Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
In the Kingdom of God, mercy is a very cyclical concept. Those who receive mercy from God are prone to be merciful which pleases God and He shows the same people more mercy. All Christians, by the fact that they are God’s children, have been given great mercy.
Mercy is when one does not receive the full penalty for the sin/crime they are guilty of. The Bible tells us that all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and therefore every human being deserves God’s wrath and an eternity in hell. But God is merciful. He shows us mercy in so many ways.
First of all, Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin. Then, while we were still in rebellion against Him, God called us to repentance. Had God not called us we would have been lost without hope. When we believed, God took away our guilt and gave us the righteousness of Jesus. Finally, God continues to show mercy by granting us repentance unto life despite the fact we regularly fail to uphold the standard God has set for us.
We show mercy to others by forgiving them when they sin against us. When someone does wrong to us it is like they owe us in some way. When we forgive we cancel that debt and set them free. True forgiveness does not mean forgetting but it does mean that we expect nothing more from them to make the situation right. I’ll discuss this in more depth when we look at passages on forgiveness.
This verse is focused on the “blessed” part. Those who are merciful will receive mercy. There is the opposite which is also true. Those who do not show mercy will not be granted mercy. Read Matthew 6:14-15 and 18:32-35 to see how God treats those who refuse to show mercy. Jesus is very clear, the unmerciful will receive no mercy from God. I will speak more in depth when we get to those passages.
Most gracious and merciful God, I thank You for the mercy You have poured out on me. Without it I would have been lost. Please grant me the strength and courage to be like You in showing mercy and forgiveness.