God of Grace and Mercy
God’s ability to forgive is unfathomable. Last night’s Bible study session was so eye-opening to me. If God only had grace, I wouldn’t make it into heaven. But because He has mercy, I have hope.
Grace is what saved me (Eph. 2:5), that voluntary intervention that God made prompted by this uncontrollable love He had for me, even when I didn’t love Him yet (cf.* Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:10). Titus 2:11 says “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” One of my Bibles beautifully defines grace as ‘the undeserved love God gives through Christ for salvation.’ The purpose of grace is to save. Of course this is not the sole purpose of grace and the term ‘grace’ is used in different ways throughout the Bible (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10; 2 Cor. 2:9; Col. 4:6; Heb. 4:16; 2 Pet. 3:18). But I want us to focus on this purpose of grace to save.
So here I am, saved by grace, in a living relationship with God, freed from the power of sin, but then I fall into sin. What now? Grace has already worked salvation for me, it had given me communion with God, but then I fail in this communion. That’s where God’s mercy comes in. My Bible dictionary defines mercy as ‘compassion or leniency shown to an offender. In this sense, mercy has special reference to God’s act of forgiveness.’ Looking at this definition, you can see the possibility of the two terms being used interchangeably in the Bible. But what interests me is that mercy is also used in plural form, and we never find that with grace.
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.” Lam. 3:22-23 (KJV)
This is Israel speaking. Israel had received God’s grace through Abraham and now has a relationship with God, but in the journey, Israel has failed God. But their failure is not a dead end because their God of grace is also a God of mercies, which are renewed every morning and therefore enough to forgive their daily sins. This explained so many Psalms to me, including Psalm 51, which is David’s prayer after he had sinned by committing adultery and plotting murder.
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” Psalm 51:1 (KJV)
David was a smart man. He knew exactly what he wanted God to act out of, out of his ‘multitude of tender mercies’. I would start preaching if I explored that, but it just excites me how David defines these mercies! (You can also read Psalms 69:16; 77:9; 79:8).
God’s ability to forgive is amazing, that’s why the Psalm says “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?” But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” 130:3-4. But these mercies don’t stand to be abused by those who sin purposefully. We sin by fault, that is why John writes in 1 John 2:1 “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” When we do sin, we don’t dwell in it, we confess and ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9) since “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9
I know this is a lot to take in, but it’s got me so excited I had to share. Blessings as you deepen your roots in His Word!
___________________________________________________
* cf. confer (Lat.), compare
Quotations made from : Holy Bible New International Version 1984 and KJV 2000 Devotional Study Bible.
Definitions taken from Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary 1987.
Grace is what saved me (Eph. 2:5), that voluntary intervention that God made prompted by this uncontrollable love He had for me, even when I didn’t love Him yet (cf.* Rom. 5:8; 1 John 4:10). Titus 2:11 says “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” One of my Bibles beautifully defines grace as ‘the undeserved love God gives through Christ for salvation.’ The purpose of grace is to save. Of course this is not the sole purpose of grace and the term ‘grace’ is used in different ways throughout the Bible (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10; 2 Cor. 2:9; Col. 4:6; Heb. 4:16; 2 Pet. 3:18). But I want us to focus on this purpose of grace to save.
So here I am, saved by grace, in a living relationship with God, freed from the power of sin, but then I fall into sin. What now? Grace has already worked salvation for me, it had given me communion with God, but then I fail in this communion. That’s where God’s mercy comes in. My Bible dictionary defines mercy as ‘compassion or leniency shown to an offender. In this sense, mercy has special reference to God’s act of forgiveness.’ Looking at this definition, you can see the possibility of the two terms being used interchangeably in the Bible. But what interests me is that mercy is also used in plural form, and we never find that with grace.
“It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness.” Lam. 3:22-23 (KJV)
This is Israel speaking. Israel had received God’s grace through Abraham and now has a relationship with God, but in the journey, Israel has failed God. But their failure is not a dead end because their God of grace is also a God of mercies, which are renewed every morning and therefore enough to forgive their daily sins. This explained so many Psalms to me, including Psalm 51, which is David’s prayer after he had sinned by committing adultery and plotting murder.
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to your lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of your tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” Psalm 51:1 (KJV)
David was a smart man. He knew exactly what he wanted God to act out of, out of his ‘multitude of tender mercies’. I would start preaching if I explored that, but it just excites me how David defines these mercies! (You can also read Psalms 69:16; 77:9; 79:8).
God’s ability to forgive is amazing, that’s why the Psalm says “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?” But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.” 130:3-4. But these mercies don’t stand to be abused by those who sin purposefully. We sin by fault, that is why John writes in 1 John 2:1 “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defence – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” When we do sin, we don’t dwell in it, we confess and ask for forgiveness (1 John 1:9) since “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9
I know this is a lot to take in, but it’s got me so excited I had to share. Blessings as you deepen your roots in His Word!
___________________________________________________
* cf. confer (Lat.), compare
Quotations made from : Holy Bible New International Version 1984 and KJV 2000 Devotional Study Bible.
Definitions taken from Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary 1987.
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