God Is More than merciful

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.”
-Ephesians 2:4-5

During a trip to Turkey a few years ago, we had a translator with us who was a wonderful person, a Muslim man who became a friend of mine.

During the trip, I would speak to my fellow travelers on various topics, and later he and I would sit over a cup of coffee and talk about my sermons. He said, “I’ve been noticing that one of the big differences between Islam and Christianity is that in Islam we say God is merciful, but in Christianity you say God is love.” Now, that is a huge and important distinction. With all respect to my friend, there is something…