The Doctrine of Mercy Definition Mercy is an inherent relative attribute of God and is the expression of His grace policy towards all of His creatures as well as an expression of the church age believer’s royal family honor code. Vocabulary Hebrew Terms: bakhah, “weep” (Jb. 27:15), ga’al, “redeem” (Is. 44:23-Codex Alexandrinus only), chadhar, “be partial, show favoritism” (Ex. 23:3), chin, “be graceful” (Jb. 41:12 [41:3]), chamal, “spare, have pity” (Is. 9:19; Ez. 5:11, 9:5), chanan, Qal: “be gracious to” (Dt. 28:50; 2 Kgs. 13:23; Ps. 41:4 [40:4]); polel: “be kind, have mercy (Prv. 14:21); hophal: “favor, show mercy” (Prv. 21:10), chasidh, “one who is faithful” (Jer. 3:12-Codex Alexandrinus only), yatav, “go well, be pleasing;” hiphil: “show kindness, be good to” (Jb. 24:21), nacham, niphal: “relent, repent” (Ez. 24:14); piel: “comfort” (Zech. 1:17; Is. 12:1; 49:13), nathan, “give” (Prv. 21:26only some Vaticanus texts), `asah, “do, make” (Is. 44:23), qavats, piel: “gather, bring back” (Is. 54:7), racham piel: “show love for, have mercy (Dt. 30:3; Ps. 116:5 [115:5]; Hos. 2:4); pual: “find compassion, find mercy” (Hos. 1:6; 14:3 [14:4] ), shuv, “return, bring again” (Is. 52:8). Greek Terms: oikteiro (verb), “to have compassion on someone”; oiktirmos (noun), “mercy, compassion”; oiktirmon (adjective), “compassionate, merciful”; splanchnizomai (verb), “to have compassion, to have mercy”; polusplanchnos (adjective), “compassionate, very merciful, sympathetic”; eusplanchnos (adjective), “compassionate, tender-hearted”; splanchnon (noun), “affections, personal love”; eleemosune (noun), “kind act, merciful, alms”; eleemon (adjective), “merciful, sympathetic, compassionate”; eleeinos (adjective), “miserable, pitiable”; eleos (noun), “mercy, compassion, pity”; eleeo (verb), “to have compassion, to have mercy on someone”; Documentation Attribute of God (Ex. 22:27; 34:6; Ps. 116:5; 1 Pet. 2:3); Divine Sympathy (Ps. 78:39; Ps. 103:13; Is. 63:9; Jn. 11:35-36; Hb. 4:15); General references (Dt. 4:31; 2 Sm. 24:14; Ps. 86:5). Faithfulness of God (Ps. 103:17; Ps. 108:4; Lm. 3:22-23); Grace Policy of God (Mt. 9:13; 12:7; Lk. 1:50, 54, 58, 72, 78; Rm. 9:15-16, 18; 11:30-32; 15:9; 2 Cor. 1:3; 4:1; Ga. 6:16; Eph. 2:4; 1 Tm. 1:2; 16, 18; Tit. 1:4; 3:5; Hb. 4:16; 1 Pt. 1:3; 2 Pt. 2:10; 2 Jn. 1:3; Jude 2); Promises of God (Ex. 34:7; 2 Sm. 22:26; 2 Ch. 30:9; Ps. 89:28; Ps. 103:8; Is. 54:7; Is. 55:7; Je. 3:12); Examples of Divine Mercy (Gn. 18:26; Gn. 19:16; Ezr. 9:13; Ne. 9:17, 31; Ps. 103:11); Mercy-Seat (Ex. 25:17, 22; Ex. 26:34; Ex. 30:6; Le. 16:2; Nu. 7:89; Rm. 3:25; Hb. 4:14-16; Heb. 9:5; Heb. 9:1115; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10); Divine Compassion (Ex. 3:7; Dt. 30:3; 2 Ch. 36:15; Ps. 30:1-3; Ps. 34:1820; Ps. 41:1-3; Ps. 78:38; Ps. 86:.5; Ps. 103:1-14; Ps. 107:19-22; Is. 38:15-20; Je. 12:15; Lm. 3:32; Ho. 11:4; Mi. 7:19); Acknowledgement of sin (rebound) (Jl. 2:13); Forgiveness of sins (Mi. 7:18); Salvation (Tit. 3:5); 1st Advent of Christ (Mt. 9:27, 36; 14:14; 15:22, 32; 17:15; 20:30-31, 34; 23:37; Mk. 1:41; 5:19; 6:34; 8:2; 10:47-48; Lk. 7:13; 10:33; 15:20; 17:13; 18:3839; Lk. 7:13; Jn. 11:35); Royal Family Honor Code (Matthew 5:7; John 15:9-13; Romans 12:8; Romans 12:1; Romans 12:9-16; Romans 15:1-2; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 4:30-32; Colossians 2003 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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3:12-14; James 2:8; 1 John 4:16-18; Jude 22); Paul (1 Tm. 1:13, 16); Great High Priesthood of Christ (Hb. 2:17). Inherent Relative