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May 14, 2017

Balancing Mercy and Compassion with Righteousness

Balancing Mercy and Compassion with Righteousness

Passage: Proverbs 3:3-4

Series: Balancing Act

Category: Sunday Sermons

Keywords: compassion, mercy, righteousness

The church world today seems to find a tension between righteousness (i.e. the expectation we have to imitate Christ) and mercy or compassion (i.e. how much we tolerate our failure to do so). The book of Proverbs treats both qualities, mercy/compassion and righteousness, as virtues we should seek. The challenge, of course, lies in the balance! How do we live and love righteousness without becoming self-righteous? And how do we extend mercy and compassion without becoming overly tolerant? For relationships throughout our lives, in family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and strangers, we must learn to navigate these waters with care, the same care that God extends to us as he exemplifies perfect righteousness but extends to us incredible mercy. Prov 3:3-4; 11:17; 14:21-22, 31; 16:6; 19:22; 21:21; 2:21; 11:4, 28; 16:17; 20:7