A Wideness in God’s Mercy

“There’s a wideness in God’s mercy, 
Like the wideness of the sea; 
There’s a kindness in His justice, 
Which is more than liberty.
There’s a welcome for the sinner,
And more graces for the good;
There is mercy with the Savior;
There is healing in His blood.”

These words, written by Frederick Faber in 1862, are the opening verses to the hymn There’s a Witness in God’s Mercy. These two verses speak of the truth of God’s mercifulness. As I remind my students, mercy is not receiving what one deserves. When caught speeding or brought before a judge, most parties will appeal to the authority’s mercy, even if the party is in the wrong. If the cop is feeling merciful, he may let the speeder off with a warning. If the judge is not feeling merciful, he rules in accordance with the law. The error with too many Christians today is assuming God must be merciful.

Faber makes this same mistake in the following two verses of his hymn:

​“But we make His love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify His strictness
With a zeal He will not own.
For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of one's mind;
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.”

Interesting. “We magnify His strictness with a zeal He will not own”? Let’s first consider Faber’s position. I think he is on to something in noting the depth and breadth of God’s mercy. It is incomprehensible to our finite minds. The Prophet Micah boldly proclaims, “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love.” (Micah 7:18) God’s mercy, just like His other attributes, is fully present. It is a holy mercy; it is a loving mercy; it is an immutable mercy. What a minute? An immutable mercy? Does that mean everyone is going to heaven? 

Some time ago I came across this Facebook post: “Although my brother professed to not being a Believer, I am and I know our God was greater than his lack of belief and our God’s Love is greater than my brother’s unknowing of that Love.” Certainly the author of this post came to the same conclusion I posited above: An immutable mercy must mean everyone is going to heaven, even a professed unbeliever. It is possible to cherry-pick that reading out of Scripture, but as good Christians, we must let Scripture interpret Scripture. What does Scripture say about this? 

Earlier in redemptive history, God has this conversation with the Prophet Moses.

Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ”The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.“ (Exodus 34:6-7)

One chapter earlier we see this conversation:

And He said, ”I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.“ (Exodus 33:19)

If that sounds familiar, it should. The Apostle Paul quotes from Exodus 33 when, in his discourse on the true Israel, explains how it is possible for God to say “Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.” (Romans 9:13, Malachi 1:2-3) I expand on the hatred of God here. 

​In one sense, Faber is correct, in that God’s mercy is immutable. Those whom He has elected were chosen in eternity past and will remain in that state into eternity future. The same is true for the reprobate. God’s justice is equally immutable. If only Faber and his ilk would take his own advice: 

​If our love were but more simple,
We could take Him at His word;
And our lives would be more loving
In the likeness of our Lord. 

God won’t send a believer kicking and screaming into hell. Likewise, God won’t drag an unbeliever kicking and screaming into heaven.