Roman 9:14-18 “What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”
The Greek words for, have compassion, is “OIKTEIRŌ” means “to have pity, a feeling of distress through the ills of others, is used of God’s compassion. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
From BAGD, “have compassion”
The Greek word for, have/has mercy, is “ELEEŌ” means “to feel sympathy with the misery of another, and especially sympathy manifested in act, (a) in the Active Voice, to have pity or mercy on, to show mercy to” Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
From BAGD, “have mercy or pity, be merciful, show mercy to someone, help someone (out of pity), feel pity”
Ephesians 2:4-10 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,[SUB]9 [/SUB]not a result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
With Ephesians 2:1-3 explaining to us our state before God’s mercy is extended to us verse 4 start with But God, being rich in mercy. We have seen what mercy is, it is God feeling sympathy with our misery and He acts on it by His grace that we are saved and justified. But because God is rich in mercy and the great love with which He loved us, He made us alive with Christ while we were still dead in our trespasses, by grace we are saved.
Romans 3:21-26 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
The Greek word for grace “CHARIS” (a) that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard; it is applied, e.g., to beauty, or gracefulness of person”
BAGD “favor, grace, gracious care or help, goodwill- that which one grants to another, the action of one who volunteers to do something to which he is not bound”
So we see that mercy, compassion and grace are God’s part of our salvation because grace is a gift and His propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith and verse 26 makes it clear that He is just and the justifier of those who has faith in Jesus. Then verse 27 lets us know that faith is not before grace to be justified
“27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”
Faith or to believe is the work or response to what He has done for us.
John 6:27-29 “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
God's sovereign gift of salvation for us and our response to His sovereignty is our faith/believe/repent, Romans 3:24 we receive His propitiation by faith, because grace is a gift from God so that not one of us can boast that we did something to save ourselves. Our response to God's gift is place our faith in Him to receive His propitiation. The Law and the Prophets bear witness to this in Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith."
Paul bears witness to this in Romans 1:17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
The Greek words for, have compassion, is “OIKTEIRŌ” means “to have pity, a feeling of distress through the ills of others, is used of God’s compassion. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
From BAGD, “have compassion”
The Greek word for, have/has mercy, is “ELEEŌ” means “to feel sympathy with the misery of another, and especially sympathy manifested in act, (a) in the Active Voice, to have pity or mercy on, to show mercy to” Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
From BAGD, “have mercy or pity, be merciful, show mercy to someone, help someone (out of pity), feel pity”
Ephesians 2:4-10 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,[SUB]9 [/SUB]not a result of works, so that no one may boast.10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
With Ephesians 2:1-3 explaining to us our state before God’s mercy is extended to us verse 4 start with But God, being rich in mercy. We have seen what mercy is, it is God feeling sympathy with our misery and He acts on it by His grace that we are saved and justified. But because God is rich in mercy and the great love with which He loved us, He made us alive with Christ while we were still dead in our trespasses, by grace we are saved.
Romans 3:21-26 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
The Greek word for grace “CHARIS” (a) that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard; it is applied, e.g., to beauty, or gracefulness of person”
BAGD “favor, grace, gracious care or help, goodwill- that which one grants to another, the action of one who volunteers to do something to which he is not bound”
So we see that mercy, compassion and grace are God’s part of our salvation because grace is a gift and His propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith and verse 26 makes it clear that He is just and the justifier of those who has faith in Jesus. Then verse 27 lets us know that faith is not before grace to be justified
“27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.”
Faith or to believe is the work or response to what He has done for us.
John 6:27-29 “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
God's sovereign gift of salvation for us and our response to His sovereignty is our faith/believe/repent, Romans 3:24 we receive His propitiation by faith, because grace is a gift from God so that not one of us can boast that we did something to save ourselves. Our response to God's gift is place our faith in Him to receive His propitiation. The Law and the Prophets bear witness to this in Habakkuk 2:4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,
but the righteous shall live by his faith."
Paul bears witness to this in Romans 1:17 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”