God, in His wisdom and goodness, is pleased to preserve and govern all things upon this earth by the use of means. This is true for the inanimate as well as the animate creation. One person’s life is contingent upon that of another. Thousands of people are involved in the well-being of one person; however, the nature of this involvement is such that each person seeks his own welfare. When help is rendered to a needy person, however, the only objective is (and indeed ought to be) the welfare of the person who is being helped; that is, when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and render assistance to the poor, sick, and weak. This practice is referred to as compassion, benevolence, liberality, and kindness. This is a virtue praised by all, practiced by few, and practiced rightly by even fewer.
In Hebrew we have the word רחם (rechem = mercy), which is expressive of love of the most tender sort—a love that is most readily stirred up. The tender motion of a mother toward the fruit of her womb is designated by the very same word rechem. The apostle therefore expresses compassion as the bowels of mercy Col 3:12, as they are the fountain from which compassion proceeds. The Hebrew word for compassion, נדיבה (nedivah), means as much as being noble and willing to give freely, as the giving of the compassionate person is not compulsory. His giving is motivated by his own inclination and noble disposition. Benevolence is expressed as חסד (chesed), which means mercifulness and kindness, since it proceeds from a good and kind heart. The meaning of liberality in Hebrew is identical in our language. It means to share; that is, to divide what we have. It means that we keep one portion for ourselves and give another portion to another, and thus in that sense make that person equal to ourselves. The Greek word ἔλεος (eleos) or mercy is indicative of being distraught. It is the result of the compassionate person taking the needs of the other person to heart to such an extent as if he himself were in that condition.
Compassion is the inner motion of sympathy in the heart of a believer, generated by a consideration of the misery of the other person, thus motivating the believer to assist another in very deed.
This virtue is exclusively to be found in the believer. Outwardly an unconverted person can perform whatever a godly person performs. The distinction is as great, however, as the difference between the artificial motion of a watch and the motion of a living being. The natural man is dead in sins and trespasses and is thus unto all good work reprobate. His compassion proceeds from a natural heart, which in reality is a having compassion with himself, imagining within himself what it would be like if he were that miserable. He therefore, so to speak, gives to himself, except that he has a heart which strives to be rewarded with honor and love. The godly person, however, has spiritual life by reason of his faith in Christ. Since he has become a partaker of the nature of Christ as a result of that union, his actions are motivated by love to God and His will. From this proceeds love for his neighbor, being inclined also to seek his spiritual welfare in order that God may be thanked and glorified by the recipient of such help. It is with such a disposition that the believer helps the needy person. The apostle therefore limits compassion to the elect who are holy and beloved: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies” (Col 3:12).
The object of compassion is a given need. Love manifests itself toward the neighbor by reason of his being our neighbor, irrespective of what condition he may be in. However, the compassionate person is moved in love toward his neighbor as being a needy person. There may be a spiritual need—such as when a person is unconverted and we observe him traversing the broad way to destruction. Or it can pertain to a converted person who is in a state of spiritual desertion, has strife, or any other grief of soul he may have. The compassionate person is engaged to be of help to such people—seeking to bring the one to repentance, and to strengthen and comfort the other. There can also be bodily needs which can have a variety of causes, such as illness, mishaps, loss of loved ones, poverty, hunger, or the deprivation of shelter. The compassionate person is engaged to be of help to such a person in accordance with the diversity of his perplexity. Also in this case the needy person can either be unconverted or converted. The compassionate person is engaged toward both. However, there is the following distinction: He is much more involved with the godly, doing so with entirely different affections. However, he will also not refuse his help to others. “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:10). Our compassion must also extend itself toward those who hate us. “Do good to them that hate you” (Matt 5:44); “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him” (Rom 12:20). Among all natural relationships with people, our relatives are nearest to us, and they must have preference over all other people. “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel” (1 Tim 5:8).