Marbaniang, Domenic

The Good Samaritan  (Wikimedia) Citations: The Great Commandment is the essential law of the church; the Great Commission is the missional task of the church. The both cannot be confused. To love is a rule and principle that would never cease to be; to preach is an obligation that will soon cease to be. That is one reason why caring for the poor, the orphans, and the widows is considered to be pure religion (James 1:27). The liberational causes and the cause of justice and mercy are principle causes – things that the church cannot silently ignore when it has the power not to ignore. To love one’s neighbor as oneself is an essential obligation. In most cases, one may not preach but still be a Christian, and draw others through a silent conformity to the essential Christian principle of love (1Peter 3:1). Being precedes manifestation. The ethical rule must not be confused with the ecclesiastical task. To love is not a task; it is an essential principle. Jesus said that His disciple...

- Mercy involves forgiveness. - Only the one who has power to execute justice can show mercy. - When mercy is shown to one, the price is paid by someone else. To forgive a debt means that what has been taken or spent was taken from someone and not given back to him/her; so, the latter has paid the price. - The price paid will be the withdrawal of justice from the one who pays the price either voluntarily or involuntarily. - When one is forced, involuntarily, to pay the price, then s/he suffers injustice. - Forced payment creates injustice which in turn demands for justice. - Only justice, if not mercy, can be the terminal point. - When one pays the price voluntarily, then s/he shows mercy, and the voluntary payment is called sacrifice. - Someone, always, has to pay the price. - Infinite mercy requires infinite sacrifice. - Infinite sacrifice demands an infinite source. - The infinite pool of mercy is Love. God is Love. God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He ...

The past two centuries have seen the burst of several para-church organizations thrusting to the frontline for the cause of justice and mercy. They are para-church in the sense of their not being subject to a local church or any denominational body as such. However, they are not para-church in connection to the Church Universal. They are instances of Christians trans-denominationally and trans-geographically coming together to voice, witness, and act out the concerns of God’s Kingdom. In many cases, there may not even be an organization as traditionally known; for instance, Christians can voice concerns through email or social media by just forwarding or commenting on concerns. Now, it must be understood that the mission of the Church is not about proselytizing, but about evangelizing and evangelizing simply means to bear witness of the Gospel to the ends of the earth, so that those who believe can believe so in their heart and be transformed into the likeness of Christ, being transfer...