Jesus had spent three years ministering to the people and training his disciples. Now the time had come for him to fulfill the main purpose for which he had come to earth: to sacrifice his life as payment for our sin. He would then rise again so that others could be raised to live with him. To prepare for his death, he arrived with his disciples at the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  During Jesus’ time in the garden, he faced the most difficult trial of his earthly life.

The coming of Jesus Christ into the world was the most significant event in human history. And the life of Christ was the most significant life of anyone ever born into humanity. Through the coming of Christ the Savior, God came to earth to dwell with us in human flesh.  He was the Savior, the Messiah— “God with us.”

What is God’s mercy and why do we need it? According to the Bible, God loves all people, without conditions. He also offers his grace to all. This is who he is — he is kind, gracious, and loving. He is merciful to the helpless and broken. But God’s mercy, as it relates to forgiveness, is conditional. If that is true, then conditional upon what?

There are those who say that God is a God of love, but he is also a God of wrath—or anger. Some Bible teachers think they can support this view because of the many Bible passages that mention God’s anger. On the surface it appears to be true, but in taking a closer look at Scripture, we can see this is not.