Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: Mercy (01/15/26)
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TITLE: Over and Over | Previous Challenge Entry
By Donna Martelli
01/20/26 -
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Alex: People talk about God’s mercy all the time, but sometimes I wonder if it makes sin seem less serious.
Jordan: I’ve wrestled with that too. But I don’t think mercy minimizes sin; I think it highlights how serious it actually is.
Alex: How so?
Jordan: Because mercy doesn’t erase the cost. Someone still pays. In Christianity, that “someone” is Christ.
Alex: So mercy isn’t God just shrugging His shoulders and saying, “It’s fine?"
Jordan: Not at all. Scripture says God is “rich in mercy” (Ephesians 2:4), not careless with it. Mercy flows from love, but it’s grounded in truth.
Alex: Still, people abuse mercy. They mess up, ask forgiveness, and then do the same thing again.
Jordan: True. But that says more about human weakness than about God’s mercy. Remember Lamentations 3:22,23 (MEV) says:
“It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed;
His compassions do not fail.
They are new every morning.”
These verses don’t exist because people improve overnight.
Alex: So, mercy assumes failure?
Jordan: I think it assumes reality. God knows us better than we know ourselves. Mercy is God saying, “I’m not surprised, and I’m not done with you.”
Alex: That’s comforting, but it’s also a bit unsettling.
Jordan: Why unsettling?
Alex: Because if God keeps extending mercy, it means I can’t hide behind shame forever. I actually have to come back to Him.
Jordan: Exactly. Mercy invites honesty. The Bible says:
“Let us then come with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 (MEV)
Alex: I see that mercy isn’t a free pass. Lasting change usually comes from being loved when you least deserve it.
Jordan: Yes, it’s a second chance, and often a third, and a fourth. That is not to excuse sin, but to restore the sinner.
Alex: That changes how I think about others, too.
Jordan: It has to. Jesus said,
“Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7 (MEV)
People who live on mercy learn to give it.
Alex: I guess mercy is less about overlooking wrong and more about refusing to give up on people.
Jordan: That’s how God treats us. And that’s the kind of mercy He invites us to live out.
Alex and Jordan came to some realistic conclusions. The bottom line is this: yes, we need mercy every day from God to us and from us to others.
Prayer:
“Thank You, God, for your unfailing love. Thank You that every day I can come to You, confessing my sin, and that You forgive me, over and over. May I have the same grace for others who sin against me. Thank you, Jesus, for paying the penalty for my sin and granting the mercy of forgiveness. In Your Name, Jesus, I pray.”
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Because mercy doesn’t erase the cost. Someone still pays. In Christianity, that “someone” is Christ.
I really had never thought about the high cost of mercy before.