Much Needed Attributes — Mercy And Compassion
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesAccording to the dictionary, mercy is defined as “compassion shown to an offender,” or “a blessing resulting from divine favor or compassion,” or “compassion shown to victims of misfortune.”
God is our example for mercy because Jesus said, “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Regarding mercy and compassion, Paul quotes God saying to Moses:
“I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion” (Romans 9:15; cf. Exodus 33:19).
There’s no question that having the attribute of mercy is a wonderful thing to demonstrate (Luke 18:9-14). In the first century, if the Roman army wanted to demonstrate mercy to an opposing foe, they would run up a white flag. This meant that if the city would surrender, all who surrendered would be spared — an expression of mercy. If they rejected the ultimatum to surrender, they ran up a black flag. This meant they would execute all men by the sword.
We can thank our heavenly Father that He is flying the white flag for mankind! (2 Peter 3:9; cf. Romans 2:4; 1 Timothy 2:1-4).
But, our heavenly Father isn’t content to just show mercy — He also demonstrates compassion as well. Someone has aptly said, “Compassion is mercy with a heart in it.” Thus, the Creator of the universe is calling on mankind to demonstrate both mercy and compassion.
Since man has received both mercy and compassion from our merciful and compassionate God in the form of Jesus (Romans 5:1-11), we should be motivated to bow our knees in thanksgiving to Him as an expression of our gratitude for being so favorably remembered (Hebrews 2:7-18).