Mercy and Truth

The following was written by my father as part of a weekly newsletter he does for the school he administrates. I thought it was blog worthy.

Nobody at CFC has asked me so far, but I am going to tell you anyway. I have been questioned in the past as to why I sign off with “mercy and truth.” “Why not ‘mercy and grace’?” I was asked once. That sounds a lot more gracious and friendly and loving and all those nice things. I truly do not have anything against ‘grace.’ It is a wonderful word. It is amazing. I was saved by it.

The reason I use ‘truth’ is that it reflects balance. I started looking one day, and it became increasingly clear that mercy is to be balanced with truth. Proverbs 3:3 states it plainly enough, “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee, bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.” The Psalmist says, “Oh Lord, let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me (Ps. 40:11).” Micah urges us to “do justly and to love mercy (Mic. 6:8).” Wherever I look I see this linkage between God’s love and God’s truth. Take time to do a word study, and it is amazing how many times these two themes are set side by side in Scripture.

Unfortunately, these themes are really a combination of oil and water that we have a hard time intermingling. How a holy God can love sinners is truly the scandal of the Bible. And I, in my flawed humanity, have a hard time hanging on to both at once. Most of the time, I readily embrace the love thing. It doesn’t take long in any week for me to realize again how I need the mercy of our God. And I love how His mercies are new every morning. Love, love, love. All we really need is love. The Beatles almost got it right. We surely are all sheep who have gone astray and are in desperate need of the Good Shepherd’s tender voice.

Preaching God’s love is an easy and popular message. Who doesn’t need to hear it again and again? And yet, there is that troublesome other half of the message, God’s truth. Our God is a God of righteousness and justice, and we are to be held accountable to His standard of holiness. Occasionally, I must confess, I take a certain amount of perverse satisfaction in applying God’s standard of truth to others who are drastically missing the mark. In East Tennessee, we would call that ‘whupping up’ on someone. And in certain circles and at certain times in history, God’s judgment is even the prevailing and popular message of the day.

We teeter and totter to one extreme or the other depending in part on our natural propensities or whatever is easiest or is the mood of the moment. Some of us are born ‘sticklers.’ Others just naturally ooze warmth and affection. But as parents, we are to reflect the whole image of God. To hold up God’s truth without His mercy is to fill young hearts with fear and despair. To hold up God’s love without His truth is to create a libertine spirit that cheapens the grace of God and makes a mockery of His law. Parents whose only concern is ‘truth’ can spawn frustration and bitterness. Parents who only show love with no standards of accountability can reap a whirlwind of out-of-control behavior. Administrators and teachers stand equally strung between these equal poles of tension. Discipline without love is cruel. Love without standards is meaningless.

I pray Godly wisdom for you as you raise up children in the fear and admonition of the Lord that you will know that perfect balance. Pray that also for me as I attempt to uphold standards in an atmosphere of love.

Mercy and Truth,

Mr. Moe