Mercy: Forestalling the Inevitable?

Interestingly, my post “Does the Bible Teach a PoNR Principle” gets far more hits than I expected. Since there’s only a handful of comments, I suspect the activity is due to the fact that “PoNR,” spelled slightly different, could read something entirely other than what was intended. Sad. At any rate, in that post I asked “Can a person who consistently rejects the Gospel or any evidence of God’s prompting in her life eventually get to a ‘point of no return’ (PoNR) whereby God no longer continues pursuing that person? Is there a PoNR principle taught in the Bible?”

Here’s a follow-up question. “Could it be that those who explicitly reject the hope of heaven found in the gospel message and yet enjoy relatively long and seemingly prosperous lives are allowed to do so because their long life and prosperity is an act of God’s mercy on them.” Put differently, since God knows the fate of every person who persistently rejects his love, could their long and moderately comfortable life be a sign of God forestalling the inevitable?

Mercy has been described both negatively and positively. On the negative side, God’s mercy is “something withheld, restricted, or restrained; it is the act of not giving what is deserved.” Positively mercy is “God’s active compassion to the needy; the outpouring of pity and kindness; God’s goodness toward those in distress. God’s tenderness of heart toward the needy.”

Biblical testimony shows that God’s mercy is aroused by the physical, spiritual, or psychological suffering of another (see 2 Sam. 24:14; Ps. 56:1; Mt. 9:27-29; 2 Cor. 1:3; Phil. 2:27; Heb. 4:16; Jm. 5:11). And, divine mercy is God’s means of restraining his anger toward us when we sin (Deut. 13:17; Ps. 78:38; Dan. 9:9).

What do you think? Is a long and prosperous life that ends in unbelief a sign of God’s mercy?

The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.

—Psalm 145:9, ESV