Mercy

Matthew 5:7 Blessed are those having mercy, because they shall be mercied.

Mercy for our brother was something which Yahweh asked of us in the Old Testament as well as the New. And mercy not only on them who may do us wrong, but also on those who are of humble means. Examples of this are found in Proverbs 14:20-22, 31, Proverbs 21:20-21, and Hosea 6:6. An example is found in the Exodus, when Moses encountered two Israelite men quarreling. Exodus Chapter 2:

“11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known.”

There was no care for the Egyptian, and he was even an Adamite. Yet Moses was astonished when he found two men of Israel quarreling, knowing that it was wrong for them to be doing so. Because Moses understood this difference, caring for Israel and not for the alien, he was appointed leader over all the children of Israel, to bring them out of the captivity in Egypt.

The Commandments

Yahweh proclaimed at Exodus 20:6 and also at Deuteronomy 5:10 that He showed mercy unto them "that love me, and keep my commandments."  

Mercy on Those who Stumble

Matthew 5:29 Now if your right eye entraps you, take it out and cast it from you, for it is better for you that one of your members would be lost and your whole body not be cast into Gehenna!

Gehenna is not what the romish church later described as hell, but rather, he who sins in this life is punished in the body. It is the body, not the spirit, which Christ says will be thrown into the fire of Gehenna. While Yahweh can indeed destroy the spirit of men also, His promise to us is that our spirits shall be preserved. Therefore Paul says of unrepentant sinners, for example in 1 Corinthians 5:5: “To deliver such an one unto Satan [the adversary in this world] for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”  

Paul also discusses that eternal struggle between the desires of the flesh, and the necessity for obedience to God, at length in Romans chapter 7 and elsewhere. Men must know that even if we fail, that the law is good and that we must strive to live up to it. However with the law, all men are condemned, so we must have mercy upon our brethren who fall short even beyond where we have fallen.

Mercy on our Enemies

See Vengeance

Matthew 5:43 You have heard that it has been said ‘You shall love him near you’ and ‘You shall hate your enemy’. 44 Now I say to you: love your enemies and pray for those persecuting you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens, because His sun rises upon evil and good and rains upon righteous and unrighteous. 46 For if you should love those loving you, what reward do you have? Do not also the tax-collectors do the same? 47 And if you should greet your brethren only, what do you do that is extraordinary? Do not also the heathens do the same? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Here, Yahshua is talking about our personal Israelite enemies, this discourse being to and about the children of Israel. He is not talking about His enemies – the enemies of our God. Our personal Israelite enemies, those of our own race who wrong us, those we must be merciful towards as our Father is merciful to us. And we should be kind towards all Israelites, towards all Adamic men, and not only those who are our near kin or whom we happen to be acquainted with.

We Have All Sinned

Matthew 6:14 For if you would remit for men their transgressions, your heavenly Father shall also remit for you. 15 But if you should not remit for men their transgressions, neither shall your Father remit your transgressions.

This goes hand-in-hand with the fact that all Israel shall be saved, that all Israel shall be justified, that every Adamic soul shall ultimately share in the salvation of the tree of life. (The citations for these statements are Romans 11:26, Isaiah 45:25 and Genesis 3:22.) If we judge our brother harshly, Yahweh shall judge us harshly. We have done, or thought to do, many of those same things for which we judge our brother. But to remit, or forgive, a man's transgressions, the man must be repentant in the first place, repentance includes a cessation of the sinful activity we are repenting from. One need not forgive a sinner who is unrepentant. For this reason Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 6:

“9 … Do not be led astray: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminates, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor rapacious shall inherit the kingdom of Yahweh. 11 And these things some of you may have been, but you have cleansed yourselves; moreover you have been sanctified, moreover you have been deemed fit, in the name of Prince Yahshua Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.”

Paul also explained in 1 Corinthians chapter 5 that unrepentant sinners are to be put out of our community. However once a brother repents, he can find forgiveness with God, and we must also forgive him.