Letter to Mohanid on the Mercy of God

Preface: Mohanid is a 30-something Lebanese Psychologist. He is a Muslim, he was educated in America, and he is exceptionally likable. I met Mohahid in March of 2007 at the annual dinner of the Muslim Student Association of Wayne State University. I went alone to that event, so I was sitting at the table with people I didn't know and having small talk. After awhile, someone I knew saw me and introduced me to Mohamad, who sat with me for and started a conversation. I gave him my phone number and he called me a few weeks later. That year we had four long dinner meetings to discuss our faith, which were very deep and very pleasant. Later we had him and his wife over to visit us one evening, and when their baby was born we visited them. Since then we have been having email dialogues such as the one in this blog.  -Scott Cherry


Hi Mohanid,
I'm finally getting around to explaining the Christian understanding of mercy. It's at the end of his email, in blue. Of course, it's my understanding of the Christian perspective. I suspect that some Christians have a better grasp on this than I do, but also that some have never thought it through at all. Also, in reviewing some of our old emails, I see that we've already talked about grace a little, a doctrine that in the Christian faith is every bit as important as mercy, and very closely related. As this discussion unfolds, maybe we can weave grace back into it.

My original intent with this "Comparative Options for Mercy" was to try to be as logical as possible with this concept, not only for the benefit of my correspondents' understanding but also for my own. In discussions with Muslim people I have often found myself pondering this and working through the options in my head. I've tried to do the same thing in writing, list all the possible versions of mercy I could think of besides the Christian one. Now that I've included that too, you'll note that it starts off similar to 1 and 2b (which are the ones you espouse with that one exception clause). Then, when you look again at 2b and compare it to #5 you might observe what I think are some of the logical problems to solve with 2b. Namely, if the criteria are known for acceptance by God, and His standards are known, why is it not possible to know whether one is accepted or not?

Scott

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In a message dated 6/6/2009 1:19:43 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, Mohanid@edu writes: 

Hi Scott,
Thanks for writing and I enjoyed reading what you wrote about Mercy. From my somewhat limited knowledge, I would say that Islam would be closest to Point 2 with elements of both 2a and 2b but probably significantly more from 2b. Islam is very simple in what it asks of humans. The word "Islam" itself means 'Submission'. And it is understood that if one simply follows this tenet in his/her life, then this person can be eligible for God's mercy. We are obviously not perfect, that is an impossible achievement for a human, a mere creation, but if we at least try to submit our lives and actions to God, then we can be eligible for his mercy. 

Submission is an enormous and beautiful act with wide-reaching arms. It means that we as humans are to live our lives with God in mind and in all our actions.If we are studying, we are studying to please God because God wants us to be educated. If we are raising a family it's so we can instill Submission to God in our children and raise them well in this light. If we are eating, we are eating to sustain our bodies, a gift from God to us. If we are having relations with our spouse it is so we strengthen our lives and families in a way that pleases God, within marriage. If we are praying, we are showing gratitude to God and looking to those below us rather than those above us. In essence, we as humans are to "Submit" our lives to God. Our goals, actions, words, and beliefs.

Again, we are not perfect, and we do and will falter, but as long as we are submitted to God's will and attempt to live the way he wishes and knows is best for us, then we will hopefully be fine and fall under his grace and mercy. So it's sort of a mindset more than anything else. If a person searches for God and submits his/her life to God, then this person will have God's mercy. We will forget and do things for ourselves or for others and not for God at times, but we should go back to God since he would always be in the person's mind and memory. If we can do this then that is great. It's a mindset. We're not perfect, but if we have this mindset, we can be good. It is argued that the 5 daily prayers in Islam have this precise function. To serve as a reminder of our goal in this life at regular intervals lest we forget. That is to submit our lives to God.

I would definitely say 2b is the way things are if it were not for this statement that "it is possible for someone to know whether he/she will go to paradise."  I would be careful to make this statement since any one of us who claims to have a formula to determine someone's punishment or reward, hell or heaven, is fooling him/herself since the number of factors we as humans can account for, and the intricacies of our lives are far too complex to be determined by a simple formula and only the ultimate judge, God, has this immense power and wisdom.I don't know if this was an answer to your question, again, I'm just a humble reader and no expert. (Me too.) I'm interested in knowing where you believe Christian belief lies?

