Church called to show Christ’s mercy

The church of Jesus Christ is charged by God's Word to show mercy within the church of Jesus Christ. The church of Jesus Christ is called to meet the physical, material and economic needs of the people of God. And the Scriptures are very clear that the church has a responsibility to help the poor who are within the church.

It is true, of course, that in the life of the individual believer we are called to show mercy. We see that through the Scriptures. We are called to be a compassionate people. If we have been shown grace as Christians, we in turn are to show others mercy because of the grace that God has shown to us. We have been given mercy; we are to give mercy. And if this is true in the life of the individual believer, how much more true is this in the life of the church as a whole? There is one institution in this world that is called to represent Jesus Christ in a particular way. The preaching, the sacraments and the love of Christ are given to the church in a way that it is not given to other institutions in this world. The family has the ability to reflect God, and to reflect the church in a way. Paul tells us that. But families as individuals aren't given the keys to the kingdom, are they? You don't hear about people having the Lord's Supper at family worship. That is because it is something that belongs here. And then the state. The state has a responsibility to reflect Christ in a certain way. Romans 13:1–14 sets out what that is to look like. The state is equipped with the sword for the punishment of those that do evil, and they are to be rewarders of those that do good. So the state has a function.

But the church has a function as well. And within the church we see that God has given an office that is called to reflect the love of God in Christ in a way that He hasn't given it to the family or the individual, or even to the state. The church's love for those in need, as I have said, is a litmus test of the faith of a congregation. We are called to love in word and in deed as the church. And how beautiful is it when both of these ministries are working together – word and deed? When the church is exemplifying both of them unto the glory of God. We could go throughout this great city of ours and we could ask churches, Do you think you are more of a Word-based church, or are you more of a deed-based church? Are you a preachy sort of church, or are you a ministry, hands on, help the poor, help those in need sort of church? And it would be very rare to have a church say, We are both. It is very rare. Because churches often are Word-based or deed-based.¹

Nathan Eshelman