His Mercy is More

"His Mercy Is More" was written by Matt Papa and Matt Boswell in 2016, two pastor-songwriters who have been at the forefront of writing doctrinally rich modern hymns for the local church. Papa and Boswell, who together lead the annual Getty Worship Conference hymn-writing workshops, wrote this song as a simple declaration of the sufficiency of God's mercy for even the worst of sinners. The verses tell stories of specific kinds of sinners — the prodigal, the self-righteous, the despairing — and the chorus responds with the resounding truth that God's mercy is always more. The song draws from the theological tradition of "sovereign mercy" found in Romans 9:15 and the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, emphasizing that God's compassion is not earned but freely given. Its simple, folk-like melody has made it one of the most popular new hymns of the 2010s, adopted by churches across the theological spectrum. Papa and Boswell have spoken about wanting to write songs that a grieving widow and a joyful new believer could sing with equal conviction — "His Mercy Is More" achieves exactly that.