Mercy is compassion shown to someone who deserves punishment. It is the withholding of deserved judgment. It is the giving of undeserved kindness. It is the act of forgiveness. It is the act of pardon. It is the act of grace. It is the act of love. It is the act of mercy.

Mercy is central to the Bible. God is merciful. He is slow to anger. He is abounding in steadfast love. He forgives iniquity. He passes over transgression. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. He does not repay us according to our iniquities. He casts our sins into the depths of the sea. He removes them as far as the east is from the west. He remembers them no more. He is merciful. He is gracious. He is loving. He is kind. He is good. He is God. He is mercy.

Mercy in scripture

• Exodus 34:6: the Lord, merciful and gracious.
• Psalm 103:8: the Lord is merciful and gracious.
• Lamentations 3:22: his mercies never come to an end.
• Matthew 5:7: blessed are the merciful.
• Luke 6:36: be merciful, as your Father is merciful.
• Ephesians 2:4: God, being rich in mercy.
• Titus 3:5: he saved us according to his mercy.

Mercy is not weakness. It is strength. It is not indulgence. It is forgiveness. It is not permissiveness. It is pardon. It is not ignoring sin. It is bearing sin. It is not forgetting justice. It is fulfilling justice. It is not cheap. It cost Christ his life. It is not earned. It is given. It is not deserved. It is grace. It is not conditional. It is covenant. It is not temporary. It is eternal. It is not human. It is divine. It is not ours. It is God's. It is mercy. The quality of mercy is not strained. It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. It is mightiest in the mightiest. It becomes the throned monarch better than his crown. It is an attribute of God himself. It is mercy. Be merciful. As your Father is merciful. That is the command. That is the call. That is the promise. That is the hope. That is the love. That is the grace. That is the mercy. That is mercy.