Attribute of God Mercy is an inherent relative attribute of God. It is a part of His essence. There are 2 categories of divine attributes: (1) Absolute (2) Relative. The attributes of God: (1) Sovereignty (Father: Matt. 6:10; Eph. 1:11; Son: Matt. 28:18; John 5:21; Spirit: 1 Cor. 12:11) (2) Righteousness (Father: John 17:25; Son: 1 John 2:1; Spirit: Psa. 51:11) (3) Justice (Father: Psa. 89:14; Rom. 3:24-26; Son: 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 3:18; Spirit: Neh. 9:20a; John 16:8-11) (4) Love (Father: John 3:16; Son: Rom. 5:8; 1 John 3:16a; Spirit: Rom. 5:5; 15:30) (5) Eternal life (Father: John 1:1; 5:26; Son: John 1:1; 1 John 5:11; Spirit: Heb. 9:14) (6) Omnipotence (Father: Mark 14:36 and Luke 1:37; Son: Col. 1:16-17; Heb. 1:3; Spirit: Rom. 15:13) (7) Omniscience (Father: Matt. 6:8; Son: John 2:25; 18:4; Spirit: Isa. 11:2) (8) Omnipresence (Father: Eph. 4:6; Son: Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:22-23; Spirit: Psa. 139:7) (9) Immutability (Father: Heb. 6:17; Jam. 1:17; Son: Heb. 13:8; Spirit: John 14:16; 1 John 5:7) (10) Veracity (Father: John 7:28; Son: John 1:14; 14:6; Spirit: John 14:17; 1 John 5:7). The Scriptures teach that God is 3 co-equal, co-infinite and co-eternal Persons with the same identical essence or attributes: (1) God the Father (1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 1:3) (2) God the Son (John 10:30; 14:9; Col. 2:9) (3) God the Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:2; Ex. 31:3; Isa. 6:8, 9; cf. Acts 28:25-26; Jer. 31:31-34 cf. Heb. 10:15-17). God is one in essence, three in Person. The oneness of God is called His glory. His glory or oneness is His essence or character (John 10:30). All the invisible attributes of God are always present in Him, but not all are revealed to man at the same time. God’s absolute attributes are those attributes, which are outside of man’s frame of reference. His absolute attributes belong to the nature of God apart from His connection with the creation. God’s absolute attributes cannot be comprehended. His relative attributes can be understood. They are related to our frame of reference. His relative attributes are related to things in our frame of reference such as: (1) Time (2) Space (3) Creation (4) Moral beings. God is absolute and man is relative. God transcends time, space, creation and moral beings, but man is confined to time. Absolute attributes of God: (1) Spirit (2) Infinite (a) Self-existence (b) Immutability (c) Unity (3) Perfection (a) Truth (b) Love (c) Integrity. Relative attributes of God related to time and space: (1) Eternity (2) Immensity. The relative attributes of God related to Creation: (1) Omnipresence (Deut. 4:39; Psa. 139:8; Prov. 15:3; Acts 17:27). (2) Omniscience (Psa. 33:13-15; 139:1-4; 147:4-5; Prov. 15:3; Isa. 36:9-10; 44:28; Mal. 3:16; Matt. 6:8; 10:29-30; Acts 15:8; Heb. 4:3, 13; 1 John 3:20). (3) Omnipotence (Isa. 44:24; 2 Cor. 4:6; Eph. 1:19-20; 3:20; Heb. 1:3). The Attributes of God related to Moral Beings: (1) Veracity and Faithfulness (2) Mercy and Goodness (Ex. 22:27; 34:6; Psa. 116:5; 1 Pet. 2:3). (3) Justice and Righteousness. Other Attributes of God: (1) The Freedom of God. (2) The Affections of God. (3) The Authority of God. Mercy is God’s grace in action. Mercy is God’s infinite love in action toward the objects of divine affection. Category one love is also God’s mercy seen from the other side, i.e., His love toward us. God’s love and affection is directed toward the believer because he possesses divine righteousness acquired at the moment of faith in Christ.

