Let’s talk about mercy. Beautiful, beautiful mercy.
“Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would not; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent.” (Mosiah 16:12)
The Lord stretched out his arm of mercy, but they would not call on him. They were warned of their iniquities, but they would not depart from them. They were commanded to repent and would not.
Mercy can’t be sprinkled over us like fairy dust. It’s something that we have to take hold of. It’s always there. The Lord is always stretching out his hand of mercy, hoping we will take hold of it, but if we refuse, then justice is there to take over.
So then, how do we take hold of mercy? We repent.
“Therefore, according to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state… And thus we see that all mankind were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God, which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence.” (Alma 42:13-14)
For the record. None of us want justice for ourselves. What we deserve in this fallen realm is not something anyone would aspire to, because what we deserve is to be cut off from the Lord’s presence. The Lord knows that and he wants to prevent it. He does not delight in doling out punishments. He’s not sitting around, waiting for us to mess up so that he can slap us with a fine, send us on a guilt trip, or thrust us down to hell. He doesn’t want us to suffer, which is why he warns, then he warns again, and again. He stretches out his merciful hand, hoping that we will take hold. He cannot snatch us away from justice—that would deprive us of our agency. So then, we must be the one to choose Him. Repentance is required for mercy to take effect.
What is repentance? It’s a change of mind. It’s turning our hearts to God. When we realize that our actions are contrary to God’s will and we make the decision to change—that is repentance, and it can happen in an instant.
When King Benjamin preached to the people, the result was immediate. The people ended up with such a consciousness of their own guilt that they fell to the ground and begged forgiveness.
“He cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them…And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins…after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience.” (Mosaic 4:1-3)
How long did it take the Lord to forgive them? It was immediate. They finished speaking, the spirit came upon them and they received a remission of their sins.
How long does it take for the Lord to forgive us? It’s instantaneous. He’s forgiven us before we even ask. He is ready, waiting and eager to forgive us. In John 8, when the woman taken in adultery was brought before the Savior, what did He do?
Keep in mind—this wasn’t a false accusation. She was guilty, having been caught “in the very act.” Justice demanded punishment, and the people brought her to Christ to see what he would do. In order to convict her, there needed to be two accusers. So Christ invited any there that were without sin to cast that first stone—to condemn her.
They all went away, and no accusers were left.
It’s interesting to note that this woman didn’t come asking for Christ’s mercy or forgiveness. But he forgives her, even without her asking.
Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?
No man, Lord.
Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
He’s showing her the way. He’s stretching out his merciful hand and saying, “Look! My forgiveness is here for the taking. All you have to do is make the decision to sin no more.”
There were no lashes with a whip, no stones thrown. There wasn’t even a rebuke or wagging finger. He found a way to get around the law of the land by pricking the hearts of those who wanted to accuse her. He went out of his way to be merciful in order to prevent justice from claiming the woman’s life.
We don’t have a record to show us if this woman accepted the opportunity to repent. We don’t know how her life proceeded from that point. But we know that it was her choice. He laid his mercy at her feet and she had to decide whether or not to pick it up.
That’s us. That’s our situation every day. Christ has laid his love, grace, and mercy at our feet and invited us to pick it up. Repent, turn to Him, and take hold of His mighty forgiveness, His mercy, His power to save. The savior can offer that gift because he atoned for our sins.
“And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also.” (Alma 42:15)