What does it mean that God is merciful?

Mercy is the emotion of the soul in the face of misery or distress, and the aid resulting from this inner emotion. Mercy is not the same as grace. Grace is rather undeserved favour granted to someone who has become a guilty offender. In Scripture a clear difference is made between these two words. In the Old Testament God had said to Moses “ … The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious … ”, and in the New Testament we read repeatedly expressions such as “ … Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father … ” (Ex. 34:6; 1 Tim. 1:2. See 2 Tim. 1:2; Heb. 4:16; 2 John 3).

Mercy is the emotion of the soul in the face of misery or distress, and the aid resulting from this inner emotion. Mercy is not the same as grace. Grace is rather undeserved favour granted to someone who has become a guilty offender. In Scripture a clear difference is made between these two words. In the Old Testament God had said to Moses “ … The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious … ”, and in the New Testament we read repeatedly expressions such as “ … Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father … ” (Exodus 34:6; 1 Timothy 1:2. See 2 Timothy 1:2; Hebrews 4:16; 2 John 3).

"But God!" Wonderful is the intervention both of His grace and power! He who is "rich in mercy, because of His great loved with which He loved us," even in a state of spiritual death in the corruption of sins, has "made us alive together with Christ" (v.4). The riches of His mercy is first mentioned, mercy that is the outcome of His great love. Mercy is that compassion that comes down to meet one in his circumstances of need, sorrow or misery. Such was the Samaritan in Luke 10:33 who "came where he was" to the man who had been attacked by robbers and left half dead, and cared for his needs. What great love has made our Savior stoop so low to meet us in the extremity of our hopeless misery, bearing our sins in His own body on the tree (1 Pet.2:24) and bringing us to Himself! What mercy! but it is because of the love of His own blessed nature.

But little as one may realize it at first, this wonderful transaction of the soul with God involves more than mercy and peace. "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace are ye saved); and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:4-7) . Let us observe here that God's rich mercy is because of His great love. Love is His very nature, and love acts in mercy toward a wretched sinner, even when dead in sins, moving God's heart to work in the most helpful way possible. Mercy is that tender compassion of God toward the deep need of the soul in its circumstances of misery or of guilt. Mercy can forgive, and delights to do so.

Little as one may realise it at first, this wonderful transaction of the soul with God involves more than mercy and peace. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ … ” (Eph. 2:4-5). Let us observe here that God's rich mercy is because of His great love. Love is His very nature, and love acts in mercy toward a wretched sinner, even when dead in sins, moving God's heart to work in the most helpful way possible. Mercy is that tender compassion of God toward the deep need of the soul in its circumstances of misery or of guilt. Mercy can forgive, and delights to do so.

He is “rich in mercy.” There is a difference between 'mercy' and 'grace'. Grace is a free gift, but mercy is much more; it speaks of demerit and brings our souls to the bosom of God Himself who has mercy. “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.” No claim. A great many young Christians have not taken their stand upon the ground of mercy, and so when something or other breaks down to which they trusted, they are utterly at sea. We ought to be getting the soul and conscience to rest in God as the God of mercy and compassion to the soul. The God of mercy brought them out of the pit and put them in vital union with the Son of His love, and they had something to rest upon in the hour of trial.

Four qualities of God come before us — love, mercy, kindness and grace (verses 4 and 7). Love is the nature of God, the spring of all His actions, and the source of all our blessings. If God acts according to the love of His heart, the blessing that results can only be measured by His love. The question, then, is not what measure of blessing will meet our needs, but what is the height of blessing that will satisfy the love of God. Grace is love in activity towards unworthy objects, and goes out towards all. Mercy is shown to the individual sinner. Kindness is the bestowal of blessings upon the believer. God acts, then, “because of His great love”, not because of anything that we are. Who can measure His “great love”, and who can measure the blessing that is according to that love?

The term grace evidently conveys the idea of free gift, favour; without obligation on God's part, without claim on ours: or without raising the question of the condition of the one so favoured; it may be called the indulgence of love. (See John 3:16; 2 Cor. 8:9, where we have grace in its divine fulness.) But mercy always marks the receiver as a wrong-doer. To be "merciful" is to be ready to overlook or forgive a wrong, at the same time conscious that he to whom mercy is shown deserves a contrary kind of treatment. It answers to what is called among men a tender, forgiving disposition; only it is to be exercised by believers on the higher ground of having obtained mercy of the Lord themselves, and looking forward to obtain it more fully, they are "merciful" to their fellow men.

God shows the greatness of His mercy to all those who believe in our Lord Jesus on the basis of His sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. The greatest misery of man is that he is spiritually dead in his sins and therefore completely unable to help himself. To those who are dead to Him, God in His mercy gives life, and He alone is able to do so.

God shows the greatness of His mercy to all those who believe in our Lord Jesus on the basis of His sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. The greatest misery of man is that he is spiritually dead in his sins and therefore completely unable to help himself. To those who are dead to Him, God in His mercy gives life, and He alone is able to do so.