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Grace Policy of God Mercy is the expression of God the Father’s grace policy (Rm. 11:30-32; 2 Cor. 1:3; 4:1). God’s mercy is directed towards all of His creatures. It’s His attitude towards all of His creatures (Mt. 9:13; 12:7). Mercy is God’s grace in action. Mary, the mother of the humanity of our Lord acknowledged the mercy of God throughout human history as well as in her own life (Lk. 1:50, 54, 58, 72, 78). It is related to the sovereign will of God (Rm. 9:15-16, 18). The mercy of God that has been shown to Gentile believers in the church age who have believed on Christ will glorify God because of His mercy towards them (Rm. 15:9). Those who advance through the 3 stages of the operational type spiritual life and endure the 3 categories of suffering for blessing resulting in the execution of the Plan of God for the church age will be recipients of greater logistical grace support in proportion to their advance (Ga. 6:16). God the Father’s virtue-love motivated Him to act mercifully towards the entire human race by sending His Son into the world to be the Savior of all men (Eph. 2:4). God the Father’s logistical grace support on a daily basis for all believers regardless of spiritual status is a manifestation of His mercy (1 Tm. 1:2; 16, 18; Tit. 1:4). Our salvation and regeneration is directly related to God’s mercy (Tit. 3:5). It is also directly related to the privilege to go directly to the Father in prayer (Hb. 4:16). God’s mercy causes the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ to be born again (1 Pt. 1:3). Faithfulness of God The faithfulness of God is related to His mercy, which is His grace in action. Faithfulness is an attribute, of which there are 2 categories: (1) The inherent attribute of God (1 Sm. 26:23; Ps. 36:5; 40:10; Lm. 3:23). (2) The acquired attribute of the believer (Gal. 5:22; Phlp. 2:17). Faithfulness is one of the attributes of God as related to moral beings (Deut. 7:9; 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 John 1:9). The Attributes of God related to Moral Beings: (1) Veracity and Faithfulness (2) Mercy and Goodness (Ex. 22:27; 34:6; Psa. 116:5; 1 Pet. 2:3). (3) Justice and Righteousness. It is 1 of the 9 manifestations of the “fruit (karpos) of the Spirit,” which God the Holy Spirit produces in the life of the pneumatikos, “spiritual” believer and is a characteristic related to his relationship with God (Gal. 3:22). The Church Age believer can only acquire the attribute of faithfulness through the consistent and conscientious application of the Word of God in conjunction with the Filling of the Spirit as it is communicated by the believer’s divinely appointed pastor-teacher. It is thus related to His integrity since the faithfulness of God is another expression of the integrity of God (Ps. 103:17). The mercy of God is beyond human comprehension (Ps. 108:4). The compassion or mercy of God is expressed through daily logistical grace provisions. Lamentations 3:20-25, “My soul remembers and is humbled within me (recall of Bible Doctrine). This I recall to mind, therefore, I have confidence (spiritual self-esteem). The Lord’s gracious functions (logistical grace blessings) never cease. His compassions never fail, they are renewed every morning.” Promises of God The mercy of God is a manifestation of Who God is and is thus helps to compose His glory (Ex. 34:7). It is also related to the promises of God. The Lord promised Israel that if they rebounded from reversionism that He would show them compassion and restore them as a client

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nation (2 Ch. 30:9; Is. 55:7; Jer. 3:12). The mercy and the faithfulness of God are directly related to the promise that God made to David of having a Descendant (the humanity of Christ in hypostatic union) forever (Ps. 89:28). The Lord promises compassion to members of the human race and He does so through grace provision of a Savior Who is the humanity of Christ in hypostatic union (Ps. 103:8). The Lord promised through the prophet Isaiah that the He would show compassion to the nation of Israel and restore her as a client nation to God status during the Millennium (Is. 54:7). Moses was the 1st prophet that God used to make this promise (Dt. 30:3). Examples of Divine Mercy and Compassion There are many examples in the Scriptures of divine mercy being expressed towards different individuals and nations throughout history. The Lord even promised mercy upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah if there were at least 10 regenerate human beings in those cities and yet there weren’t except for Lot and his family (Gn. 18:26). Lot and his family were recipients of God’s mercy (Gn. 19:16). Ezra and the Jews returning from their Babylonian captivity were also beneficiaries of the Lord’s mercy (Ezr. 9:13). The Lord was time and time again merciful to the rebellious Exodus generation (Neh. 