How merciful is God?

[Gobeyond]

I’m not sure how merciful God is. Obedience might be better. What about going to church, how important is it. What about for the sick? Should everything be overcome to obey God because where God calls He empowers? What about chronic pain. Is it all right to go to church in the comfort of your own home? How merciful is God as a topic for discussion!

What about the mentally ill, if they can’t obey in everything, can’t get to church, but repent over and over. They believe with all their heart but can’t over come mental illness. These people might only have a little bit of interest but God would accept them.

Where is the cutoff to God about how much you sin before he doesn’t forgive you, before he doesn’t believe your repentance. Will he notify you?

My pastor seems to think that there is no good reason not to be in church and has me wondering if that person would be saved from the wrath to come.

[a danl]

I’m not sure how merciful God is. Obedience might be better. What about going to church, how important is it. What about for the sick? Should everything be overcome to obey God because where God calls He empowers? What about chronic pain. Is it all right to go to church in the comfort of your own home? How merciful is God as a topic for discussion!

What about the mentally ill, if they can’t obey in everything, can’t get to church, but repent over and over. They believe with all their heart but can’t over come mental illness. These people might only have a little bit of interest but God would accept them.

Where is the cutoff to God about how much you sin before he doesn’t forgive you, before he doesn’t believe your repentance. Will he notify you?

My pastor seems to think that there is no good reason not to be in church and has me wondering if that person would be saved from the wrath to come.

the bible states that you should not forsake the assembling of others. for the sick we should visit them and comfort them with the word

[Bigslug]

People that don't go to church aren't paying the church's bills. This may have something to do with the sin of not going to church getting somewhat elevated in the church's hierarchy of evil-doing.

[Txcowboy52]

People tend to forget, the church is not the building, the church is the people. When two or more are gathered in my name I will be there. You can have church anywhere. I believe the lord is the only one who knows his business. There are things we don’t understand. Who are we to question his business? Just my humble opinion.

[farmbif]

is this like a soup question? I guess you had to see the movie. anyway gods Ten Commandments says thou shall not kill, well if your leader or head honcho political operative says the army shall go to war and your a soldier and you kill in that war, well, would god take mercy on you for breaking one of his commandments because you were just following instructions from the leader or your country or army?
and its just the right good human thing to visit and help the sick when they are one of your family or friends.

[.429&H110]

Whoa!
"church's bills" is cynical. That building will need $$$$.
Power, water, insurance, (internet?)(really? we're on utube?)
The first saints met on a roof with the Romans pounding on the door.
We may come to that yet...

If and if a church is meant to be
that church will grow and teach the Word of God
because our Lord will provide
and His people are called to serve.
"...you will know them by their fruits..."

How merciful is God?
Much more merciful than this fallen world.

Grace is getting what you don't deserve
Mercy is not getting what you truly deserve

We need God's Grace.
Grace is free, abundant,
but you do have to ask politely.

The world says:
If I were God, I wouldn't do that...
No, I'm not God. He Is.

Where else in this world would you go to hear the Word?
For me, I'm called to a church of the Book.

[Saxon]

"God" is not willing that any perish but that "All" would come to repentance. the Greek word for all is ALL.
also the parable of the prodigal son, you can't out sin God's forgiveness.
but shall we wallow in sin so that grace may abound? may it never be.

[.429&H110]

Mental illness may be beyond the scope of this.
I had a roommate that was an institutionalized schizophrenic until he was a teenager, then one day they tried lithium on him and he said "The world stopped spinning". He didn't drive, walked to work, his dad said it was a miracle, took him to church faithfully and to his support group, and the kid made more money than I did. So drugs can help. But we were not made to be alone.

But IMHO lately we are seeing drugs and booze causing mental illness.
These kids are taking a combination of drugs "off label".
We have a need, a God-shaped hole, something missing, that only faith can answer.
Anti-anxiety drugs are fine, until pointing a gun at a cop doesn't make the patient anxious.

I pray I live long enough to see the fifth great revival. Bring it, Lord!

[Teddy (punchie)]

Look up some of these words and topics in the bible.

Kingdom

Church

Meeting places that Jesus used.

The Word

Meek

Humble

Children

Read what Bible says about wealthy or rich.

Most love the idea of a huge meeting place where is it ordered to have one.

[.429&H110]

If you are looking up words look up "Truth".

We live in a Post-Truth world.

Truth means reality.

"What is truth?" said Pilate and walked away.

[Wayne Smith]

It is not 'how merciful is God'. It is a question if your church belongs to your pastor or to God. Too many Churches belong to the pastor, to the leadership, or to the congregation, but not to God. As stated above, if God does not build the house those who labor do so in vain.

