“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
(Romans 9:15)
Fallen man possesses no claim on God’s favor, for all have sinned and stand justly condemned before His holy law. If God dealt with mankind according to strict justice alone, every mouth would be stopped, and the whole world would remain guilty before Him. That any sinner is saved is therefore owing entirely to God’s free and sovereign mercy.
The Lord declares this truth in unmistakable language: “I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” Mercy belongs to Him alone because He is its sovereign Author. He therefore dispenses it according to His own perfect wisdom, never under obligation, never by constraint, and never apart from His own holy purpose. His mercy is by necessity free because it cannot be earned, purchased, or deserved.[1]
Yet this sovereign mercy is never arbitrary or unjust. God remains perfectly righteous in all His ways. He withholds justice from none, for every sin receives its due punishment either in the sinner himself or in the substitutionary work of Jesus Christ. At the cross, mercy and justice blend together in perfect harmony, for here Christ bears the penalty that His people deserved, so that God may be just and the Justifier of all who believe.
The Lord’s compassion also reveals the tenderness of His heart toward His redeemed. He does not relieve our misery from a distance but draws near with fatherly pity toward those whom He has chosen in Christ. His compassion is deep, gracious, and unfailing, flowing from His own eternal love.
Had God left every member of Adam’s race to perish, He would have remained altogether holy and just. Instead, He purposed to redeem a countless multitude which magnifies the riches of His grace beyond all measure. Every believer therefore owes his entire salvation—from election to glorification—to the sovereign mercy of God alone.
The redeemed have nothing in which to glory except the mercy that found them, the compassion that embraced them, and the grace that continues to preserve them. Their salvation begins with God’s eternal purpose, is accomplished through Christ’s perfect redemption, and is applied by the Holy Spirit, so that all praise belongs forever to our triune God.
Contemplations:
- Adoring God For His Sovereign Mercy. I adore You because Your mercy is entirely free and sovereign. Nothing in me deserved Your favor, yet You were pleased to show me mercy according to Your own gracious purpose. I am grateful that Your mercy is as unchanging as Your holy character.
- Adoring God For Perfect Justice And Grace. I worship You because Your mercy never diminishes Your justice. You have not overlooked sin but judged it fully in the person of Jesus Christ, displaying both Your perfect righteousness and Your immeasurable love through the cross.
- Adoring God For Compassion Without Measure. I bless You because Your compassion reaches deeply into the misery of fallen sinners. You did not leave Your people in their ruin but drew near to save them through Christ. Your pity toward Your people is constant and everlasting, and I am thankful for Your fatherly tenderness toward all who belong to You.
- Adoring God For Salvation From Beginning To End. Every part of salvation displays Your sovereign grace. You chose, redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and will glorify Your people according to Your own good pleasure. From the first to the last, salvation belongs to the Lord. May my heart forever delight in giving You all the glory for so great a redemption.
Prayer (Adoration)
Merciful and sovereign God, I adore You because You loved Your people with an everlasting love. Your mercy is entirely free, flowing from Your own gracious will and not from any worthiness found in those whom You have redeemed.
I praise You that Your justice and mercy meet perfectly in the work of Jesus Christ. You did not overlook sin, but determined that every demand of Your holy law would be fully satisfied through the obedience and sacrifice of Your beloved Son. In Him Your righteousness is upheld and Your grace is magnificently displayed.
I bless You for Your tender compassion toward sinners. You drew near to those who could never have drawn near to You. You pitied the helpless, rescued the guilty, and bestowed eternal life on those who deserved only judgment. Such mercy is beyond all human understanding.
Receive my humble worship for the greatness of Your salvation. And may my whole life testify that salvation belongs to the Lord alone.
Through Jesus Christ my Savior, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Exod. 33:19; Josh. 1:5; Micah 7:18; Luke 20:37
[1] Patrick Fairbairn, Hermeneutical Manual: Or, Introduction to the Exegetical Study of the Scriptures of the New Testament (Philadelphia; New York; Boston: Smith, English & Co.; Sheldon, Blakeman & Co.; Gould & Lincoln, 1859), 98-100.
