The Attributes of God: The Mercy of God

Mercy is often defined or explained alongside God's grace. You may have heard the saying, "Grace is getting what you do not deserve (blessing), mercy is not getting what you do deserve (judgment)". Mercy is a very complex concept that is difficult to define. In the Bible, mercy is God's compassionate lovingkindness that withholds the punishment, wrath, or consequences that humans rightfully deserve due to sin. That punishment was put on Jesus Christ on the cross. Mercy is God's way of offering compassion and reconciliation. It is an unearned divine attribute. God is not only merciful, He is rich in mercy. Paul explains this in Ephesians 2:4-5, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses."

On a human level or from a human perspective, mercy is the benevolent or compassionate treatment of someone suffering or in need. On a divine level, mercy is the foundation of forgiveness expressed in God's pardon of human sin. Through God's mercy, He remains faithful to His covenant promises and His relationship with His people despite their unworthiness and faithfulness. He can satisfy both, not breaking His covenant promises and still punishing sin.

Instead of trying to define what mercy is, we'll look at how mercy is revealed and explained in Scripture. We see this time and time again in the actions that God takes to relieve suffering and how He demonstrates His faithfulness and steadfast love.

The Lord always shows mercy to those who repent and obey Him. God explained this to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 30:1-6, "When all these things happen to you--the blessings and curses I have set before you--and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the Lord your God has driven you, and you and your children return to the Lord your God and obey him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am commanding you today, then he will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. Even if your exiles are at the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from there. The Lord your God will bring you into the land your ancestors possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than he did your ancestors. The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live."

These words should be encouraging to us today. God has demonstrated His mercy to us as we've found ourselves wandering away from Him and pursuing our own desires and those of the flesh.

Jesus Christ is the fullest and most dynamic expression of God's mercy. Mercy is why Jesus gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God (Eph 5:2), so that through Him we might be forgiven our sins (Heb 2:17), and granted the gift of eternal life.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." 1 Peter 1:3

We shouldn't just educate ourselves on God's mercy. The Bible commands us to also be merciful. Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Luke 6:36

Pastor Bryan

PREVIOUS ARTICLES

2/26/2026 – "A Light on Maple Street" – Ed

2/19/2026 – Isaiah 10:20-34 – David

2/12/2026 – The Grace of God – Bryan

2/05/2026 – "Out of the Depths" – Ed

1/29/2026 – Isaiah 10:5-19 – David

1/22/2026 – The Patience of God – Bryan

1/15/2026 – "The Shepherd who Left Home" – Ed

1/08/2026 – Isaiah 9:8-10:4 – David

1/01/2026 – The Goodness of God – Bryan

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