God's Lovingkindness and Compassion

[Sue J Love]

“Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” (Psalm 103:1-5 NASB1995)

This is a Psalm of David, who was a man of God, who was writing about the relationship we who are followers of God (of Christ) have with God. And the things he wrote about in this Psalm (in the Old Testament) are taught under the New Covenant in the New Testament, too, so we can apply these truths to our lives today. And what he said is that God’s lovingkindness and his compassion are on those who fear God, who obey his commandments.

So, what David wrote here is not to be taken out of context and applied broadly to all who profess faith in Jesus Christ. These promises of God, and the benefits he provides, are for all who obey him, who do what he says, who honor him as Lord (Owner-Master) of their lives, and who are no longer walking in sin, making sin their habit. Same thing is taught all throughout the New Testament writings. We must obey God to reap his benefits.

And this has nothing to do with “works salvation.” For not one of us, in our own flesh, can do anything to earn or to deserve our own salvation. Even the faith to believe in Jesus is not of our own doing, but it comes from God, it is persuaded of God, and it is gifted to us by God. But God persuades us of his righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die to sin and to now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, by the grace of God.

So God does not pardon the sins of the unrepentant who refuse to bow the knee to God in humble surrender of their lives to him in submission to his will and purpose for their lives. And their lives are not redeemed from the pit if they are still living in the pit, deliberately and habitually engaged in what is sinful and disobedient to God. You cannot just say you believe in Jesus and then expect God to forgive you of your sins if you won’t die to your sin.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

And..

By God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

And..

The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for Jesus’ return. For Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (See Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:8-10)

And we are all going to be judged by God according to our works:

“He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” (Romans 2:6-8 ESV)

So, we who profess faith in Jesus Christ must die with Christ to sin, and now we must walk (in conduct, in practice) according to his commands, by the grace of God, in the power of God, by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And God will pardon our sins, and he will redeem our lives from the pit of hell, and he will crown us with his lovingkindness and grace.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Broken and Contrite

An Original Work / May 13, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I come before You, Lord, my Savior,
With humble heart and crushed in spirit.
I bow before You, I implore You,
Heal my broken heart, I pray.
Love You, Jesus, Lord, my master,
You are the King of my heart.
Lord, purify my heart within me;
Sanctify me, whole within.

Oh, Lord, I long to obey fully
The words You’ve spoken through Your Spirit.
I pray You give me grace and mercy,
Strength and wisdom to obey.
Father God, my heart’s desire,
Won’t You set my heart on fire?
Lord, cleanse my heart of all that hinders
My walk with You, now I pray.

Oh, Jesus, Savior, full of mercy,
My heart cries out for understanding.
I want to follow You in all ways,
Never straying from Your truth.
Holy Spirit, come in power,
Fill me with Your love today.
Lord, mold and make me;
Your hands formed me;
Live Your life through me, I pray.

God’s Lovingkindness and Compassion
An Original Work / May 29, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love