Compassion and sympathy are fundamental attributes that reflect the character of God and are essential expressions of a believer's love for Him. These qualities are deeply rooted in the biblical narrative and are inseparable from the command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). The Scriptures consistently portray compassion and sympathy as vital components of a life devoted to God, demonstrating His love through acts of kindness and mercy.

Old Testament Foundations

The Old Testament lays the groundwork for understanding compassion and sympathy as divine attributes. God is frequently described as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving devotion (Exodus 34:6). This divine compassion is not merely an abstract quality but is demonstrated through God's actions toward His people. For instance, in the book of Isaiah, God expresses His deep compassion for Israel, likening it to a mother's love for her child: "Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!" (Isaiah 49:15).

The call for God's people to emulate His compassion is evident in the Law and the Prophets. The Israelites were commanded to care for the vulnerable, including the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner, reflecting God's own concern for these groups (Deuteronomy 10:18-19). The prophet Micah encapsulates this call to compassionate living: "He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8).

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ embodies the perfect example of compassion and sympathy. His earthly ministry was marked by acts of healing, feeding the hungry, and comforting the sorrowful. The Gospels frequently note that Jesus was moved with compassion for the crowds, as seen in Matthew 9:36: "When He saw the crowds, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" .

Jesus' parables further illustrate the inseparability of compassion from love for God. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) challenges believers to extend mercy beyond cultural and religious boundaries, emphasizing that true love for God is demonstrated through love for one's neighbor. Similarly, the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) highlights the father's compassionate response to his wayward son, mirroring God's boundless mercy toward repentant sinners.

The apostolic writings continue this theme, urging believers to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12). The Apostle Paul exhorts the church to bear one another's burdens, fulfilling the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). This law, rooted in love, is the guiding principle for Christian conduct, as love for God naturally overflows into love for others.

Theological Implications

Theologically, compassion and sympathy are not optional virtues but are integral to the Christian life. They are manifestations of the Holy Spirit's work within believers, transforming them into the likeness of Christ. The Apostle John emphasizes that love for God is demonstrated through love for others: "If anyone says, 'I love God,' but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen" (1 John 4:20).

Compassion and sympathy, therefore, are not merely emotional responses but are active, sacrificial expressions of love that reflect the heart of God. They are essential to the believer's witness in the world, serving as tangible evidence of the transformative power of the Gospel. As believers grow in their love for God, they are called to increasingly embody His compassion and sympathy, becoming conduits of His grace and mercy to a hurting world.1 John 3:17
But whoever has this world's good, and sees his brother have need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

John 4:20
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and you say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Jesus at the Bier
... dry our tears, the assurance of the sympathy of Christ ... human Christ, which is the
divine compassion, drying all ... and there we 'shall clasp inseparable hands with ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/jesus at the bier.htm

we have not only so high a pattern, but so excellent a motive
... be moved, it moves itself through comfort and sympathy. ... to God our Father, to have
compassion on them ... own things." Self denial and true love are inseparable. ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/chapter ii i .htm

Provoking Each Other to Love and Good Works.
... less trouble at its own loss than compassion for the ... so that vexation is kept down
by sympathy, and there ... appears as if love and good works were inseparable. ...
/.../selected sermons of schleiermacher/xxiv provoking each other to.htm

Entering into the Infinite
... The spirit of man is inseparable from the Infinite ... forgetfulness, and deep and abounding
sympathy, look there ... good-will and far-reaching compassion, for such a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/allen/the way of peace/entering into the infinite.htm

A Parable in a Miracle
... reverence as beholding not only the compassion of the ... and more wonderful piece of
sympathy and condescension ... cleansing which are wrapped up inseparable in His ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/a parable in a miracle.htm

The Sinner Seriously Urged and Entreated to Accept of Salvation in ...
... I beseech you by that voice of sympathy and power ... outcast that has no shelter but
in thy gracious compassion! ... unite me to thee in such inseparable bonds, that ...
/.../chapter x the sinner seriously.htm

'the Angel Adjutant'
... by love for a sinful world, with a compassion and a ... A certain leisureliness is
inseparable from the life of the ... were rich in love and in full sympathy with her ...
/.../carpenter/the angel adjutant of twice born men/x the angel adjutant.htm

Of the Nature of Regeneration, with Respect to the Change it ...
... and more especially of those which are inseparable from a ... least beholds them with
a love of compassion and pity ... God, and gives him, by joyful sympathy, his part ...
/.../doddridge/practical discourses on regeneration/discourse iii of the nature.htm

The Great High-Priest.
... as He was Son of God, and the compassion of One ... He could not acquire the power of
sympathy by offering ... It was part of the glory inseparable from His Sonship. ...
/.../chapter iv the great high-priest.htm

Christ's Peace
... His peace is inseparable from His presence ... and that is, by the divine love of Jesus ...
it possible to reproduce His gentleness, sympathy, compassion, insight into ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/christs peace.htm

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Compassion: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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