Eternal Attributes

The Lord’s acts of mercy indeed do not end, for His compassions do not fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  Lamentations 3:22-23  NASB Acts of mercy – This is one of those cases where we must see the Hebrew in order to understand the impact of the verse.  “Acts of mercy” just doesn’t cut it.  We…

99 and 44/100th Percent

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.  James 3:17  NASB Full of mercy – The Greek word mestos means “completely full, replete.”  It is not a term that allows qualification.  All or not all.  Those are the choices.  When James says…

True Religion (3)

 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.  James 2:10 ESV Rodney Baker has contributed several TW’s on Religion while I am in South Africa. Whole – This is a favourite proof text for those who would claim that the Law is no longer applicable…

Applied Hesed

or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.  Romans 12:8  NASB Mercy/ cheerfulness – Paul completes his inventory of charismata with the phrase ho eleon en hilaroteti (“he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness”).  But the typical English translation presents us…