Today,
reply is on sin as an artifact and outcome of decision-making before
action, and mercy as an artifact of accountability and guilt in
judgment. It is written: Exodus 33: 18-20, King James Version
(KJV): 18 And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. 19 And he
said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will
proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and
will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on
whom I will shew mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face:
for there shall no man see me, and live. One of the fighters in the
“Yahoo! Answers” public forum on Religion & Spirituality who
uses the ID “Anonymous” (no profile information appears) posted
the following:
When
god offered three penalties to David, where’s the free will if
punishment was inevitable? Also, where was god’s mercy?
THE
GOLDEN ARROW: And the LORD passed by before him,
and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness
and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the
guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children, and upon the children’s
children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. And
Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and
worshipped. (Exodus 34: 6-8, KJV)
THE
DOUBLE DAGGER: Grace Abounds Much More (04/02/2020); The Challenge
of Covid-19 (03/22/2020); “GOD, I Thank Thee...” (03/16/2020);
Mankind A Divine Instrument (02/16/2020); Eternal Judgment With Mercy
(11/19/2019); Blame and Punishment Removed? (12/22/2019); The Penalty
of Death? (04/26/2019)
“Anonymous”,
in the plan of GOD, by decision-making mankind may determine the
outcomes of their own behavior before they take action; and penalties
and punishment are not the primary focus for Christian thinkers.
Answers shared among mature Christian believers as revelation from
divinity include points of consideration you may never have heard or
seen before. The following is a sample from the full system of
Christian faith:
1.
As created beings and living creatures put forth by divinity, the
living are to operate as independent from the Maker, and as having
completeness and integrity. Mankind is to display discrete and
separate self-will (i.e., willpower), emotion/mind, personhood, and
responsiveness to divinity. Just as there are no finite and man-made
consciousness, existence, or life essence (breath; spirit;
utterance; word), there is no finite and man-made “free will.”
2.
David voluntarily was in a relationship with divinity that was
defined and secured through divine law, eternal purpose, sacred
promises, sovereign proclamations, and prophecy. As a condition of
covenant, David willingly accepted judgment from divinity. GOD
revealed himself to Moses as immortal, incorruptible, and invisible;
yet, a God who operates through law, judgment, and inseparable
aspects of divine fullness imparted from the makeup of GOD (e.g.,
faith, holiness, longsuffering, lovingkindness, oneness without
sameness, righteousness, wisdom, wrath against sin).
3.
There are multiple points for exercise of self-will respecting
divine law: Know the law, obey the law; err or transgress the law,
repent; know the law, abide in the law where “to abide” is to
incorporate the law within your lifestyle and daily routine. In the
same way seeing ones own opportunities and possibilities for correct
spiritual action and decision-making requires the practice of
discernment, mature Christians practice discernment to acknowledge
the presence, process, guidance, and gifts provided by divinity for
judgment.
4.
Properly understood, mercy is an artifact of judgment: Along with
impartiality, mercy is provided to ensure balance and to lessen the
harshness of condemnation for those who are found accountable and
guilty following a complete examination of relevant truth.
Forgiveness does not fulfill all the requirements for judgment and
justice. Just as there can be no finding of “Not guilty!” “Case
dismissed!” or “Time served!” without the formal tribunal of
judgment, without judgment there is no mercy.
There
is far more that should be said, correctly examined, and spiritually
apprehended. (For example, from the music ministry of
Steve Amerson (5.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owkc0PZWigc.)
Even
so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according
to your faith.
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Washington,
DC
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