What is the difference between mercy and compassion?
→ mercy is holding back judgment
→ compassion is reaching out to help
Is our Lord merciful or compassionate?
I am a KJV reader because the language is so elegant and powerful. However, after many years of reading the scriptures and fellowshipping with the Lord over them, I have started looking up the original greek or hebrew word when I encounter a concept in the scriptures that seems to fly in the face of the nature of our Lord that is revealed throughout the New Testament.
Some statistics:
→ Mercy appears 262 times in the Bible
→ Merciful appears 37 times in the Bible
→ Mercies appears 44 times in the Bible
That is only 343 references out of a total of 783,137 words. However, because of Sin Consciousness the word, mercy, carries a lot of weight in the lives of many believers. When we see ourselves guilty, we are obviously looking for mercy.
Look again at the definition of mercy: 'holding back judgment'. Is our Lord having to hold back judgment from His people? Is it His nature to punish and be vindictive when we fall short? The use of the word, mercy, implies that He is very demanding, ready to administer punishment.
Strong's Concordance shows that the word translated as mercy in the KJV of the Old Testament is CQG 
which means 'kindness' or MGX which means 'compassion'.
Strong's Concordance shows that the word translated as mercy in the KJV of the New Testament is oiktirmoj which means 'compassion'.
Look again at the definition of compassion: 'reaching out to help'. Does our Lord reach out to help? Is He kind and compassionate? The use of the word, compassion, implies that the Lord is good, seeking only our best welfare.
To show mercy is to act from a position of superiority.
To show compassion is to act from a position of love.
Our Lord is compassionate and He wants us to be compassionate.