I have been talking through the attributes of God, the descriptions of Who God is and how God relates to humanity. I want to share about the attribute of God’s mercy.
To show mercy is to not give what would normally be deserved. Occasionally those in prison are pardoned and allowed to be released without having served their entire sentence. They are shown mercy, to receive something other than what was originally deserved.
Not only does God act with mercy towards humanity, His mercy is part of Who God is. The attribute of mercy is a communicable attribute…meaning that God expects us to show mercy in response to having received mercy from the Lord. Incommunicable attributes are those characteristics that only belong to God, such as all-powerful, infinite, all-knowing and others. Mercy, love and kindness are examples of God’s attributes that He has called us to imitate.
I think this is amazing. God is merciful and has given us the ability to also act in mercy towards others. By showing mercy to others, we can imitate an attribute of the Lord.
In the Bible we read about the Lord who is abundant in love and mercy. That is why we are told to come before God with confidence, knowing what we can receive. We see in Hebrews 4:16, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (New Living Translation)
Often, people view mercy as something we should extend when we feel like it or when it benefits us. We may be open to giving someone a “second chance” but no more. With God, His mercy does not have limits…He is rich in mercy. (Ephesians 2:4). This is not a blank check to test God’s limits without consequences. However, when we genuinely come to God seeking mercy with repentance, we can confidently expect God to respond.
The expectation is high, then, for how we respond with mercy towards others. God, who is rich in mercy, has demonstrated the ultimate mercy by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save us. Because of God’s mercy, we can also respond with mercy towards others. By doing this we both exemplify God’s attribute of mercy but also allow our mercy to break down barriers of bitterness within our relationships.
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