The bible teaches us in Psalm 103:8 (NIV) – “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.” Our God is a compassionate and merciful father. In this blog post 50 powerful bible verses for mercy, you will learn about God’s love and mercy.
What Does the Bible Say About Mercy?
The concept of mercy is deeply rooted in the Bible, it can be understood as God’s compassionate response to human suffering and sin. It is not merely an act of pardon but a demonstration of love and kindness towards those in need. Throughout the scriptures, mercy is portrayed as a defining characteristic of God’s nature, inviting us to emulate His example in our dealings with others.
Mercy, the compassionate and forgiving treatment of others, is not only a virtue extolled by Scripture but also a fundamental attribute of God Himself. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the Bible verses for mercy resound with a profound message of grace and compassion.
What the Old Testament Says About Mercy
In the Old Testament, God’s mercy is revealed through His interactions with His chosen people, Israel. Despite their repeated transgressions, God consistently extends His mercy, offering forgiveness and restoration.
Exodus 34:6-7 (NIV) – “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.'”
Psalm 103:8 (NIV) – “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
These verses highlight God’s merciful nature, His patience, and His readiness to forgive those who earnestly seek His forgiveness.
What the New Testament Says About Mercy
In the New Testament, the embodiment of God’s mercy is manifested in the life, teachings, and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through His compassionate ministry and ultimate act of atonement, Jesus exemplified the depths of divine mercy.
Matthew 5:7 (NIV) – “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Luke 6:36 (NIV) – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
These verses from the Gospels call believers to emulate God’s mercy, extending compassion and forgiveness to others, just as God has shown mercy to us.
50 Bible Verses About Mercy
- Exodus 34:6 (ESV) – “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.'”
- Psalm 23:6 (NIV) – “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
- Psalm 86:5 (NIV) – “You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.”
- Psalm 145:9 (ESV) – “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”
- Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV) – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
- Micah 7:18 (NIV) – “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.”
- Matthew 9:13 (NIV) – “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
- Matthew 12:7 (NIV) – “If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.”
- Luke 6:36 (NIV) – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
- Romans 9:15 (NIV) – “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 11:32 (NIV) – “For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.”
- Ephesians 1:7 (NIV) – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
- Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV) – “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
- Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) – “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
- Colossians 3:12 (NIV) – “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”
- Hebrews 4:16 (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.”
- James 2:13 (NIV) – “Because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
- 1 Peter 1:3 (NIV) – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
- 1 Peter 2:10 (NIV) – “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
- 1 Peter 5:10 (NIV) – “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
- 1 John 1:9 (NIV) – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
- 2 Chronicles 30:9 (NIV) – “If you return to the Lord, then your fellow Israelites and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will return to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
- Nehemiah 9:31 (NIV) – “But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.”
- Daniel 9:9 (NIV) – “The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;”
- Jonah 4:2 (NIV) – “He prayed to the Lord, ‘Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity
- Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) – “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'”
- Luke 15:20 (NIV) – “So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
- Luke 18:13 (NIV) – “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'”
- Romans 5:6-8 (NIV) – “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
- 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NIV) – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,”
- Galatians 6:16 (NIV) – “Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.”
- Ephesians 1:3-4 (NIV) – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love”
- Philippians 2:1-2 (NIV) – “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”
- 1 Timothy 1:16 (NIV) – “But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.”
- 2 Timothy 1:16-18 (NIV) – “May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.”
- Hebrews 2:17 (NIV) – “For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.”
- James 5:11 (NIV) – “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
- 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) – “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
- Jude 1:21 (NIV) – “Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.”
- Revelation 1:5 (NIV) – “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,”
- Revelation 3:19 (NIV) – “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.”
- Revelation 7:14 (NIV) – “I answered, ‘Sir, you know.’ And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.'”
- Revelation 11:13 (NIV) – “At that very hour there was a severe earthquake and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the survivors were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”
- Revelation 15:3 (NIV) – “and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: ‘Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations.'”
- Revelation 19:11 (NIV) – “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.”
- Revelation 20:12 (NIV) – “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”
- Revelation 20:15 (NIV) – “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
- Revelation 21:4 (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 22:3 (NIV) – “No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him.”
- Revelation 22:21 (NIV) – “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.”
Conclusion
As we reflect on these 50 Bible verses about mercy, we’re reminded of God’s boundless compassion and love towards humanity. His mercy knows no bounds, reaching out to the repentant sinner and offering forgiveness and redemption. May we, in turn, embody this mercy in our lives, showing kindness and compassion to others as we walk in the footsteps of our merciful Savior.
