22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.
Different people need different approaches in order for them to hear the full message of God. Doubters need mercy. To put this another way, those who are struggling to believe need to be given a break, offered a little slack. We need to offer them more of the love that we have received from the Lord. As they struggle to fully grip and grasp the fullness of the Gospel, we can be there demonstrating the mercy of God. Holding signs on street corners pointing out the sins of others might not be the best method of showing mercy. Maybe humbly serving at a homeless shelter or AIDS hospice would be a more poignant demonstration of mercy. Or perhaps closer to home, maybe being available to do a small favor for a single mom, like watching the kids, fixing a leaky pipe, or paying for a muffler would be a more merciful act. Some people are further along their path to destruction. They might need a Spiritual Intervention, just like on TV. A gathering of family, friends and other caring individuals with resources all with one purpose: keeping an individual from dropping off the edge. Just like on TV, some accept the help, turn their lives around and are saved from their addiction. The intervention is not without risks; they can reject the Love of God. For some, it will take several attempts to make the jump from death to life. They will start, and then falter. We need to be there as a constant reminder of the mercy of God to save them. For the last group there is a mixing of the two, mercy and fear. We need to extend mercy, but we must be careful not to compromise in the process. It is easy to get pulled slowly into sin. If we compromise in order to save some, we lose the ability to save any. What I mean by this is that when we offer salvation it must the on God’s terms not ours. If we are offering a salvation on our terms, we are creating God in our image, not introducing others to God as He truly is. We want heaven, but we also want God to put up with our habitual sins which we have no intention of abandoning, so we remake God as One who accepts our sins as non-sins. We redefine holiness to include our defilements. We pollute our new god until he is just like us, unable to save. That is why this verse reinforces the concept of separateness from sin. The image of not even putting on dirty clothes is a great picture. We can’t adapt to the world to the extent that we give up our identity. We can’t hide behind the world’s looks and present the Gospel. The world’s garments can invalidate the mercy of the Gospel.
The Arnold Journey 