy?
I think it’s fitting. For to be at the mercy of God is the safest place to be. As David said
when confronted with the choice of his punishment, “Let us now fall into the hand of the
LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man” (2 Sam 24:14).

It is so safe to be at the mercy of God. Call out to him for mercy and grace and
wisdom to know how you might more actively participate in this vital ministry. It is vital to

6
Edwards, “Christian Charity,” 172.

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the church and it is vital to the individual Christian. So we never waste our prayers when
we beg God for the wisdom to discern how to apply his principles to our daily lives.

Finally, I’d like to conclude with a word from the Apostle Paul in which he quotes a
saying from the Lord Jesus, not recorded in the gospels, but his nonetheless. And I do this
so that I might remind you of the joy of the ministry of mercy; for if you are not set aflame
by the joy of the Lord, all your duties will fell like drudgeries rather than delights. Listen:
“In everything” says Paul, “I showed you [Ephesian elders] that by working hard in this
manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He
Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35).

The elders are charged with the responsibility of helping the weak; that is, of
engaging in the hard work of the ministry of mercy. But this is only half of Paul’s
commandment. They are also charged with the responsibility of remembering the words of
the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Dear brothers and sisters we cannot have one without the other! We cannot truly
help the weak without at the same time remembering that it is more blessed to give than to
receive! Oh that the Lord would allow us to believe this: that it is more blessed to give than
to receive. May we say no to that which is less blessed in order to say yes to that which is
more blessed. And may we do it all to the glory of Christ. Amen.

Redeemer Bible Church

16205 Highway 7
Minnetonka, MN 55345
Office: 952.935.2425
Fax: 952.938.8299
info@redeemerbiblechurch.com
www.redeemerbiblechurch.com

The Ministry of Mercy, Part 8 © 2004 by R W Glenn