As the Marriage Battle Rages, Let Mercy Prevail

“When a moral person is confronted with contempt, immorality, disloyalty, or dishonesty, he is so repulsed by the offense that he turns away and in despair closes his heart to the offender. But the miracle of the redemptive reality of God is that the worst and vilest offender can never exhaust the depths of God’s love.” —C.S. Lewis

Love, marriage and life should be a package—as in, man meets woman, they fall in love, marry and have children. That’s an ideal designed by God.

In the paradise of Eden, God first formed man, then formed his mate and presented her to him. Whoa! Love at first sight. Man and (wo)man. By their holy union, they became our ancestors, the first human parents birthing the original human family. One man and one woman, married by God.

Due to outside influences and our original ancestors’ broken relationship with God, things became tangled up after that and have been for a long time. Admittedly, while the marriage model was never broken, it has been misunderstood, bruised, sometimes tarnished and often challenged. As a result, in the 21st century, we are teetering on a civil war over human sexuality issues.

A lot of blood has been shed in the aftermath of the war over the human family—animal blood sacrifices, innocent human blood (abortions). God help us, please. Teach us to plead the sacred blood of Jesus!

There is too much accusing and too little truth and mercy abroad in this present battle. Let us consider our frail humanity and approach each other with fear of judgment, pleading for mercy.

“For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13, ESV).

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

We need not only to know the truth; we to help people to see and know the truth.

May God grant mercy and deliverance to all in this matter of holy matrimony and human sexuality. Mercy does not condone the sexual behaviors at issue. Mercy shares the truth of God’s Word in agape love. Mercy loves those who are without understanding of His divine grace and love for the accused and the accusers.

“For all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” All. It’s sadly hypocritical to publicly proclaim that God hates the sin but loves the sinner, while all the time we secretly sneer and use ugly names to brand others.

On the other hand, it’s critically intolerant to bad-mouth Bible believers and deny our constitutional rights for holding to our standards of faith while insisting that we be tolerant of contrasting views.

Sin is real; repentance is a gift. May we all be free to “go and sin no more.” Let us deliver truth that shines light with a heart to bring liberty as part of the judgment process.

Alveda C. King is the daughter of the late civil-rights activist the Rev. A.D. King and niece of Martin Luther King Jr. She is also a civil rights and pro-life activist, as well as director of African-American outreach for Priests for Life. Click here to visit her blog.