Regards and thanks again for writing,

Mohanid

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----- Original Message -----
From: Scott Cherry   Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 2:51 PM
Subject: The Mercy of God

Hi Mohanid,
Peace to you and your family. Thanks for your voicemail in response to mine 10 days ago. I didn't call you back again because I didn't have anything specific to talk about then. I just wanted to say hello. But here I am sending you some of my thoughts that may be of interest to you--they are related to some things we discussed in-depth back when we were having our long conversations. I was recently thinking through the topic of the mercy of God and I wrote this out one day to study my own ideas more clearly. I think they're especially related to the talk we had about the nature of salvation. Remember that one? If you have time, look this over and let me know what you think. I've always appreciated your perspectives on such matters.

Your friend,

Scott

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Possible Versions of the Mercy of God (Options) #5 has been added, the Christian version. 

Introduction: Muslims and Christians agree that God is merciful; it is replete in their holy books. Therefore, it's important for us to discuss the mercy of God because this is one of His primary attributes. (Some of His other attributes include just, loving, holy, omnipotent, etc.) When we say God is merciful, exactly what do we mean? Here are some of the options as I understand them. Is there one or more of these options which you as a Muslim embrace particularly? Are there any categories that I have left out? Are there any subtle or obvious elements to God's mercy, and related concepts, that I have omitted or misconstrued?

#1: Absolute (unconditional) mercy: God is so merciful that He forgives everybody unconditionally, and everybody goes to heaven (i.e. nobody goes to hell because of God's mercy). If God is that merciful then it hardly matters how we live and what we believe during this life.

#2a: Unknowable conditional mercy: God shows mercy to only those that meet certain conditions (i.e. standards). It is impossible to know exactly what those certain conditions (i.e. criteria) are, as well as the proportionate measurement (i.e. the "grading scale") of them, so it is also impossible for anyone to know whether he/she will go to heaven.

#2b: Knowable conditional mercy: God shows mercy to only those that meet certain conditions (i.e. standards). We can know exactly what those certain conditions (i.e. criteria) are, and we can know the proportionate measurement (i.e. the "grading scale") of them, so it is also quite possible for someone to know whether he/she will go to paradise.

#3: Arbitrary mercy (either conditional or unconditional): God may or may not have conditions, but it doesn't matter either way. Because whether you meet them or not is irrelevant. In the end, God will choose whether to accept a person into heaven or hell based on arbitrary fate or decree, or his mood or something else that cannot be known. Therefore, if you are very good person you may still go to hell because your acceptance is really only based on the arbitrary mercy of God (not merit), and you cannot know if he will give it to you or not. On the other hand, even if you are a very bad person you might still be accepted into paradise because acceptance is not based on merit; it's based soley on the mercy of God, which he can give to you if he wants to, even if you're bad.

#4: Meritorious mercy (knowable or unknowable): God is merciful but his mercy is only applied to those with merit (i.e. goodness). Therefore, if a person has no merit at all he cannot be accepted by God into paradise. Conversely, if a person has perfect merit (though we agree that not many have this) he must be accepted into paradise (but then how can mercy be mercy?). A third subcategory is that a person has to have at least some merit, or goodness, to receive God's mercy, and the more he has the better. If he/she has enough goodness then God will (or might) give him enough mercy to make up for the badness that he also has (i.e. the deficit). If he doesn't have enough merit then God will not give him any mercy (and again, how can mercy be mercy?). Now, if the ratio (i.e. grading scale) between merit and mercy is knowable, then all you have to do is achieve that level of merit to receive the amount of mercy you need. If the ratio is unknowable, then you can never know whether you are good enough or not, and whether God will give you enough mercy to be accepted into paradise.

#5: Knowable vicarious conditional meritorious mercy (Yes, I know this is a very wordy description. It's what I understand to be the biblical Christian doctrine of mercy. Note that it is an extension of options 1 and 2b, the latter of which you said most closely describes the Muslim doctrine of mercy). Here it goes: God is abundantly merciful. But His mercy exists only because His justice does, because without the former there is no need for the latter. Further, there could be no concept of mercy without the concept of justice. God is also supremely just but not only just. He is just and merciful, and He is merciful because He is loving. Indeed, one book of the Bible states that God is Love (1 John 4:7). His love and his glory are supreme motivators for bestowing mercy to the world. And it is Jesus that provides the merit for it.

“For God so loved the world..." The Bible, John 3:16

God's mercy extends to everybody universally, though possibly more to some than others. Everybody who lives and grows (and experiences any of the pleasures of this life) has received God's mercy, whether He knows it or not. But mercy is not the same as forgiveness. It is not mercy, therefore, but forgiveness (and grace) that allows anyone to enter heaven. But God shows His mercy to everyone if, for the sake of His justice, He does not immediately destroy them (which He obviously doesn't do). But forgiveness is offered only to those that meet certain conditions or standards. Because of His justice, those who do not meet them must go to hell even if, for the sake of His mercy, God allows them to live out their life.

