10 Key Bible Verses on God’s Mercy

This article is part of the Key Bible Verses series.

All commentary notes adapted from the ESV Study Bible.

1. Lamentations 3:22–23

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
      his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
      great is your faithfulness. Read More

God’s steadfast love (his “covenant mercy” or beneficial action on his people’s behalf) never ceases, even in the face of Judah’s unfaithfulness and the resulting “day of the LORD” (cf. Joel 2:1–2; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:14–16). mercies. Or “compassion.” This type of mercy goes the second mile, replacing judgment with restoration. never come to an end. God is willing to begin anew with those who repent.

new every morning. Each day presents another opportunity to experience God’s grace. faithfulness. God’s covenantal fidelity and personal integrity remain intact no matter what happens.

2. Ephesians 2:4–6

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Read More

But God. No hopeless fate looks any grimmer than that which awaits the forlorn company of mankind marching behind the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2) to their destruction under divine wrath. Just when things look the most desolate, Paul utters the greatest short phrase in the history of human speech: “But God!” rich in mercy. God’s mercy on his helpless enemies flows from his own loving heart, not from anything they have done to deserve it.

when we were dead. Paul resumes his original thought, which began with “you were dead” in Eph. 2:1. made us alive. That is, God gave us regeneration (new spiritual life within). This and the two verbs in Eph. 2:6 (“raised up” and “seated with”) make up the main verbs of the long sentence in Eph. 2:1–10. Since Christians were dead, they first had to be made alive before they could believe (and God did that together with Christ). This is why salvation is by grace alone.

3. Isaiah 30:18

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you,
     and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.
For the LORD is a God of justice;
     blessed are all those who wait for him. Read More

Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you. Note the amazing logic of grace: God’s people forsake him for a false salvation (Isa. 30:1–17); therefore, he is gracious to them (Isa. 30:18). But he waits, for the LORD is a God of justice, i.e., he knows the perfect way to achieve his purpose, the perfect time to go into action, and the perfect disciplinary process that will awaken Judah.

4. 1 Peter 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Read More

Salvation is due to God’s mercy, grace, and sovereignty, for he miraculously gave sinners new life (caused us to be born again, cf. 1 Pet. 1:23). Peter may be connecting “born again” to through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, meaning that the new birth was made possible because God thought of those who believe in Christ as being united to him in his resurrection (cf. Rom. 6:4; Eph. 1:19–20; 2:5–6; Col. 3:1). Or he may be linking the resurrection to the living hope of believers, since that hope immediately follows the resurrection. In the latter case, the hope of Christians is their future resurrection. Believers have an unshakable hope for the future, for Christ’s resurrection is a pledge of their own future resurrection.

5. Titus 3:5

. . . he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Read More

The transformation described in Tit. 3:3–7 (formerly . . . but now) is not based on human effort. “We . . . were once enslaved” (Tit. 3:3) but he saved us. God must act before salvation occurs. Salvation comes not because of works but by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Some have understood this as saying that baptism (“the washing”) causes salvation. However, in this context human deeds are clearly downplayed (“not because of works”) and the emphasis is on divine action and initiative (“he saved us”). The “washing” described here is the spiritual cleansing, which is outwardly symbolized in baptism.

6. Psalm 103:8

The LORD is merciful and gracious,
      slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Read More

Ps. 103:8 is based on Ex. 34:6, where God proclaims his own name (the OT’s fundamental confession of God’s character); Ps. 103:9–13 expounds this further. The terms sins, iniquities (v. 10), and transgressions (Ps. 103:12) are names for what God forgives in Ex. 34:7a. Likewise steadfast love (Ps. 103:11) and shows compassion (Ps. 103:3; the word is related to merciful in Ps. 103:8) reveal that this is an application of Ex. 34:6–7.

7. Hebrews 4:16

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Read More

Draw near (Gk. proserchomai, “approach, go to, draw near to”) is used consistently in Hebrews to represent a person approaching God (Heb. 7:25; Heb. 10:1, Heb. 10:22; Heb. 11:6; Heb. 12:18, Heb. 12:22; cf. Ex. 16:9; Ex. 34:32; Lev. 9:5; Deut. 4:11), which is possible only when one’s sins are forgiven through the sacrificial and intercessory ministry of a high priest (Heb. 7:25; Heb. 10:22). The encouragement to “draw near” to God’s throne implies that Christians have the privilege of a personal relationship with God. Confidence translates Greek parrēsia (“boldness,” “confidence,” “courage,” esp. with reference to speaking before someone of great rank or power; cf. Heb. 3:6; Heb. 10:19, Heb. 10:35). It indicates that Christians may come before God and speak plainly and honestly (yet still with appropriate reverence), without fear that they will incur shame or punishment by doing so. throne of grace. God the Father, with Jesus at his right hand (Heb. 8:1; Heb. 12:2; cf. Heb. 1:8), graciously dispenses help from heaven to those who need forgiveness and strength in temptation (see Heb. 2:18).

8. Matthew 9:13

“Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Read More

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Jesus’ offer of salvation to sinners threatens the Pharisees’ way of life, yet it is at the heart of the gospel he came announcing. “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” is a quotation from Hos. 6:6. “Sacrifice” summarized observance of religious rituals. More important to God was “mercy” (the Septuagint rendering of Hb. hesed, meaning “steadfast love”), which would have led the Pharisees to care for these sinners as Jesus did.

9. James 2:13

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Read More

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. This proverbial saying sums up the implications of James 2:1–12 and leads into the “faith without works” discussion in James 2:14–26. It was the core of Roman law (lex talionis, “the law of retribution”), but more importantly it is central to God’s law: what you do to others will be done to you in the judgment (i.e., rewarded for good and punished for evil). Mercy triumphs over judgment does not, in this context, mean that God’s mercy is extended to believers at the judgment. Rather, believers’ acts of mercy (e.g., caring for the poor and hurting) will mean that they are vindicated at the judgment (cf. Matt. 25:34–40). Mercy was an essential OT requirement for dealing with the poor (Mic. 6:8; Zech. 7:9–10). Mercy is likewise a requirement of believers in the NT (e.g., Matt. 5:7; 6:15; 18:32–35), or they will experience God’s judgment rather than his mercy.

10. Psalm 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
     all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
     forever. Read More

Goodness and mercy (ESV footnote, “steadfast love”) are the assurance for the faithful that God has showered his grace upon them. For a non-Levite to dwell in the house of the LORD is to have ready access to the sanctuary for worship (Ps. 27:4). As the ESV footnote explains, forever is literally, “for length of days”; this may simply be another way of saying all the days of my life, but is more likely to be meant as “for days without end” (cf. Ps. 21:4; 93:5, “forevermore”).

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