9:17, 31; Ps. 78:38). His mercy has been, is and will be expressed towards every believer in every dispensation who executes the Lord’s plan for their dispensation (Ps. 103:11). The Lord expressed His mercy towards the Exodus generation when they were slaves to Pharaoh and the Egyptians (Ex. 3:7). His compassion will be expressed towards Israel in the future when they will be regathered from throughout the entire world and restored as client nation to God during the Millennium (Dt. 30:3). The Lord expressed His mercy towards Israel in the past by sending prophets to warn them of the impending 5th cycle of discipline if they did not rebound and adhere to establishment principles as well as the believers executing the ritual plan for the nation Israel (2 Ch. 36:15). David acknowledged and expressed in his song that God had merciful to him (Ps. 30:1-3; Ps. 86:15; 103:1-14). He is always merciful towards those who are humble and respect Him by joyfully executing His plan (Ps. 34:18-20). David expresses in song that God is merciful towards those who are merciful (Ps. 41:1-3). The Lord has been merciful towards those who’ve accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior (Ps. 107:19-22). The Lord was merciful to King Hezekiah of Israel and allowed him to live another 15 years (Is. 38:15-20). The Lord through the prophet Jeremiah promised that He would be compassionate to Israel if she turned from her reversionism (Jer. 12:15). As he watched the nation of Israel being led captive into their Babylonian captivity, Jeremiah prophesied that the Lord would be compassionate again and bring them back from the captivity (Lm. 3:32). The Lord has always been compassionate to Israel though she had not recognized it this fact (Ho. 11:4). The Lord promised that He would have compassion upon them and provides a Savior Who would pay for their sins (Mi. 7:19). Mercy Seat The mercy seat was the golden lid of the Ark of the Covenant. It was the place that Israel was to meet the Lord (Ex. 26:34; Ex. 30:6). Romans 3:25, “Whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His (God the Father’s) righteousness, because in the

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forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed (the Father knew in His omniscience that He would send His Son to die for the sins committed in the OT).” Romans 3:25 identifies that the Lord Jesus Christ is the “mercy seat.” In the OT, the blood of the sacrificed animal was sprinkled on the mercy seat (kapporet) between the 2 cherubs, which represented God’s righteousness, and justice. This occurred during the Day of Atonement, the most solemn of holy days in which the high priest would make atonement the sins of Israel as well as his own. The mercy seat was the golden lid that fit over the top of the Ark of the Covenant, which contain the emblems of Israel’s sin. The Lord is the “true” mercy seat spoken of in the OT although He did not have to offer a sacrifice for Himself as the OT high priest because He was impeccable. The atonement took place in Christ, our mercy seat. He is the sight of the atonement. The 3 items in the Ark: (1) A pot of manna: called to mind man’s rejection of divine provision (2) Aaron’s rod that budded: exhibited rejection of God’s plan regarding the authority of the Levitical priesthood. (3) Tables of the Law: a reminder of Israel’s violations of the Mosaic Law. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold and stood in the Holy of Holies. The acacia wood of the box spoke of Christ’s humanity. The gold spoke of His deity. Together these materials represented Christ in Hypostatic Union or His uniqueness as the God-Man and on each end of the mercy seat stood the golden figure of a cherub. One represented God’s righteousness and the other His justice. Righteousness and justice looked down on sin (the emblems in the Ark) and condemned it. But once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the blood of the young bull was sprinkled on top of the mercy seat. When Righteousness and Justice looked down, they saw the blood of the animal covering the mercy seat representing the completed work of Christ. Confession of Sin The compassion of the Lord is related to the confession of sin (Jer. 3:12; Joel. 2:13). The Father restores to fellowship the believer who acknowledges his sin to Him (1 Jn. 1:9). He is compassionate to the believer who acknowledges his to sin to Him and thus restores them to fellowship. Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin to Thee.” Psalm 38:18, “For I confess my iniquity.” Jeremiah 3:13, “Only acknowledge your iniquity.” Proverbs 28:13, “He who confesses and forsakes them (transgressions) will find compassion.” 1 Corinthians 11:31, “If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” 2 Corinthians 7:10, “Repentance without regret.” 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves.” 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Forgiveness The mercy of God is also related to the forgiveness of sins (Mi. 7:18). There are 2 categories of forgiveness: (1) Forgiveness of personal sins by God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ

