Compassion in Action

While it costs us little to say "Nobody's perfect," our pride takes a hit to say "I am a sinner."  Many people have grown up hearing and believing they are basically a good person, yet the Bible makes the case in the view of the holy God the exact opposite is true.  Psalm 14:2-3 says, "The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. ³ They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, no, not one."  Though mankind has been created in God's image, we have been irrevocably corrupted with sin.  Spiritually speaking, we are only fit for the fire.

By itself this would be incredibly terrible news, yet this is only part of the story.  The Bible also teaches God loves all people and thus was not content for mankind to be doomed without hope or help.  God's compassion moved Him to action, even as the father in the parable Jesus told of the prodigal son.  The father in the tale had two sons, and they were both deeply flawed.  Because of their sin they were both estranged from their father at different times:  one went to a distant country and wasted his inheritance, and the other refused to attend the feast held in his restored brother's honour.

The father was on the lookout for his estranged son in Luke 15:20:  "And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."  While the wayward son was a great way off, his father saw him, had compassion and ran to embrace him.  When the older son heard his father had received his brother and killed the fatted calf Luke 15:28 reads, "But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him."  The father went out to plead with his angry and embittered son who refused to celebrate the return of his brother.  Whether a son was a great way off or out of sight for a moment at a feast, the father noticed and lovingly went to them to draw them to himself.

It is common vernacular to refer to people as "spoiled" or "rotten," and this is spiritually the case for every person.  Like spoiled fruit and rotten eggs have permanently gone bad, so humanity is ruined by pride, deceit, selfishness and greed.  We would not pay a dollar for a dozen rotten eggs or a bushel of spoiled apples, yet God has paid the price for our forgiveness, redemption and salvation with His own blood (Hebrews 9:12; Acts 20:28).  We come to Jesus as we are but He does not leave us as we are, for by faith in Him lost sinners are found, spiritually born again, pardoned of all sin and made righteous.  By the power of the Gospel people are transformed from within and indwelt by the Holy Spirit to love from a pure heart as Jesus does.  The death of Jesus on Calvary was compassion in action to draw all people to Himself for salvation.  Praise the LORD for all He has done by His grace!