Sometimes when God is bringing judgment upon a group of people, or even a nation, the majority are spared because of the righteousness of a few.
He does this even though the guilty majority are far from Him. Many are saved because of the righteousness of the minority. Mercy is sometimes extended by a merciful God to those who do not know or honor Him, and are evil in their ways. (Genesis 18:25-33)
In this record of Abraham's encounter with Jesus Christ (from the context, we see that encounter was the Christ prior to His coming to earth though many years later...), Abraham pleaded with the "angel" (Christ) to not destroy a city if there were only few,10 righteous ones, there rather than the 50 He told Abraham. Many were guilty and were not destroyed because of two things:
The intercession pleading by Abraham resulted in Christ changing His mind concerning His destruction of the city. At lease 40 souls were saved from destruction because of the intercession to God by only one person. Here we see the action of intercession and grace combining to save.
Grace and love are intimately associated with each other. Love has been described as a profound thoughtfulness and unselfish concern for others regardless of their circumstances or station in life. Someone has asked the question, "which had you rather have...justice or mercy"?
Jesus Christ illustrates His nature of not wanting ANY to suffer or perish. Mercy exalts against justice. Abraham pleaded for mercy. Surely this quality in Abraham contributed to his being called the father of the faithful ...
Because He loved without judging.
Notice the attributes of love that He desires from you and me. Can the Maker of us all be any less patient, forbearing, loving? Else, why would He inspire these words:
"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love [for others growing out of God’s love for me], then I have become only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal [just an annoying distraction]. And if I have the gift of prophecy [and speak a new message from God to the people], and understand all mysteries, and [possess] all knowledge; and if I have all [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love [reaching out to others], I am nothing. If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it does me no good at all. ..." 1 Corinthians 13
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23
How many times have we all rushed to cry "justice, justice", without first determining perhaps we should cry "mercy, mercy"?
Jesus always exalts mercy against justice. Else none of us would be here.
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"Speak and act [consistently] as people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty [that moral law that frees obedient Christians from the bondage of sin] For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; but [to the one who has shown mercy] mercy triumphs [victoriously] over judgment." - James 2:12