Mercy

Key Verse: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:4-6

Salvation is based upon our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the mercy of God.

Jude 21 admonishes us: "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy, (”eleos “) of our LORD Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life" (Jude 21).

The Greek word that is translated as mercy is the New Testament is "eleos." It can also be translated as loving kindness or tender compassion. This mercy is also connected with the love of God. We are salved as a result of God’s loving kindness and tender compassion-his mercy. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. Our sins were washed away and we became heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ and have a new life through the Holy Spirit because of the mercies of God –his loving kindness and tender compassion.

Let’s review Lamentation 3:22-25 below:

22. The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction.

23. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.

24. say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!"

25. The LORD is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him.

1. Discuss how you experience God’s mercies in your life on a daily basis.

Let’s look at a few other key scriptures associated with God’s mercy:

Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us."

Eph.2 8, 9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Mercy is discussed as the withholding of the punishment we deserve because of our sins. Jesus paid for our punishment (the consequences of sin is death) and gave us eternal life. Mercy withholds the punishment of sin through the loving-kindness of Jesus Christ.

2. What is the difference between grace and mercy?

I heard the following definitions of grace and mercy during a sermon: ‘Grace is what God gives that we don't deserve. Mercy is what God doesn't give that we do deserve.” God withholds the punishment of death from us because of His loving-kindness and tender mercies.

Ephesians 2:8 reads, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”

The New Testament Greek word for grace is “charis” which can be translated as a gift, or the generosity which inspires the gift. Salvation is a gift that is expressed through love and mercy.

Before we leave this Bible study, let’s explore mercy on a personal basis.

Luke 6:36 tells us to “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” As Christians and followers of Jesus Christ we are to give mercy as well as receive it. Matthew 5: 7 proclaims: "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” This mercy must extend to those in need, as well as those who are indebted to us. Let’s review the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant found in Matthew 18:21-35:

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.”

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.”

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.”

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

3. What do you think Jesus was trying to teach us in this parable?

4. Discuss the association between forgiveness and mercy.

Titus 3:5 “Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.”