Evangelism with Mercy

Jude 22-23

"And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh."

In these short verses, Jude offers us a strategy of evangelism that we often overlook. After describing the corruptedness of the culture (see the last two devotions), Jude seeks to tell his audience how they ought to respond. He first tells them to build theirselves up, pray in the spirit, and wait for the mercy of Christ. After those commands, he commands his hearers to evangelize, which can be seen in the verses above.

Many times we think that evangelism is to be without mercy on the lost. Although we must first and foremost recognize that unconverted souls are certainly sinful and deserving of hell (Ephesians 2:1-3), we must still evangelize to them with mercy, and Jude commands here. Those of us already in the faith were saved by God's mercy, so why would we not proclaim the Gospel with the same heart of mercy? We ought to not use the truth of the Gospel as a beating rod, but rather a well-used, carefully-planned attack of a sword (Ephesians 6:17). We ought to defend our faith with "with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). We ought to evangelize with mercy.

However, there is a catch. If we are too careful with our mercy, it is possible the overlook the offense to God of the sinner. Yet, Jude commands us to "[hate] even the garment stained by the flesh." Although the Gospel is to be proclaimed with mercy, that does not mean that fleshly sin can be overlooked. We must hate sin with all that is within us (just as God hates sin) and in doing so seek for the salvation of the unbeliver, yet still present the Gospel with mercy. In the end, it's evangelizing with compassion, gentleness, and mercy, yet still viewing sin with hatred and disgust.