Topical Bible: God is Declared to Be: Merciful

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Topical Encyclopedia

The attribute of mercy is a central theme in the biblical portrayal of God, reflecting His compassionate and forgiving nature towards humanity. The Bible consistently affirms that God is merciful, demonstrating His willingness to forgive sins and extend grace to those who seek Him.

Old Testament Foundations

The concept of God's mercy is deeply rooted in the Old Testament. In Exodus 34:6, God reveals Himself to Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and truth." This self-revelation highlights God's merciful character as an integral part of His divine nature.

The Psalms frequently celebrate God's mercy. Psalm 103:8-10 declares, "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins or repaid us according to our iniquities." Here, the psalmist emphasizes that God's mercy tempers His justice, offering forgiveness instead of retribution.

The prophet Micah also underscores God's mercy, asking rhetorically in Micah 7:18, "Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion."

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, God's mercy is vividly manifested through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Luke records Mary's Magnificat, where she praises God, saying, "His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation" (Luke 1:50). This reflects the continuity of God's merciful nature across both Testaments.

The Apostle Paul frequently speaks of God's mercy in his epistles. In Ephesians 2:4-5, he writes, "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 our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved." Here, Paul links God's mercy with His love and grace, emphasizing that salvation is an act of divine mercy.

In Titus 3:5, Paul further elaborates, "He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." This passage underscores that human efforts cannot earn salvation; it is solely a result of God's merciful intervention.

Theological Implications

The declaration of God as merciful has profound theological implications. It assures believers of God's readiness to forgive and restore those who repent. This mercy is not a license to sin but a call to repentance and transformation. As recipients of God's mercy, Christians are also called to emulate this attribute in their interactions with others, as Jesus taught in the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7).

God's mercy is a testament to His enduring love and faithfulness, offering hope and redemption to a fallen world. Through His mercy, God invites humanity into a restored relationship with Him, characterized by grace, forgiveness, and eternal life.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Exodus 34:6,7
And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 86:5
For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy to all them that call on you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

"Behold Your God!"
... truly as I live," He declared, "all the earth shall be filled with the glory of
the Lord." Verses 20, 21. God's glory, His character, His merciful kindness and ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 26 behold your god.htm

"God with Us"
... He was the Word of God,"God's thought made audible. In His prayer for His disciples
He says, "I have declared unto them Thy name,"""merciful and gracious ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 1 god with us.htm

A Dialogue with God
... Our right response to God's merciful threatenings is to ask this question in the
right ... or go on in a headlong course which He by His providences declared to be ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/a dialogue with god 2.htm

Argument. --God is Above all Things, Himself Containing all Things ...
... less than Himself; and whatever could be declared must be ... our endeavours more directly
to consider God, so much ... juster than all justice, more merciful than all ...
/.../chapter ii argument god is above.htm

Approaching Doom
... When man has sinned against a holy and merciful God, he can pursue no course so
noble as to repent sincerely and confess his ... God had declared that if at ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 35 approaching doom.htm

The Canons of Dordt
... Article 14 As the doctrine of divine election by the most wise counsel of God was
declared? ... Article 1 God is not only supremely merciful, but also ...
//christianbookshelf.org/various/the canons of dordt/

Divine Election and Reprobation
... And herein is especially displayed the profound, the merciful, and at the same ... the
doctrine of election by the most wise counsel of God was declared by the ...
/.../anonymous/synod of dort/divine election and reprobation.htm

The Exercise of Mercy Optional with God.
... His promise to be gracious and merciful, In like ... determination, and of testimony
upon the part of God. And He has distinctly declared in the written Revelation ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/the exercise of mercy optional.htm

How to Dwell in the Fire of God
... to say when I listen to such words is, 'God be merciful to me ... in the gospel scheme
for all communion and fellowship with God as ever it was declared to be ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/how to dwell in the.htm

God's Character Our Resting-Place
... to say, this is the very state of disquietude in which we may find many who profess
to believe in a God "merciful and gracious ... God has declared himself to ...
/.../bonar/gods way of peace/chapter iii gods character our.htm