The mercy of God is the entire foundation of our salvation. Our sin has broken us, torn us away from God, and left us for dead – eternally. The Law cannot help us. It can only show a bright spotlight on our wickedness. It points at us and says, “You are dead. You have rebelled against God and done what is evil in His sight. You should suffer both His temporal and eternal punishment.” It has no power to deliver us from death, no power to heal our wounds, no power to help us actually do what is good in God’s sight. It only demands and in so doing, it condemns. Thanks be to God who sent His Son to have mercy upon us. He did not pass by in derision at our self-wrought destruction. He didn’t turn a blind eye. He was not so disgusted by what He saw in us that He avoided us. Instead, He came and sought us out in the ditch of our death. He washed away the blood and the filth in the waters of Holy Baptism and bound up our wounds with the consolation of His forgiveness. He bore the burden of our sin and brought us to the church where we would be cared for through the preaching of His Word, the food of His own Body and Blood, and instruction in the truth. This, the mercy of Jesus, is the only way a person inherits eternal life.
Pastor Ulmer