I think most of us, especially those who have been personally affected by their actions, would be balling our fists, faces red with anger. What about the innocent lives lost? What about the families that were separated? What about the trauma that the victims are stuck with forever? At the core of it, Jonah asked the question in many of our hearts: How can a holy God let go of such appalling atrocities?
Should I not have compassion on them? At the same time, we must remember that God is a just God. He would have enacted punishment in pursuit of justice if Nineveh had refused to repent , as He had done before to Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis His first instinct is never to punish but to allow for second chances for He is slow to anger and quick to forgive. In fact, He delights in showing mercy Micah ! Without justice, mercy is an overindulgence of compassion. But without mercy, justice will be reduced to sheer legalism.
Beyond being merciful, God is also gracious. While mercy is not giving us what we deserve, grace is giving us what we do not deserve. Through mercy, we were delivered from judgment; through grace, we receive salvation Ephesians For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Grace and mercy are not the same thing.
They are similar. Mercy is God withholding the judgement that we deserve. Grace is when He bestows that mercy and then adds blessing on top of it. Mercy is our being delivered from the judgement that we rightfully deserve. Mercy is seen clearly in the parable Jesus told about the man who owed a lot of money. He owed more than he could make in a year. On the day that he was to repay the money, the lender told him that he could rightfully demand the money of him, and that he had acted wickedly in not having the money ready, yet he chose to be merciful and forgive his debts.
Another illustration of mercy is found in Les Miserables. Jean Valjean at the beginning of the story robbed the Bishops home. He took several silver candlesticks and was apprehended. When he was brought before the Bishop before taken to prison and hung, the Bishop had mercy on Jean Valjean.
He did not press charges — he told the officers that he had given him the candlesticks. He then took it a step further and bestowed grace by giving him more silver to sell so that he could start his life over. Scriptures on mercy. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.
Justice in the Bible means to treat others equitably in a legal sense. The Hebrew word used is mishpat. It means to punish or acquit every person only on the merits of the case — not based on their race or social status. This word includes not only punishing those who do wrong, but also ensuring that everyone are given what rights they have or are due. So not only is it punishment for the wrong doer, but also protection for those in the right.
Gift Certificates. Ligonier Ministries. Supporting Ligonier. Renewing Your Mind. Ligonier Connect. Reformation Study Bible. Reformation Bible College. Stay in Touch. Coram Deo God must give us new hearts if we are to repent Eph. Jump to navigation. When we study the plan of redemption and the human drama that started in Eden, we can have a clear but not complete understanding of the great love of God on behalf of humanity.
Therefore, if God had used His attribute of justice, He would have destroyed the transgressors. Instead of applying justice, He introduced grace and mercy to deal with sinners. So, what is grace, and what is mercy? They are two faces of the same coin — the love of God. These two essential words in the plan of salvation are very close to each other. It seems that they have the same meaning. Nonetheless, they are different.
Tenney, Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. The angels, who know nothing of sin, do not understand what it is to have grace exercised toward them; but our sinfulness calls for the exercise of grace from a merciful God. It was grace that sent our Savior to seek us as wanderers and bring us back to the fold. The words grace and mercy are used many times interchangeably, but they have some differences. By divine grace we receive eternal salvation we do not deserve.
By divine mercy, we do not receive the eternal death we deserve. Here the prophet connects mercy with compassion. On the other hand, grace is an undeserved gift. A disposition to forgive, pity, or be kind.
As we see, grace and mercy are interdependent in the plan of salvation. In the market of which divine mercy has the management, the precious pearl is represented as being bought without money and without price. In this market all may obtain the goods of heaven.
The treasury of the jewels of truth is open to all. Voices from within and at the door say, Come.
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