The Lord Is Merciful | The Institute for Creation Research

The Lord Is Merciful

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Psalm 103:8).

On one side of the coin of salvation is God’s grace, that is, receiving what we don’t deserve—forgiveness. On the other side of the coin is mercy, that is, not receiving what we do deserve—eternal punishment in hell.

There are many Scriptural references to mercy in both the Old and New Testaments. James speaks of the Lord being “very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (5:11). Paul makes note of the fact that “God . . . is rich in mercy,” which is evidenced by “His great love wherewith He loved us, . . . Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4,5). Jeremiah states that, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. . . . yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies” (Lamentations 3:22,32).

Mercy is intricately connected with our conversion experience. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5).

Mercy is said to be “plenteous” (text), “great” (Psalm 103:11), and “abundant” (I Peter 1:3). It sustains us for time. “When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy O LORD, held me up” (Psalm 94:18). And for eternity, “But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 103:17), and “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever” (Psalm 23:6).

Consideration of the mercy of God caused the psalmist to exclaim, “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 89:1).

Praise God that He is “slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.” NPS

The Latest
CREATION PODCAST
What Do We Do With Geology's Unconforming Features? | The Creation...
Welcome to the fifth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...

NEWS
Freshwater Fish Fossil in Australia
Yet another fish fossil has been discovered. This one was found in the Australian desert and was dated by evolutionists to be “15 million years...

NEWS
May 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans...

NEWS
Acoustic Communication in Animals
We are all familiar with vocalizations in the animal world. For example, dogs bark, birds sing, frogs croak, and whales send forth their own distinct...

ACTS & FACTS
Creation Kids: Crystals!
by Michael Stamp and Susan Windsor* You're never too young to be a creation scientist and explore our Creator's world. Kids, discover...

APOLOGETICS
Playing Chess with Little Furry Critters
God’s multifarious and marvelous designs for basic creature needs are so innovatively clever and providentially purposeful that Christ’s...

ACTS & FACTS
Credit Only Our Creator
History was my favorite subject as a young kid. But it always puzzled me when my teachers said, “We study history so that we don’t repeat...

ACTS & FACTS
Genomic Tandem Repeats: Where Repetition Is Purposely Adaptive
Tandem repeats (TRs) are short sequences of DNA repeated over and over again like the DNA letter sequence TACTACTAC, which is a repetition of TAC three...

ACTS & FACTS
Dinosaur National Monument: Fossil Graveyard of the Flood
Straddling the border of Utah and Colorado, Dinosaur National Monument (DNM) is one of the richest exposures of dinosaur fossils in the world.1...

ACTS & FACTS
The Transforming Influence of Genesis: Worker Dignity and Safety
When Pharisees questioned the Lord Jesus about marriage, He answered by quoting Genesis 1:27: “But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made...