Elevating Christ & the Mercy of God—Emilio Ramos

It brings me great joy to be able to share this short writing from my dear husband, Emilio Ramos (Teaching pastor at Sovereign Joy Community Church, Keller, TX). I hope you are encouraged by this as much as I was. Here's what Emilio writes:

I have been saturated in the virtue list of Galatians 5:22-25, these virtues stem from the fruit of the Spirit. Upon reflection I have noticed how many of these are mere reflections of God’s own character. Researching the kindness of God I came across its close relationship to God’s mercy. As I looked at how the mercy, kindness, and goodness of God were elevated and praised in the OT, I could not help but to make the consummate connection between Christ and all of this. God’s mercy is an inexpressible and unimaginable grace and gift of God.

God’s wrath is the greatest wrath. It is as Edward’s put it, “the wrath of a Being that is All Mighty”. One moment of reflection upon our own wickedness, one instant of retrospective thought toward our depravity and we should instantaneously see the mercy of God for what it is, exceedingly merciful.

In the word of God, mercy is a powerful thing. It shows us the nature of God. It shows what the world of men ought to be like. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7). It helps us to see what we deserve in its place. Apart from the force field of God’s mercy we would be crushed into oblivion. Without God’s sustaining mercy toward us we would be ground to powder by the strength of His Justice and Wrath. God’s wrath is the greatest wrath. It is as Edward’s put it, “the wrath of a Being that is All Mighty”. Simply put, the mercy of God keeps us from utter destruction and eternal devastation. For this reason God’s mercy is exalted in the Word of God. It is spoken about from generation to generation. God’s mercy is acclaimed with praise because it is the cause of such great and everlasting joy. The Hebrew word for mercy is /hesed/, the NASB tends to translate this as “lovingkindness”.

One Psalm is sufficient to see just how precious this attribute of God has been to His people,

Psalm 136:
“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the God of gods, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

To Him who alone does great wonders, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting:

The sun to rule by day, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

The moon and stars to rule by night, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

To Him who smote the Egyptians in their firstborn, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

And brought Israel out from their midst, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

With a strong hand and an outstretched arm, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

To Him who divided the Red Sea asunder, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

And made Israel pass through the midst of it, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

But He overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

To Him who smote great kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
And slew mighty kings, For His lovingkindness is everlasting:

Sihon, king of the Amorites, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

And Og, king of Bashan, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

And gave their land as a heritage, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

Even a heritage to Israel His servant, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Who remembered us in our low estate, For His lovingkindness is everlasting,

And has rescued us from our adversaries, For His lovingkindness is everlasting;

Who gives food to all flesh, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Give thanks to the God of heaven, For His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

Yet if we have not elevated Christ and the mercy of God, we have not elevated mercy because Christ is our only access to the everlasting mercy of God. Indeed all of God’s spiritual graces are poured out upon us “IN CHRIST”. He is central. His is essential. He is preeminent in all things least of which is not the way in which we receive the mercy of God.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” - Ephesians 1:3

From this great all inclusive phrase i.e. “in Christ”, Paul now begins to tell us what we have as a result of being in Christ. Election, Sanctification, Predestination, Adoption, Redemption, Forgiveness, Knowledge, Inheritance, and Preservation. God no longer relates with us on the basis of our own merits, deeds, or lack there off. God now sees us through the lens of being in His Son, in Christ. God is kind to us by virtue of the fact that we no longer are seeking to have a righteousness of our own but we now have God’s own righteousness because we have been found in Christ and that by faith.

“so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” - Ephesians 2:7

“and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,” - Philippians 3:9

For this reason it is all in Christ. This is why Christ is right at the heart of it all. Based upon Christ’s merits, Christ’s righteousness, and God’s commitment to show His Son love, mercy, kindness, gentleness, patience, goodness and any other God emanating virtue we can conceive, we have these joy producing blessings “in Christ” and in Christ alone.

Solus Christus!

Pastor Emilio Ramos