We can know exactly what those certain criteria are because He has revealed them to us, and we can also know the proportionate measurement (i.e. the "grading scale") of them. If these things are both knowable, it follows logically that it is possible for someone to know whether he/she will go to heaven or hell. Thus, without God's mercy all people who offend God or commit crimes against Him, or who are by nature contrary to the qualities that please God, would immediately suffer the justice and wrath of a Holy, Almighty God. If we know the expectations (and the penalties), and we do not meet them, this must be the outcome. It is pure law, pure justice, and God loves both. Thankfully, He is also merciful beyond measure.

However, even though God's standards are knowable and theoretically achievable, nobody actually meets them. This is the problem. The main reason why people do not meet them is because their essential nature is bent away from God, so they really do not want to comply with God's standards all the time, in every way. On the contrary, most people do not want to submit to God all the time, or even most of the time. In reality they don't want to live under His authority. They prefer their own authority (or no authority at all). Yes, some people (if they are not atheists) are willing to obey God's laws some of the time, but even they can have false, insincere or inconsistent motives. In truth they would rather do what they want to do and have what they want to have even when it is the opposite of what God expects and requires. Moreover, they inwardly disdain God and His laws. And being this way is a crime against God.

So, again, God's first act of mercy is that He does not destroy people like this on the spot. He lets them live to experience many of the pleasures of life, even though they don't submit to Him. (Having said that, there are surely times when God destroys some people, when they've filled up their cup with corruption and wickedness.) But I'm also sure that in many cases God is giving people time to repent and submit to Him. In addition, who knows how many other griefs and tragedies from which He spares people, even wicked and spiritually disinterested people. With all the evil, conflict, decadence and suffering that pollutes the world, I sometimes wonder why the world is not much worse than it is. This is God's mercy.

It's true that some people seem to want to submit to God and obey His laws. They may be sincere, they may try hard, they may pray a lot asking for God's power to meet His standards. But still they fail. They don't just fail a little, they fail a lot. They break God's laws even when it is invisible to others. If you search your soul, you know this is true. Why? Because there is fundamental problem with the soul. The soul is weak, it is prone to succumb to temptation, and the mind to indulge that which is grievous to God. And if God, because He is holy and just, were to give these people what they deserve when they deserve it, he would destroy them as soon as they first deviated from His law. But He doesn't do that (at least not all the time). Again, this is the mercy of God.

But God's mercy is not cheap. It is neither without a basis nor without a means. God does not simply excuse those who fail to meet His standards or rebel against Him, because then He would not be just. On the contrary, there are consequences for the life not lived in submission to Him. Rather, the Almighty and Just One has made divine provision for mercy through a singular act in history, one that would never need be repeated; an act that only He as Supreme King could accomplish through the willing sacrifice of He who was never touched by Satan at birth, and whose purpose it was to destroy the works of the devil—Jesus. The universality and power of that one act reaches backward into history and forward into the future all at once, to extend mercy to all humanity regardless of their personal merit.

But it was not without merit that His mercy was extended to all. No, it was the voluntary death of Jesus on the cross and his glorious resurrection from the grave that merited the mercy of God on our behalf, in obedience to his Father. He earned it for us by his perfect death, because we are neither worthy nor able to earn it for ourselves. For this reason alone we are not all sent to hell at our first act of defiance to our parents, or our frst lie, or our first display of contempt for someone (which are really offenses to God Himself) though that is what we deserve. Instead, most people have abundant opportunity to encounter the love of God through Jesus and respond in faith. Here is an appropriate verse of Scripture to conclude this short piece.

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly…God shows his love for us in thatwhile we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." The Bible, Romans 5:6-8

Therefore, it is God's mercy (flowing from divine love) that saves people from immediate destruction. But it is only His grace (which also flows from divine love and is based on that same perfect act of Christ) that can save a person from eternal hell. So, in reality, Jesus becomes the vicarious means of God’s mercy. But he also becomes the means for grace, forgiveness, and salvation, which are knowable because he himself is knowable, as well is his perfect sacrifice and resurrection. (And remember…if these things did not really happen then there is no reason to be a Christian at all.) Thus, the mercy of God alone is not sufficient to give us entrance into God’s eternal dwelling place. We need something more. We need the grace that is only available by trusting in Jesus, providing the ultimate forgiveness we so desperately need.

Much more can be said about God's mercy—and now grace—and other ideas that stem from them (e.g. regeneration, justification, forgiveness, healing, transformation, etc.). But this is supposed to be just a statement, not a whole paper. We shall save those ideas for the next round, ok?. I truly appreciate your sincerity and genuineness, and I look forward to your reflections.

Your friend,
Scott