Psalms 136:1-3:
“O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever”.
God Almighty, the Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, is the Supreme Being who made all things, both visible and invisible. So great is His personality and so infinite is His power that words cannot adequately describe them to the understanding of finite minds. So, in order to help man understand God, his Maker (at least just enough to establish a relationship with Him that could lead to his salvation and eternal life), the Holy Spirit inspired approximately forty (40) different authors from different backgrounds, over a span of one thousand five hundred (1,500) years, to describe the personality of God throughout the Holy Scriptures by the use of attributes. By the word attribute, we mean the quality or feature of somebody or something.
The Bible describes our God by the use of many attributes. Each of His attributes is a world of study on its own. This shows how vast, indescribable, and unsearchable God is in all His ways and dealings with His creation.
“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).
In this study, we are going to focus on God’s attribute as “The God of Mercy.”
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy”
(Psalm 103:8).
When the Bible talks of God’s attribute as the God of Mercy, it goes far beyond our understanding of mercy in human language or understanding.
When man forgives, he does so because he believes the recipient is worthy of such mercy. On the other hand, when God forgives, He does so because mercy is inherent in His nature. Unlike man, He does not need grace to find it in His heart to forgive sinners. He simply forgives because mercy resides in His bosom as an intricate part of His nature. Like Jesus Christ, God forgives us not because we are worthy of His forgiveness, but because He loves us so much as not to hold our sins against us. He knows how frail and easily susceptible to falling we have become since the fall of our ancestors, Adam and Eve. He knows, like Jesus Christ His Son, that “…we do not know what we do…” (Luke 23:34).
Whenever God punishes man on account of their sins, He does not do so primarily to inflict pain and suffering but to help man see how evil their works are in order to discourage them from further going in that direction.
Psalms 107:17–20
“Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death.
Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses.
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
No matter how severe God has punished anyone for their sin, it is to be noted that the punishment only served as a corrective measure, and is far less than what they actually deserved.
Psalms 103:8–14
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.”
Man may have other motives for showing mercy, and where those motives are not fully realized, he tends to remember again what was forgiven, or, at worst, reverse his decision to show mercy. On the other hand, God forgives fully, freely, and perfectly, not remembering again what was forgiven.
Isaiah 43:25
“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”
The grant of God’s mercy is not dependent on how few and harmless, or how many and grievous, our sins may be. God forgives the occasional sinner as well as the habitual sinner; the self-righteous sinner as well as the vilest sinner, as often as they come to Him.
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ answered Jesus, ‘but seventy times seven…’” (Matthew 18:21–22).
In showing mercy to the offender, God looks more to what His grace and forgiveness could help them become than to what their offences had already made them become. God forgives in hope — the hope that through His forgiveness we could trust and lean on Him and thus become better persons. That is His nature.
John 8:10–11
“When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
The voice of God’s mercy utters no threat — it pleads to be accepted:
“…Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls”
(Matthew 11:28–29).
The arms of God’s mercy are wide open, embracing all who come within their reach.
Luke 15:20
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”
The heart of God is benevolent and merciful, accommodating all who turn to Him in repentance: there’s room for everyone there!
With God, everyone deserves a second chance, irrespective of the gravity of their sins.
Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
However, for the ardent and unrepentant sinner who will no more be admonished to turn away from sin, God’s heart of mercy laments with a grievous lamentation for them, knowing that their end will be in the lake of fiery indignation for eternity, where His heart of mercy will not reach them anymore!
Ezekiel 33:11
“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?”
Sinners go to hell not because God has failed to forgive them their sins, but because they rejected His mercy and forgiveness while still alive.
Jonah 2:8
“They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.”
As merciful and enduring as God is with the sinner, we must, however, bear in mind that the opportunity for them to receive His mercy will not last forever; not because His mercy is exhaustive, but because man is a finite being who must die someday!
Hebrews 9:27
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:…”
Will you not come to the Lord today, bringing all your sins and shame under the embrace of His love and mercy?
You should!
There’s a place for you in His heart of mercy where the weight of your sin does not really count as much as your willingness to repent, confess, and forsake it for good does.
Proverbs 28:13
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
Mercy — God’s mercy beckons. Linger no more; make haste, for we must know that though God’s mercy is infinite, it is extended toward finite, mortal man who must die one day.
“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto_ _the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
(Isaiah 55:6–7)