Greetings atpollard. Grace and hope to you and yours.
I usually like most of what you write. Within this thread, it is the same. Although there are minor disagreements, I do have one more major disagreement however. I hope to gain some insight and explore this disagreement.
There is no "justice" in "mercy
I would first like to start by saying that I see "grace" and "mercy" as being different but sometimes overlapping concepts. I will not explore that distinction here however.
It is my contention that to avoid creating divine dissonance within the characteristics of God, both justice and grace must be related in some way when expressing our theology. That is, there must be justice in mercy.
The ground of particular election is the universal offer of mercy derived from the Law, for the Law is the ground for justice and mercy (Mat 23:23). For there can be no ground for mercy that does not create divine dissonance, if not grounded in the universal Law. Mercy cannot be mercy if not for justice, and justice cannot be justice if not grounded in the eternally consistent and universal Law of God. Mercy springs forth from justice, it is part of justice and justice a part of it; for both are a reflection of the Law and ultimately of the attributes of the divine nature of God.
Mercy as Part of the Law: Considering the concept of God’s Law, a pardon is part of the law. The pardon does not stand outside the law in a category considered ‘good pleasure’; it stands as part of the law. The Law is good (Rom 7:12), the Law is holy (Rom 7:12), it is perfect and true (Psa 119:142, Psa 19:7), the Law is love, righteous and pure (Rom 13:10, Psa 19:9, Rom 7:14), and it is spiritual, unchangeable, and eternal (Rom 7:14, Matt 5:18, Psa 111:7-8). Therefore, if the law is all these things, and the most important of these for this post being ‘eternal’ and unchangeable. Then mercy, like justice, does not work outside the Law but within it. It, like all the decrees of God, are consistent with the character of God.
Mercy is rooted and springs forth from the universal and eternal law of God; for mercy has no power where none are under the Law. We read in Matthew 23:23 that
"justice and mercy and faith" are
"weightier matters of the law".
(Matt 23:23 NKJV) 23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier [matters] of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
As can be seen in Matthew 23:23, Jesus describes “mercy” as a weighty matter of the law along with “justice”. In other words,
mercy is properly placed as part of the law along with justice. Where there are not those subjected to justice, one cannot find mercy; where there are those who have not fallen, mercy cannot pick back up. Thus, there can be no election after a fall without mercy that is derived from the Law, and mercy cannot by the grounding of election without those who are under the justice of the Law.
- Mercy forgives sins
- Only actions condemned by the law of God are properly called sins.
- Mercy can only forgive sins that are condemned by the Law.
Now, for a decree of mercy to truly be impartial when grounded in the Law, it, the decree within the law that there can be mercy, must be one of universality. For the Law itself is universal, fair and consistent.
Distinction
- Particular election is grounded in a universal mercy of God's good pleasure.
- Who God chooses is according to His good pleasure
Particular election, any concept of election for that matter, must be rooted or grounded in God’s eternal and universal decree of mercy; which is consistent with God’s Law and His character. It can be properly understood as saying that there is not an elect so that there will be mercy, but there is mercy so that there will be an elect. God does not possess the characteristics of mercy because of the elect, the elect receives mercy because of who God is, His eternal character. Further, this divine characteristic of mercy is holy, consistent, just, loving, and fair. It does not spring forth from partiality, injustice, hate, or malice. It springs forth from the eternally consistent Law of God which is a reflection of God himself. It springs forth from justice.
- The law is consistent and just
- To be consistent and just, the Law must be universal in scope
- The Law is universal in scope
If the Law is consistent and just then all the statutes are universal in scope.
- All the statutes within the Law are consistent, just and universal
- Justice is grounded in the Law, it is consistent, just and universal
- Mercy springs from and is grounded in justice; for without justice there can be no mercy.
- Mercy is consistent, just and universal.
To say something is consistent, just and universal is to say that there is no partiality. Partiality is unfair, bias, in favor of one thing or person compared with another, i.e., favoritism. So how does the act of God selecting some for election and leaving others to their just condemnation not considered to be favoritism?
God, His holy word, gives us that answer. God made it by
"faith" so that
"it might be according to grace". Notice which one comes first as being the binding tie that fits it all together into a unified consistent stratagem, it is "by faith" so that it might be "according to grace". All this means is that God, through His holy and perfect stratagem of grace through faith, is justified by His own holy, perfect and eternal attributes which the law, justice, mercy, and faith all spring.
(Rom 4:16 NKJV) 16 Therefore [it is] of faith that [it might be] according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
There is justice in mercy.
Keep seeking God's truth as if it were hidden treasure (Prov 2)