If you want to know how merciful God is go to Deuteronomy and read the 10 Commandments - then read the verse immediately after. The verse immediately after is God telling them how to build an alter - how to communicate with God. It's like He's telling them "Here are the rules, and I know you can't keep them, so here is how you talk to me about it - your failure. This goes through the complete Old Testament, God tries to set people up for success and we keep failing. But He sent his Son to show us how to do it right, and to die for us and live after so we can. He also sent His Spirit to indwell us so we can keep His word, at least a little. But we are complete failures once again, and we rely on Christ and what He did rather than on what we do. When we accept Christ God sees us as perfect as Christ - and that is his mercy to forgive us all our faults and failures and see us as Christ.

So, how merciful is God? Infinitely.

[GhostHawk]

"Feed my Sheep"

Are you obeying his will? Are you following where he is leading you? Do you truly serve him?

I know the Lord knows us better than we know ourselves.

And I know I asked him what he wanted me to do.

The Answer, quite simple and perfectly tailored to what I can do.

A Continue to post here where I see a post where I can perhaps reach someone.

B Take care of St Peggy, my widowed neighbor 2 houses north of me.

So if Peggy has a problem, large or small, and I hear about it, I deal with it. Everything from replacing a washer in a garden hose to stop it dripping to helping her financially at times when things catch up with her. Like her van needing new brakes and a new master cylinder. She had some of it, but was 500$ short, and the shop did not want to release her car without more money. So I walked down to her house, handed her 5 100$ bills. Smiled, said don't thank me, thank the Big guy upstairs.

As I was walking home I heard the words I always wanted to hear, but was afraid I never would.

"William Thomas thou good and faithful servant, well done, I am proud of you"

I went to my knees in the gravel of the alley, tears rolling down my face.

DO HIS WILL!
Feed his sheep, minister to his flock, spread the gospel by example if nothing else.
Forgive your enemy's, love those who persecute you. Be good to all you meet.

[Teddy (punchie)]

If you are looking up words look up "Truth".

We live in a Post-Truth world.

Truth means reality.

"What is truth?" said Pilate and walked away.

God, Jesus are truth and the Devil is the lair

[dverna]

It is not 'how merciful is God'. It is a question if your church belongs to your pastor or to God. Too many Churches belong to the pastor, to the leadership, or to the congregation, but not to God. As stated above, if God does not build the house those who labor do so in vain.

If you want to know how merciful God is go to Deuteronomy and read the 10 Commandments - then read the verse immediately after. The verse immediately after is God telling them how to build an alter - how to communicate with God. It's like He's telling them "Here are the rules, and I know you can't keep them, so here is how you talk to me about it - your failure. This goes through the complete Old Testament, God tries to set people up for success and we keep failing. But He sent his Son to show us how to do it right, and to die for us and live after so we can. He also sent His Spirit to indwell us so we can keep His word, at least a little. But we are complete failures once again, and we rely on Christ and what He did rather than on what we do. When we accept Christ God sees us as perfect as Christ - and that is his mercy to forgive us all our faults and failures and see us as Christ.

So, how merciful is God? Infinitely.

Very well stated.

[Good Cheer]

Our creator made individuals and deals with us as such but made a line we cannot cross and still be forgiven.
That's the best answer I can come up with right now to the original question.

[Gobeyond]

Sure, God loves us, and He forgives us over and over again, for our whole lives. He is merciful when we sin and there doesn’t seem to be any limit. God is faithful when we are not. And we shouldn’t continue in sin.

But the mentally ill have the same standard as the rest of us? And if a person is so sick that they don’t go to the local church very often, but go to church online instead. Can God deny them heaven or the rapture? And how much weight does your pastors opinion count for. God is merciful but God expects obedience.

[Lloyd Smale]

God in the old testament was much different the Jesus was in the new. he had no problem with ethnic cleansing or war and people being killed. Wiped out the whole world in a flood. I wouldnt count on all the slack some say he will cut us. Going to church once a week for an hour isnt getting you there. you need to WORSHIP him. 1500 years ago people LIVED religion. Every day and all day. It isnt the same today and is getting steadily worse. my guess is the God i know from the first testament is very close to saying enough and doing a full on Sodom and Gomoa. i would guess the first to go will be the ones who come on internet forums bragging about how fine of a Christian they are and judging others

[Gobeyond]

God is merciful as you all say. But He loves obedience. We are so apt to say we can’t obey, we sin, we are weak people. We always fall short of perfection would be a more reasonable claim if we were as strong in the word as we should be. We can not do all the major sins if we have self control. A little more study, for me too, could add a little more holiness to our lives.

[snowwolfe]

I have always thought as God as being vindictive and to some extent, mean. He set the rules a long time ago and it is his way or the highway (so to speak). I fail to see what, if any compassion he has for the humans he put on this earth.

[ioon44]

God sent His only Son to earth in a fleshly body to die for our sins so that we may have eternal life, the ultimate act of love and compassion. All we have to do is accept the free gift of eternal life that is offered through Jesus Christ.