When we talk about God’s mercy we almost always talk about God’s grace and the difference between the two. The mercy of God is not receiving consequences for our sins, such as death. Grace is receiving something we do not deserve, such as God’s forgiveness and life. Mercy and grace are nearly opposites of each other. However, we serve a merciful God who sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our transgressions. There are many stories in the Bible about mercy and God.
Some of these stories are found in the Old Testament but there are many in the New Testament as well. From God’s people in the Old Testament to Matthew the tax collector in the New Testament God was merciful. God’s love also extended to the Gentiles or any non-Jewish person. Let’s explore a few of these stories in the Bible about mercy and God.
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Romans 9:15 NIV
God’s Mercy, God’s Grace
God’s mercy comes from the great love that He has for us. God wishes that no one should perish but have eternal life. Therefore, God provided a way for us not to die but to have abundant life. In God’s Word Christ Jesus is that instrument of this mercy. Christ Jesus laid down his life so that we would not perish. In God’s grace, He gifted us with salvation. We do not deserve this gift. We cannot earn this gift. This gift cannot be bought by any means. This gift from God is a result of Jesus’s death. Our Heavenly Father loved us enough to sacrifice His one and only son. This was God’s plan from the very beginning.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV
in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time, Titus 1:2 NIV
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22 NIV
Stories Of The Bible About Mercy And God
Let’s look at some Bible stories on mercy. Many of them speak of God’s steadfast love for us. In the Old Testament, we learn of God’s mercy as a blueprint for treating others with this same love. Then Jesus, God’s son came to speak of mercy in various parables in the New Testament. They were designed to show us the character of God and what we should learn from them.
Book Of Jonah
In the story of Jonah in the Old Testament, God wanted to show mercy to the people of Nineveh. Jonah did not. He wanted revenge because the people of Nineveh were part of the Assyrian Nation. They were Israel’s enemy. These people were of a cruel pagan nation that tortured their enemies. However, God will save anyone who calls on His name. In the eyes of God, anyone can deserve a second chance. That includes those who are considered evil and those who are deemed good religious leaders. Because no one is without sin. Hence, God’s mercy is for anyone and everyone. The love of God extends beyond just Jewish people.
Jonah ran from God so as not to preach to the Nineveh people so that they could receive God’s mercy. However, God pursued Jonah and used a giant fish to spare his life. This allowed Jonah to pray, repent, and obey God’s will.
Jonah went on to preach salvation to the people of Nineveh. However, Jonah still expressed his anger to the Lord for this act of mercy. However, the grace of God has no limit. He will save anyone who turns away from their evil ways.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ Acts 2:21 NIV
Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. Psalms 54:1 NIV
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 NIV
Parable Of The Good Samaritan
In the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37, a man who was traveling to Jericho was attacked by robbers. A priest and a Levite passed him by without offering any assistance in his time of need. But a Samaritan saw him and helped him. The Samaritan showed the man mercy by bandaging his wounds and paying an innkeeper to provide for his every need. This is a great demonstration of mercy. We as Christians should attempt to mirror this behavior to show the world, that we are part of the Kingdom of God. Jesus calls us to love God and to love our neighbor.
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37 NIV
He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Luke 10:27 NIV
Christ Jesus
Our Lord Jesus Christ is part of God along with the Holy Spirit. Jesus showed mercy to many while he was on Earth. He healed the sick, brought some back to life, fed thousands, and taught the world the good news. But most of all Jesus died for our sins to fulfill scripture. Our merciful Father sent His son for us to believe in the Gospel of John and the good news of the New Testament. Therefore, if we believe in this Jesus we will have eternal life.
Acknowledging this truth allows God, the Holy Spirit to live in you. This mercy from God is not something we deserve. For our sins against God, we deserve death. However, the Lord God made a way for us to be with Him and not die. Death has been defeated for all eternity.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. John 3:36 NIV
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 1 John 4:15 NIV
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 1 Corinthians 15:55 NIV
God’s Grace
The Lord we serve is a gracious God. It is in God’s power to show mercy to anyone, and it is not always fair. It was not fair for Jesus to have to die for all our sins. Nevertheless, this is a task God assigned Him. From the first sin in the Garden of Eden God has been actively working towards providing us with grace. His plan included forgiving us for our life of sin.
The word grace is such a powerful word because it allows God to show mercy for many of us in a desperate situation with no way back to Him. However, the one true God does not leave us on our own. Belief in Jesus’s death and resurrection allows us to move in the opposite direction from death to life. We can all approach God with confidence to accept His grace and mercy.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—Ephesians 2:8 NIV
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NIV
For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 1 Thessalonians 4:14 NIV
God’s Mercy
God showed mercy to the Jewish people by helping them escape from Egypt to live in the promised land of Israel. Hence, God’s chosen people were led out of captivity into this new land of milk and honey. A land filled with the promise of rest. A land that God vowed to be with the Jewish people. They only had to follow God’s way once they arrived.
God showed mercy by providing a way for Gentiles to be adopted into His kingdom. A kingdom with no end. This was God’s promise to all people. All of that believed would be together with Him in the new earth and new heaven. There will be no sadness, no tears, and no sickness. We will live a life of peace with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Therefore, God’s mercy extends to the Jew and the gentile. We will all live together worshipping the Lord God as one people united in belief. It will be where righteousness dwells.
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’ ” Exodus 32:13 NIV
he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—Ephesians 1:5 NIV
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4 NIV
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13 NIV
Everyday Mercies
God’s mercies extend more than just for our salvation. During Jesus’ life on earth, He extended many mercies of forgiveness from daily sins. When we choose to go our own way and lie, cheat, or engage in other sins of the flesh we deserve to be punished. When we sin and hurt another person and they choose to forgive us and give us another chance, don’t let this goodness pass. Know that this is the good works that God has planted in their heart. Their heart is reflecting the heart of God. It is a pure heart that has been transformed by the love of God.
We are God’s children and as we mature in our faith, we should be ready and able to forgive others. To show them mercy as our Heavenly Father has shown us. It is better to show mercy rather than judge our fellow man. None of us are without some form of sin in our life.
We also should recognize our sins, repent, and ask for forgiveness. Hence, we should be prepared to receive mercy from the one we have offended and accept their gift of mercy in the form of forgiveness.
Mercy can also be in the form of receiving a blessing from God, such as a raise, a new job, healing, or protection from an accident or a dangerous situation.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 NIV
because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13 NIV
So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Luke 17:3 NIV
Recap: Stories Of The Bible About Mercy And God.
It is a result of God’s mercy that we are saved. However, this mercy is based on our belief that Jesus is the only way to God. The only way to eternal life. It is the only way to come to the Father. There is no other way to get to heaven. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 NIV