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at the cross. (2) Forgiveness of others as a function of virtue-love under the royal family honor code. The believer is both the object and the subject of forgiveness. The believer should forgive others as God has forgiven him through His Son Jesus Christ. The forgiveness of sins is appropriated to any individual the moment they make the non-meritorious decision to believe in Christ for salvation. The believer’s sins are forgiven the moment they acknowledge their sins to God the Father. All sins are forgiven solely on the basis of the Person and Work of Christ on the cross. The forgiveness of sins is based upon the integrity of God. The righteousness of God demands that our sins be judged and the justice of God executed that judgment at the cross when the Jesus Christ received the imputation of the sins of the entire world. Our sins are no longer an issue because the integrity of God has been satisfied by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s voluntary, substitutionary spiritual death on the cross. The humanity of Christ in hypostatic union set all precedence for the attitude that the believer is to possess in life, which is to always maintain an attitude of forgiveness towards others (Luke 23:24). In Relation to Personal Sins: Exodus 34:7, “One Who provides grace-love for thousands, One Who forgives iniquity and rebellion and never regarding personal sin but never regarding the guilty, guiltless, punishing the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children’s children to the 3rd and 4th generation.” Numbers 14:18, “The Lord is long of nose (Hebrew idiom meaning “slow to anger”) and great in grace-love, forgiving iniquity and transgressions but not declaring the guilty innocent, punishing the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the 3rd and 4th generation.” Nehemiah 9:17, “And they (Exodus generation) refused to obey and did not remember the miracles which You performed among them but they stiffened their neck (scar tissue of the soul) and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt but You are a God of abundant forgiveness, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in grace-love and did not forsake them (faithfulness of God).” Psalm 32:1-2, “How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and whose spirit there is no deceit” Psalm 86:5, “For You O Lord are perfect and forgiving, abounding in virtue-love to all who call upon You.” Psalm 99:8, “O Lord our God, You did answer them, a forgiving God to them (Israel) and yet an avenger of their evil actions.” Psalm 103:10, “He (God) has not dealt with us (you and I) according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” Psalm 130:4, “But with You there is forgiveness that You may be respected.” Daniel 9:9, “To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness because we (nation of Israel) have rebelled against Him.” Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 1:7, “In Whom (Christ Jesus) we keep on experiencing the redemption through His blood (metaphor for the saving work of Christ on the cross), the release from our failures according to riches of His grace.” Colossians 1:14, “In Whom (Jesus Christ) we keep on experiencing the redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins.” 2003 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” 1 John 2:12, “I write to all of you, young people that all of your sins have been forgiven with the result that they will be forgiven forever for the sake of His Integrity.” 1 John 3:5, “He (the Lord Jesus Christ) appeared in order to take away sins.” Revelation 1:4-5, “John to the seven churches in Asia (what is today western Turkey): Grace to you and peace, from Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven spirits who are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead (1st to be resurrected), and the ruler of the kings of the earth (Jesus Christ controls human history from His Hypostatic Union). To Him (the Lord Jesus Christ) who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood (metaphor for Christ’s death on the cross).” In Relation to Others: Luke 17:3-4, “Be on your guard for yourselves: if your fellowbeliever should sin against you (1st class condition: “and he will”) reprove him and if he should repent, forgive him. Even if 7 times in the course of the day he should sin against you, and 7 times in the course of the day he should return to you, saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.” Luke 23:34, “Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive all of them, for they know not what they are doing.” Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be gracious to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Colossians 3:12-13, “Therefore, put on as the elect of God, separate and beloved, compassionate affections, graciousness, wisdom, humility, patient-endurance; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, if anyone should have a complaint another, even as the Lord Christ forgave all of you, so also you should forgive others.” In Relation to Rebound: Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin and my iniquity I did not hide. I said will admit my transgressions to the Lord, then You did forgive the guilt of my sin. Selah.” Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive men their failures (acknowledging your own sin to the Father and forgive others), Your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive men their failures (failure to acknowledge your own sin to the Father and forgive others), neither will the Father forgive you, your failures.” 1 John 1:9, “If we should acknowledge our personal sins, faithful He is and righteous, that He has forgiven us our personal sins with the result He has purified us from all unrighteousness.” All of humanity are the objects of God’s forgiveness. Every sin ever committed in human history has been forgiven by God the Father because His justice imputed every sin past, present and future to the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union and judged Him for all them. God has forgiven the sins of every person in history because of His Son’s voluntary substitutionary spiritual death on the cross as their Substitute. The sins of the entire human race are no longer an issue with God. God does not send any one to the Lake of Fire for all of eternity because of their sins since His Son has already received the judgment for them at the cross. The unbeliever goes to the Lake of Fire simply for his rejection of Christ as their Savior. Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” 2003 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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God the Father sent His Son to the cross in order die for our sins so that He can forgive us. He forgives us based upon the merits of His Son’s spiritual death on the cross. Salvation The mercy of God is related to the believer’s salvation. God saved us on the basis of His mercy and not on the basis of human merit or actions (Tit. 3:5). The mercy of God is also related to regeneration and the Baptism of the Spirit as well (Tit. 3:5). Regeneration takes place at the moment of salvation when the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit creates a human spirit in the believer in order that they may receive the imputation of eternal life enabling the believer to live with God forever. John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him (Faith alone in Christ alone), to them He (God) gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (His Person), who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh (old sin nature), nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 3:1-8, “Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Him by night, and said to Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), ‘Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Nicodemus said to Him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (Acceptance of the Gospel message) and the Spirit (God the Holy Spirit in Common Grace making the Gospel understandable and then making the person’s faith effective for salvation in Efficacious Grace), he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh (old sin nature) is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (human spirit). Do not marvel that I said to you, You must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going, so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Titus 3:5, “He (God the Holy Spirit) saved us, not on the basis of deeds (human works) which we have done in (human power) righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” 1 Peter 1:3, “Worthy of praise and glorification is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy (grace in action) has caused us to be born again to a living confidence through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:23, “For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable (the old sin nature passed down from your human father) but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God.” 1 John 5:1, “Whoever believes that Jesus (emphasizing His humanity) is the Christ (the Messiah, the Savior of the world) is born of God.” At the moment of salvation, the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit places the Church Age believer in a eternal union with Christ, thus identifying the believer with Christ and making them a permanent member of the royal family of God, a new spiritual species and eternally secure (Mark 16:16; John 7:37-39; 14:20; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:11-13; 1 Pet. 3:21).

