WHAT are the 3 commands/instructions in this verse? “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32
Commands found in Ephesians 4:32:
1. Be “kind” to others knowing God has and is showing your mercy based only on Christ’s merit, not your own.
2. Be “tenderhearted” for the same reason as above. You and I merit nothing but divine wrath outside of Jesus – period – so get off that high horse beloved before God knocks you off of it.
3. Forgive others based on the truth that God has forgiven you but only on the basis of Christ and His perfect sacrifice.
We must show mercy as you and I have been shown mercy by God through Christ Jesus and not due to any merit of our own because we only merit His holy wrath for our sin (Isaiah 64:6). God is not willing that ANY perish and so while we/they are still alive and have breath, there is hope and the privilege of repenting and confessing sins and receiving His forgiveness. Meditate on the thief on the cross and how Jesus so mercifully dealt with Him, receiving him into His eternal abode.
The LORD has been abundantly merciful to us through Jesus Christ and He requires that we show mercy to others in our attitudes and actions. Is this work of grace and of a heart of flesh being done in your life? Please memorize Ephesians 4:32. Live it. If you don’t what’s going to happen?
Dishing it Out to Others Exactly as You Want it Coming Back to You
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (give out), it shall be measured to you again. 3And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5
Over the last couple of years in particular, I have witnessed some renegade “watchmen” who got a bit too big for their britches and went about slandering other Christians, making up lies about them and thereby sowing discord among the brethren (Proverbs 6:19). God has and is judging them harshly according the the merciless measure of rule they meted or gave out to others. In these particular cases, the men I am referring to willingly refused to follow Christ’s commands on correcting others in the body of Christ and therefore caused divisions contrary to those teachings (Matthew 18:15-17; Romans 16:17-18; Galatians 6:1-2). God is now sleeping folks and He is rewarding us according to how we treat others, beginning with our attitudes toward them.
“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” James 2:13
Luke 10:25-37
One particular fellow who maligned and attacked me for something I didn’t even do, rendered a judgment upon me. He said that my ministry is over. I sent him packing due to his continual, unprovoked, unwarranted attacks (which was also the consensus of several other mutual friends). Then, I went home and got in prayer with our Father and said “LORD, if you want my ‘ministry’ to be over, I praise You for it and for whatever You want to do with this life (mine) that You have given.” In other words, I was saying, “LORD, I don’t want to do so-called ‘ministry’ if you aren’t in it all the way anyway. I have no ministry – You do Father, and if You want to use me in whatever way, praise You for whatever way that might be. I am but Your mere servant and just want to be in Your perfect will. So, if I ever really had been used in ministry that glorified You, it was only due to YOU and nothing of me, for I am ‘altogether vanity’ according to Your Word, even in my very ‘best state.’” (Psalms 139:4-5)
You see, those who wrongly judge and condemn us make the deliberate choice to refuse to render aid (the mercy needed to restore) even as they have received aid from God. In the blindness of their own heart due to their own sin, they project that guilt on others in condemnation (Romans 2:1-3; Hebrews 3:12-14). Unlike the Good Samaritan, they, like the merciless, hell bound religionists, pass by mercy and take hold of a judgment that belongs only to the Judge of all of our souls. Read afresh Luke 10:25-37.
When we truly humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, we will be bowed down low before Him and have nothing in us to wrongly cast stones at others. No, instead, we will be so smitten with our own darkness and the infinite, present need we ourselves have for His present mercy, that we will have no stone in our hand to throw at anyone. If we do, that person we would stone or chasten would be we ourselves!
Women Taken in the Act of Adultery Forgiven!
“So when they (the self-righteous) continued asking him (Jesus), he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” John 8:7-11
First Jesus forgives this woman and then tells her to “go, and sin no more.” The order is essential here in this transaction. Jesus came to heal, bless, deliver, forgive, and restore and not to condemn (Luke 4:18; 9:56; John 3:17).
If you have no need for divine mercy, stone those around you who stumble. If you do realize your infinite need for God’s mercy, throw God’s mercy at others! Restore! Bless! Help them! (Galatians 6:1-2)
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1-2
Message to the Condemned
To those reading this who have been harshly condemned by other mere men for sins in your past or just false accusation, you should know that God has a place of refuge for you (Job 5:21; Psalms 31:20). Firstly, He alone is your judge and your sentence or state is in His holy hands ultimately (Psalms 17:2). He sees and knows you have confessed and repented.
“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. 34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Romans 8:33-34
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I come before You in and through Jesus Christ alone. I have no right or privilege to approach You outside of Him. Based on His precious blood, shed for my many sins and utter sinfulness, I come before Thee my God, broken and in desperate need of Your present and saving mercy. I now realize that it’s ME that needs to repent and I am the one in the greatest need of Your undeserved mercy. God, please forgive my hardened heart toward You and others. I beg You to break me Father and make my heart very tender and restorative of others. Use me Jesus to bring hurting, lost, fallen sheep back to Your blessed fold. I love You Jesus! According to Your parable of the prodigal son, I will rejoice with You and Your angels at the prospect of others being restore and brought home to You! Amen.
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