By Charissa Toeller
Every spring, we enjoy celebrating Good Friday and Easter. We remember the amazing gift of Jesus--God in human form--coming to rescue us from our sin and restore our relationship with the Father. One of the beautiful ways we celebrate this is through music. The poetry and melodies help us reflect differently on things that we've heard and read about for years. Recently, we began singing a modern hymn called "His Mercy is More," by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa. Let's take a look at the lyrics of this song and how it is deeply rooted in scripture, so that we can even better appreciate the wonderful picture of God's mercy. What love could remember no wrongs we have done Omniscient, all-knowing, He counts not their sum Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more
Speaking of the new covenant God makes through Jesus, Hebrews 8:12 says God will "forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more." It's astounding that our all-knowing God says He doesn't ever remember our sin! Psalm 103:12 says our sins are separated "as far as the east is from the west."
What patience would wait as we constantly roam
What Father, so tender, is calling us home
This verse brings to mind Jesus' teaching illustrations from Luke 15: the Prodigal Son, roaming from his father, only to be welcomed back and fully restored to his position in the family; and the shepherd leaving 99 sheep behind to rescue the one who had wandered away. In the same way, our Father patiently calls us home to be with Him even while we are still caught up in sin.
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor
Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more
Jesus constantly defied cultural norms of His day. While other kings surrounded themselves with only the highest of society, Jesus befriended many that the world rejected: shepherds, fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, the disabled, and lepers. No perceived or actual sin could stand between Jesus and people, so long as they were willing to accept Him.
What riches of kindness He lavished on us
His blood was the payment, His life was the cost
We stood 'neath a debt we could never afford
Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more
Romans is a great place to find connections to this verse. From "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (3:23), to death being the ultimate penalty of sin (6:23), to God's mercy being so great that He was willing to pay our penalty Himself with His own death (5:8), Romans shows us the amazing kindness of God in contrast with the overwhelming debt we owe Him due to our sin.
Praise the Lord!
His mercy is more
Stronger than darkness, new every morn
Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more
The gospel of John often used the metaphor of light (Jesus) and darkness (sin). "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (1:5). The phrase "new every morning" comes from the book of Lamentations: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (3:22-23). By using scripture, "His Mercy is More" persuades us to praise God that His mercy overcomes the weight of our sin. We can do absolutely nothing to change our status as sinners, but whoever believes in Jesus has their status changed from dead in sin, to righteous in Christ.