Loving the Scriptures May 4, 2026 Issue

God’s mercy

Throughout the Hebrew Bible, God is presented as both punishing and merciful, depending on His people’s actions. God’s law was to be obeyed, and transgressions were believed to bring divine retribution. Many early prayers to God admit to wrongdoing and plead for forgiveness. Psalm 51 petitions, for instance: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: . . . Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (verses 1, 2).

Underlying this view of God was the assumption that He knows both good and evil—and that His creation includes both elements. Christ Jesus, however, demonstrated that God’s nature is entirely good. The Savior taught that God’s lovingkindness and grace, abundantly bestowed on His children, exclude evil. Understanding this frees from sin and therefore its penalties.

Jesus modeled God’s mercy throughout his ministry, perhaps most clearly in his interchange with an adulterous woman. He refused to condemn her, while also charging her to stop sinning. At the same time, those who harshly judged her were made to face up to their own errors (see John 8:1–11). Combining compassion with spiritual authority, the Master called for honest self-assessment and regeneration.

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