Mercy in the Bible means compassion, kindness and forgiveness that God shows to humans, even when humans do not deserve it. God’s mercy is unconditional and without any expectations or preconditions.
What is mercy? A look at the word of God and the definitions of God
Al-Hion have clearly defined the concept of “mercy”. Jonathan Edwards gives the most expressive definition in the book “The Works of Jonathan Edwards”:
According to his sovereign providence, God is pleased to show mercy to his enemies. Although He is infinitely above all and has no need of creatures, yet by His grace He is willing to show mercy and kindness to the unfortunate earthworms.”
In a more gentle tone, Millard Erickson writes in Christian Theology:
“God’s mercy is His compassion and kind love for His people. This is the tenderness of his heart towards the needy. If Faiz sees humans as sinners, criminals and condemned, mercy sees them as miserable and needy.
Biblically, the root of the word “mercy” is found in several Old Testament Hebrew words.
Hebrew words for mercy:
Rahm (Raham) means “loving or compassionate”, having a tendency towards mercy (Psalms 116:5).
Atonement (Kapporeth) means “Baha” and in the Bible is connected with “kursi of mercy” (Exodus 25:22).
Chesed means “goodness”, “kindness” or “mercy” (Psalms 18:25).
Greek words for mercy:
In New Testament Greek, the key words are:
Mercy (Eleemon) means “to have compassion”, “to show sympathy” or “to be forgiving” (Matthew 5:7).
Mercy (Oiktirmos) also means compassion or pity. This is the concept of divine forbearance in showing compassion and forgiving sins (Romans 12:1).
The meaning of God’s mercy
1. God’s mercy is His patience in action. Author and blogger Tim Challis describes mercy this way: “Mercy is God’s patience in action. It means God’s patience with those who deserve punishment. “Mercy is not something that God owes us – in general, mercy cannot be a debt – but something that God graciously and graciously bestows on those who do not deserve it.”
God is patient in His mercy, because He postpones the implementation of justice and judgment to another time. This is not injustice, but “not choosing to do justice immediately”. Challis says that when we see God’s holiness and the horror of sin, “it is mercy that is shocking.”
2. God’s mercy is beyond our understanding. Not only do we have a patient God, but His mercy is unfathomable. William Farley writes in Amazing Mercy: Rediscovering the Radical Nature of the Cross – quoted by Challis – “The cross displays God’s mercy, grace, and justice with astonishing clarity.” “If you’ve never been deeply scandalized and offended by the cross,” Farley said, “you may have never properly understood its message.”
Examples of God’s mercy in the Bible
Adam & Eve:
At the beginning of the Bible, in the story of Adam and Eve, we are introduced to God’s mercy, where God covered their shame with the skin of an animal that was sacrificed (Genesis 3:21).
Mercy of Israel:
Then in Exodus 25:19-22 we are introduced to “mercy”, where God met the priests for the people of Israel through it. The Greek word for “mercy” translated from the Old Testament is “hilastrin” which is usually translated as “atonement”. We also see this word in Romans 3:25. Christ became our acceptable and wrath-appeasing sacrifice once and for all.
Jesus Christ:
Stephen Nichols in the book “What is mercy?” He writes, “God longs to meet His people, and the blood of the spotless Lamb is the only means by which this meeting is possible. The mercy of the Old Testament and the blood that was sprinkled on it by the high priest was a foreshadowing of the coming Messiah. Mercy was as real as the future cross. Now Christ is our mercy.
God’s mercy never ends. Dr. David Jeremiah writes in Jeremiah’s Research Bible: “There is never an ’empty’ in the reservoir of mercy in heaven.” God is just waiting for His people to show that they are truly serious. When we come to Him in true repentance, His mercy will flow over us like the waves of the sea, for He is rich in mercy.” (See Ephesians 2:4-5)
Today in the article : What Is Mercy? Bible Verses and Meaning? We reviewed useful information about the Bible and the way of Jesus. If you wish, you can view other articles of Ali Vahidi about Christianity
