All Because of God’s Great Mercy

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:35-37).

The book of Genesis tells the story of Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 18 and 19). We see a stunning example of God’s great mercy as he warned Abraham’s nephew, Lot, of impending doom on the city and provided a path of escape for him and his family. Lot warned his sons-in-law but they thought he was joking, and his wife was filled with indecision and looked back during their escape. But Lot and his daughters ultimately were saved.

“And while he lingered, the [angels] took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city” (Genesis 19:16).

The Bible calls Lot a righteous man (see 2 Peter 2:8-9) and he stands as a type of remnant believer in these last days. As the sins of our society mount toward heaven — sensuality, immorality and ever-bolder evil — America is ripe for destruction. If God’s Church today is righteous, it is only because of the blood of Jesus Christ, and not because of any goodness or morality he has seen in us. His sheer mercy came to us and pulled us out of judgment.

Think about it. When you were saved, the Spirit of God took you by the hand and pulled you out of your sins just as he led Lot and his family out of Sodom and Gomorrah. He set you outside the reach of wickedness and rebellion and brought you out of judgment. All because of his great mercy!