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1st Advent of Christ The Lord Jesus Christ exercised compassion and mercy towards members of the human race during His 1st Advent (Mt. 9:27, 36; 14:14; 15:22, 32; 17:15; 20:30-31, 34; 23:37; Mk. 1:41; 5:19; 6:34; 8:2; 10:47-48; Lk. 7:13; 10:33; 15:20; 17:13; 18:38-39; Lk. 7:13; Jn. 11:35). His compassionate attitude prompted Him to perform many miracles, all of which were according to the Father’s will. It was the Father’s will that He would perform these miracles since this would manifest the Father’s attitude towards the entire human race as well. One of the purposes of the 1st Advent was to manifest the compassion of God, which is one of the components of His glory. The greatest manifestation of the compassion of both the Father and the Son during the 1st Advent was at the cross when the omnipotence of God the Father imputed to the impeccable human nature of our Lord the sins of every person in human history-past, present and future and the justice of the Father judged the humanity of Christ in hypostatic union for those sins. The mercy of God during the 1st Advent is thus related to the Finished Work of the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union. The doctrine of Redemption states that the Lord Jesus Christ purchased the entire human race out of the slave market of sin with His substitutionary spiritual death (Gal. 3:13; 1 Tim. 2:6; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). Propitiation is the Godward side of salvation whereby the Lord Jesus Christ satisfied the Integrity of God by means of His substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross as the payment for our sins (Lev. 1; Rom. 3:25; Heb. 2:17; 1 John 2:2). Reconciliation is God’s peace treaty with the entire human race as a result of the finished work of Christ on the Cross-, which removed the Barrier, which separated God from man (2 Cor. 5:18; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1:20-21). Royal Family Honor Code Mercy and compassion are chief tenants of the royal family honor code (Matthew 5:7; Jn. 15:9-13; Rm. 12:8; 12:1; 12:9-16; 15:1-2; Ga. 6:2; Eph. 4:30-32; Col. 3:12-14; Ja. 2:8; 1 Jn. 4:16-18; Jude 22). They are expressions of the royal family honor code and are thus results of operating according to the operational type spiritual life for the church age. Colossians 3:12-13, “And so, as those who have been elected of God, holy and beloved, put on a right lobe of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” 1 Peter 3:8-9, “And in summation, all be of one attitude, sympathizing, impersonally virtuously loving the royal family, compassionate, humble-minded, not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult, but on the contrary, blessing, knowing that for this purpose you were elected that you should inherit a blessing.” Great High Priesthood of Christ Mercy is also related to the victorious resurrected humanity of Christ’s Great High Priesthood (Hb. 2:17). It is thus related to His present session in heaven at the right hand of the Father. Mercy is related to His intercessory ministry at the right hand of the Father on behalf of all church age believers. He performs His intercessory ministry for the believer in the Holy of Holies in heaven (Heb. 8:2). Our Lord’s high priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 5:9-10; 6:20). Our Lord is a high priest forever. He entered into the veil in heaven as High Priest

2003 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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(Heb. 6:20). His ministry is superior to the Levitical high priests on earth during the dispensation of Israel since He did not have to offer sacrifices for Himself since He was impeccable (Heb. 7:26). In fact, He offered Himself up as a substitute for the entire human race as our High Priest (Heb. 7:28). As our High Priest He is a mediator of a superior covenant for the 1st covenant with Israel under the Law has been abolished and He has replaced it with a new and superior one. The Levitical priesthood conducted their ministry under the Law whereas our Lord’s High Priesthood is conducted under the policy of grace, which is superior to the Law in every respect. Our Lord as High Priest fulfilled the Mosaic Law in every detail during His incarnation. Our Lord put away sin with His substitutionary spiritual death on the cross thus laying the foundation for the dispensation of grace called the Church Age (Heb. 9:26). The Church is a kingdom of priests (1 Pet. 2:6, 9) of which Christ is the High Priest. The Session of Christ pertains to the glorification of our Lord’s humanity at the right hand of God the Father when our Lord received His third royal title from God the Father as “King of kings and Lord of lords... the bright morning star.” Romans 8:34 states that our Lord intercesses for the believer as a part of His session at the right hand of God the Father when Satan accuses the believer of sin (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25).

2003 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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