Mercy and Grace

Or do you have no regard for the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience [in withholding His wrath]? Are you [actually] unaware or ignorant [of the fact] that God’s kindness leads you to repentance [that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life]? Romans 2:4 AMP

Mercy and Grace

The terms mercy and grace are closely related but also distinct. Mercy can be understood as a subcategory of grace. Mercy is when a person holds back something unfavorable to someone who deserves it. Grace is when a person gives favor to someone who doesnt deserve it. Mercy speaks to the Lord's compassion in that He withholds the consequences we deserve for our sins, namely death and His final judgement. Scripture tells us that for the believer, He doesn't deal with us according to our sins or pay us back for our wrongdoings (Ps 103:10). God's infinite mercy is poured out onto those who put their faith in Jesus. What a massive relief! That's awesome!

Grace involves all these aspects but also includes showing even more favor, in that the Lord blesses us with gifts we don't deserve. In Scripture, mercy speaks to being rescued from God's wrath and condemnation, while grace speaks to being recipients of God's gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. Even our faith is a gift of God's grace (Eph 2:8). The Lord both rescues us in His mercy and saves us by His grace. What a reason to rejoice! That's amazing!

God's Kindness

The Bible tells us there is not a single good person on this earth (Rom 3:10-12). All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Ecc 7:20; Rom 3:23; 1 John 1:8), making us all deserving of death and God's final judgment. If God gave us what we actually deserve, all of humanity would be eternally condemned this very second. Therefore, every day is evidence of God's kindness; His gracious mercy toward sinners. He compassionately withholds His just judgement for the present time and instead blesses us each day with the opportunity to repent, turn to Jesus, and be saved. Not only that, He kindly showers us with even more blessings; gifts like our family and friends, our dogs and cats, sunshine and its warmth, nature and its beauty, good food and its nourishment, the ability to discover, learn, and have fun, as well as the very air we breathe...all of these gifts are meant to lead us to repentance and point us to Jesus. Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? (Romans 2:4).

Given Freely

If grace was something we could earn then it would't be grace at all. Grace is only grace when it is given freely by the Giver. The good things we experience in this life is not due to who we are, what we do, or how hard we try. None of us are entitled to receive anything good from God, and He is never obligated to bless us. Rather, every good thing we experience is due to who God is by nature. The beauty of grace is only found in the character of the One giving it. Scripture tells us that the character of God is good, kind, and rich in mercy (Eph 2:4), and His grace is defined as "unmerited favor," given freely by Him. Ephesians 2:5 says that even when we were dead in our trespasses, God made us alive, and that it is only by His grace that we are saved. 1 Peter 1:3 says, according to His great mercy, God caused us to be born again to a living hope through Jesus. Eternal life is a free gift by God and from God alone.

Common Vs Saving Grace

He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). This is a reference to God's benevolence and common grace toward all of humanity. God's common grace refers to His blessings given to every person regardless of their lost or saved spiritual state, while saving grace is the grand blessing through which God grants eternal life to all who believe in Jesus. The salvation Jesus Christ offers the entire world demonstrates God's astounding mercy and grace to every sinner who walks this earth. Although we all deserve His judgment, through faith in Jesus, believers receive God's mercy and saving grace instead. As believers, He lets us trade Judgement Day and His eternal wrath for "Well done good and faithful servant" and eternal life. Saving grace is that amazing grace we sing about in that song!

The Gift of Time

The gift of time is one of God's greatest common graces to humanity. Therefore, every day is another day living in the time of His favor. Every day is a yet another opportunity for people to repent of their sins, trust in Jesus, and be saved. For He says, “In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). So, let's not put off our salvation one minute longer because tomorrow may never come. For the unsaved person, today is the day to put your faith in Jesus and be saved. Now is the time. For the believer, let's make the best use of our time and make today count for eternity. ;)

Only Because of Jesus

It's only because of Jesus’ perfect life, death on the cross, and resurrection that we are forgiven of all our sins, escape death and judgement, receive eternal life, and get to experience a life of abundance here on earth (John 10:10) — all of which are gifts of God's amazing grace. Jesus did all the work for us, and eternal life is a free gift. Our response to freely receiving His mercy and grace should be a life of humility, gratitude, loving obedience and service to God, and unending praise to Him through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!

Today, let's tell someone about Jesus so that they can come to trust Him and receive God's gracious mercy and amazing grace too.

---

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrew 4:16

Then I called on the name of the Lord: "Please, Lord, save me!" How kind the Lord is! How good He is! So merciful, this God of ours! The Lord protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and He saved me. Let my soul be at rest again, for the Lord has been good to me. Psalm 116:4-7