Like father, like child. If the merciful God is our Father, we, His children, will also be merciful, and we will show our merciful disposition in our conduct toward our erring brethren. God's great, undeserved, and tireless mercy toward us will be our pattern in our dealings with them. Our heavenly Father bears patiently with us and our sinful weakness, does not harshly condemn us on account of our manifold sins, but forgives us daily and richly all our faults for Jesus' sake. So we are to bear our neighbor's faults, and when he wrongs us, we must not avenge ourselves but forgive him with a loving, merciful heart.

We are, however, not to condone evil and call wrong right. Our Savior does not forbid without distinction all judging and condemning. Judges and magistrates must condemn and punish crime. God has given them the sword for that purpose. Parents and teachers load a fearful responsibility on their conscience when they let the sins of their children and pupils go unpunished, as did Eli with his wicked sons. Pastors are charged with the solemn duty to condemn all sin and unrighteousness by virtue of their holy office, and Christian congregations must by Christ's command exclude public and impenitent sinners until they repent.

But here the Lord forbids all uncharitable judging and condemning, of which even Christians are often guilty in their conduct toward their fellow men. Oh, what envy, what hatred, what contention in families and congregations, even suing in court, this uncharitable judging and condemning provokes! And how little we guard against this sin in our private conversations! How hard it is for us to forgive and forget a wrong! Pray God we all may grow more merciful, even as He is merciful; that we may ever defend our slandered neighbor, speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything, and forgive him as we want God to forgive us.

[devotion text by Rev. F. W. Herzberger (1920) -
from the Family Altar - CPH (1957 edition)]
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