THE CROSS SYMBOL OF MERCY
1“Mercy is having compassion for others. God’s mercies are abundant (1Perte 1:3)
and fresh every morning (Lamentation 3:22-23). Paul described God as “the father of all
mercies” (2 Corinthians 1:3). Jesus commended the Samaritan who showed mercy for a
wounded traveler (Luke 10:36-37).” The mercy of God is reflected in the most powerful
way by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. It is revealed in man through the
power of the Holy Spirit. Robert Heidler writes in his book “Experiencing the Spirit.”
2 “Sometimes the Holy Spirit reveals Himself with a surprising kind of mercy. He chose
Saul of Tarsus a proud man, hardened and resistant to God. He waylaid Saul on his
mission to Damascus,
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The answer is, God’s justice and mercy are seemingly incompatible. After all,
justice involves the dispensing of deserved punishment for wrongdoing, and mercy is all
about pardon and compassion for an offender. However, these two attributes of God, do
in fact form a unity within His character.
The Bible contains many references to God’s mercy. Over 290 verses in the Old
Testament and 70 in the New Testament contain direct statements of the mercy of God
toward His people. God was merciful to the Ninevites who repented at the preaching of
Jonah, who described God as “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and
abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2).
David said, “The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. Slow to anger and great in
mercy. The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works” (Psalm
145:8–9). But the Bible also speaks of God’s justice and His wrath over sin. In fact,
God’s perfect justice is a defining characteristic: “There is no other God besides me, a
just God and a Savior” (Isaiah 45:21b,WEB). “He is the Rock, His works is perfect; for
all His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright
Revelations of Divine Love is a 14th century masterpiece written by Julian of Norwich. This book is an account of St. Julian’s sixteen different mystical revelations in which she had encountered at a time of great suffering and illness. St. Julian focussed on the many “mysteries of Christianity.” Through her many revelations she encountered God’s vast love, the existence of evil, God’s heart for creation, the father and mother-heart of God, and the need to obey her Father in Heaven. Amongst these revelations the most powerful was the revelation of God’s love and character. Revelations of Divine Love is a wonderful source of revelation to connect a reader to the Father.
Under all religions there are common attributes associated with god. God is known to be all good (omnibenevolent), all powerful (omnipotent) and all knowing (omniscient), which together form t...
John 17 v9, Christ prays for his people, they are the ones he atones for. Justice has been done in that sense.
An instructive and stirring string of verses, this passage from the Bible holds great relevance not only for the Ancient Israelites to whom it was spoken, but also acts as a herald to Christians today. This passage forms part of Moses great oration; his instructive teaching, advice and counsel narrated to the second generation of Israelites who required redirection before moving forward into what God had for them. Similarly, it is also relevant for all Christians as we remember what our faithful, loving and powerful God has done in the past, and what he requires of us to move forward.
And Solomon said, Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou has t kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
A wonderful description of the nature of God’s existence that includes the absolute possession of characteristics that have to be uniquely God was said, “First, God must exist necessarily, which means that God’s existence differs from ours by not being dependent on anything or anyone else, or such as to be taken from him or lost in any way. God has always existed, will always exist and could not do otherwise than to exist. Also, whatever attributes God possesses, he possesses necessarily” (Wood, J., 2010, p. 191).
The implementation of this new ethical paradigm allowed for Abrahamic societies to link their belief in God to common social values and responsibilities (Stark, 2001). The approach which Judaism, Christianity and Islam each take toward these common social values and responsibilities displays which values are held highest in each religion. Despite differences in each religion’s approach, common themes exist. The role of justice and forgiveness in each religion displays a common belief that man’s nature is to stray from God’s justice, but that man can ultimately connect with the divine through the contemplation and understanding of what is good and right.
Even the shepherds have no compassion for them. 6 And likewise, I will no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land," says the LORD. I will let them fall into each other's clutches, as well as into the clutches of their king. They will turn the land into a wilderness, and I will not protect them." 7
In Judaism, God is seen as having a contractual relationship with the Jewish people where they must obey his holy laws in return for their status of the chosen people. God rewards or punishes Jewish people based on whether they obey or disobey his will. In parts of the Old Testament, however, God does show mercy or forgiveness, and in later interpretations God’s laws such as the Ten Commandments are followed
Paul the Apostle, formerly known as Saul, lived much of his life preaching the Good News that Jesus brought and spreading it to the nations. Paul is a particularly notable follower of Jesus because he contributed several books to the Bible, and he reached a large number of people groups during his travels abroad. However, Paul was not always a such a saint. It is important to note that Paul was a human and had real struggles, just like us. Although he accomplished many things for the Kingdom of God, he wouldn’t have been able to do so without trusting God to work through him. In this paper I will demonstrate how God can turn a life around and what the life of a servant of the Lord looks like, with its successes and failures, through a chronology of Paul’s life.
The Doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology). God provides us with everything we need; we see this in Genesis where he provided Adam with everything he needed. Jesus became a man by reincarnation; a verse to support this is John 1:14 “
For those who believe in a God who is living and active and who believe in the sanctity of the scriptures, the question of God's justice in the Bible does seem a contradiction at times. As Neiman observed, The Book of Proverbs presents a formula for life, promising blessings to the man who lives a moral life (436). But is The Book of Proverbs a collection of promises or is it the wise man's observations of probabilities? One can see the unpleasant consequences of poor choices, as well as the good fortunes of those who have lived a "clean" life, but sometimes this moral law breaks down. As Neiman states, "experience has led men to realize that ...
Even when God is at his most extreme anger, he finds a way to show grace and mercy. We can see the truth of this statement over and over in the times of Noah and the flood.
Common misconceptions about God run rampant. Some believe He sins just as humans do. Others believe he craves the destruction of mankind. However, in reality, a righteous God exists, a Lord who tests His subjects' faith, a Ruler who controls all. People often contest that God holds no power over the earth. However, God's sovereignty remains evident in that countries fall when He decides to disestablish them. The fact that He disciplines the profane and prospers the deserving displays His uprightness. Though afflictions will come, people must persevere and continue to look towards God. Even though life appears hopeless at times, God remains all-powerful. His love for His followers remains everlasting. His control over the earth endures forever.
We all know God is love and it is shown everywhere in the Bible. To be merciful means to have broad grace. To be just means to be respectably good and fair. These two attributes seem to contradict each other because how can a merciful God judge a person for their wrongdoing or how can someone who hates sin have mercy on the people who do evil? Many atheists question how could a merciful God be just? The answer to this question is Gods mercy is expressed to us through His love. God is a perfect God meaning his justice and mercifulness is also faultless. This paper will focus on comparing and contrasting the attributes God is just and merciful by pointing out the similarities, differences, and by showing ways in which God demonstrates them to mankind.