This post is a collaboration with Eric Gomez and his teaching!
(Matthew 5:7 NASB) “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
Understanding True Biblical Mercy
Mercy in our day and age can be a difficult concept to fully grasp, especially with the many definitions and interpretations that exist. When misused or lazily defined, mercy can even become a manipulative tool in the wrong hands. True mercy is not about being lax or dismissing rules entirely to accommodate others. Many assume that to be merciful, we must compromise standards or overlook wrongdoing, but this is a misunderstanding of what biblical mercy truly is.
(Micah 6:8 NASB) "He has told you, mortal one, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness [mercy], And to walk humbly with your God?"
(Matthew 23:23 NASB) “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the Law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others."
Mercy is not about being gullible or constantly putting ourselves in harmful situations to prove our compassion. It is not a justification for depravity or a passive acceptance of evil. Instead, biblical mercy is a divine trait—one that does not come naturally to any particular temperament but is something we must receive from God Himself. Like all the beatitudes, mercy is a choice, a way of life that leads to deep, Christlike joy. In extending true mercy, we find the blessedness that Jesus spoke of, a reward not rooted in human approval but in alignment with the heart of God.
(Matthew 6:36 NASB) "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
The Merciful Nature of God
In Exodus 34, God reveals Himself to Moses in a powerful moment of self-declaration. After Israel’s grievous sin with the golden calf, God could have introduced Himself as purely a God of justice, wrath, and power. Instead, He chooses to emphasize His mercy, grace, patience, and faithfulness. This revelation was not only for Moses and Israel at that time but for all future generations—including us today. God’s primary descriptors of Himself highlight that His mercy is not an afterthought or secondary trait but a fundamental part of His eternal nature.
(Exodus 34:5-7 NASB) "And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. 6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth; 7 who keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
God’s mercy does not mean He is passive or indifferent to justice. He does not ignore sin or abandon righteousness, but He delights in showing mercy. He does not extend it reluctantly or under compulsion—mercy is something He chooses to give. He rules over His own laws and justice, never contradicting them, but fulfilling them with perfect wisdom. Unlike human misconceptions of mercy as weakness or gullibility, God’s mercy is fully informed, intentional, and wise.
(Micah 7:18-19 NASB), "Who is a God like You, who pardons wrongdoing And passes over a rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. 19 He will again take pity on us; He will trample on our wrongdoings. Yes, You will cast all their sins Into the depths of the sea."
The Hebrew concept of mercy goes beyond simple pity. It involves deeply entering into another’s experience—seeing through their eyes, feeling their burdens, and understanding their struggles. It is a compassion that fully identifies with another’s suffering, not just from a distance but by stepping into their reality. Jesus is the ultimate expression of this mercy. He didn’t offer mercy from afar; He took on flesh, entering into human suffering to redeem us.
(Ephesians 2:4-7 NASB) "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
Jesus’ incarnation is one of the greatest demonstrations of mercy. He did not have to come in human form to save us—He could have chosen another way. But He willingly became like us, experiencing our weaknesses and temptations, yet without sin. Because of this, we can confidently approach the throne of grace, knowing that our High Priest sympathizes with us and offers us the mercy we desperately need.
(Hebrews 4:14-16 NASB) "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need."
Through Christ, mercy is no longer just a theological concept—it is a lived reality. He broke the cycle of sin and death, offering us what we do not deserve. As recipients of His mercy, we are now called to extend the same to others, not as weakness but as a reflection of the very heart of God.
Living in the Revelation of Mercy
When we truly grasp the depth of God's mercy, it changes the way we live and how we extend mercy to others. Seeing the magnitude of what we have received should cause us to pause, reflect, and allow that mercy to transform our hearts. In Luke 7, Jesus illustrates this through the story of a sinful woman who anoints His feet, demonstrating deep love and gratitude because she understood the weight of her forgiveness.
(Luke 7:44,47 NASB) "And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 47 For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but the one who is forgiven little, loves little.”
Likewise, in Matthew 18, Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant, showing that those who have received great mercy are expected to extend it to others. Living in mercy requires us to slow down and see others not just through our own eyes, but through the eyes of the Lord. Instead of reacting with quick judgment, we must take time to understand the person’s situation and how God might be calling us to respond. Mercy does not mean excusing wrongdoing, but rather approaching people with a heart that seeks to meet them where they are, just as God met us in our own need.
(Matthew 18:21-35 NASB) "Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how many times shall my brother sin against me and I still forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven times. 23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 And when he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 But since he did not have the means to repay, his master commanded that he be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment be made. 26 So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27 And the master of that slave felt compassion, and he released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30 But he was unwilling, and went and threw him in prison until he would pay back what was owed. 31 So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their master all that had happened. 32 Then summoning him, his master *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34 And his master, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he would repay all that was owed him. 35 My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
“Once a man has truly experienced the mercy of God in his life he will henceforth aspire only to serve.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The process of mercy mirrors what God has done for us—He took the time to see what we needed and met us in our situation. As we extend mercy, we must seek His guidance on how best to meet others in their need. True mercy is not just about looking at a situation from our perspective and making a decision based on our feelings. It is about surrendering to Christ, allowing Him to lead us in how mercy should be applied. He alone is the perfect judge, and in following His example, we reflect the mercy He has so freely given to us.
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