While listening to a podcast this week, I was reminded of Thomas Cranmer’s tragic failure. Cranmer worked tirelessly to bring Protestant reforms to the Church of England. He advocated for Scripture’s authority and justification by faith, and he wrote pastorally about how to pray and read God’s Word.

But when Mary I (“Bloody Mary”) took the throne, Cranmer saw his reforms halted and two close friends martyred. Then, in winter 1556, Cranmer privately recanted his Protestant faith. How does a Christian respond to such a profound failure? How do we react when people we respect deny the faith through their words or actions?

In his recent article for TGC’s Difficult but Beautiful Doctrines series, Chris Castaldo writes about those disgraceful and disqualifying moments that tempt us to think people are beyond God’s mercy: “During my years as a pastor, I’ve witnessed a range of situations in which people confess they cannot forgive: the man who was abused as a child, the wife of an alcoholic husband. They’re undoubtedly right, apart from Jesus.”

Spectacular failures are rarely, if ever, resolved quickly. When someone has committed a grievous sin, we’re right to demand committed repentance, clear accountability, and time to rebuild trust. But with God’s help, we must also resist the urge to write people off completely. As Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matt. 5:7).

By God’s grace, that’s what Cranmer received. After his private recantation, Cranmer was told to make it public in the pulpit of Oxford’s University Church. He did the opposite. He publicly denounced his private recantations and denied papal authority. As a result, he was pulled from the pulpit and burned at the stake. Cranmer had denied his Lord. But as he did for Peter on the lake shore, God gave Cranmer an opportunity to repent and reaffirm his love.

May Christ cultivate in us a merciful posture that gives even severe sinners that same opportunity. As Castaldo writes, “Every time we extend mercy, forgiveness, and compassion in the name of Christ—when we extend love that pardons others for their guilt—we testify to the divine mercy God has shown us, and we reveal mercy to a world that so desperately needs it.”