Grace and Mercy

 

Lately, the song “Your Grace and Mercy” has been on my heart.  So, I began to think about the words to the song: 

 

(Lyrics)

Your grace and mercy, brought me through
I'm living this moment because of You
I want to thank You, and praise You too
Your grace and mercy, brought me through
 
Thank You, for saving a sinner like me
To tell the world salvation is free
There were times when I just didn’t do right
But You watched over me
All day and night

Justice demanded, that I should die
But grace and mercy said oh, no, oh, no, oh no, we've already paid the price
I once was blind, but thank God I can see
It was because grace and mercy came along and rescued me

And I wondered, Why are Grace and Mercy always together?

 

Let’s look at what the Bible has to say:

Grace is favor or kindness shown without regard to the worth or merit of the one who receives it and in spite of what that same person deserves.  Grace is one of the key attributes of God.  The Lord God is “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth.”  (Exodus 34:6)  Therefore, grace is almost always associated with mercy, love, compassion and patience as the source of help and with deliverance from distress.

 

In the Old Testament, the supreme example of grace was the redemption of the Israelites from Egypt and their establishment in the Promised Land.  This did not happen because of any merit on Israel’s part.  God delivered them in spite of their unrighteousness.  (Deuteronomy 9:5-6)  Although the grace of God is always free and undeserved, it must never be taken for granted.  Grace is only enjoyed within our COVENANT RELATIONSHIP with Christ-the gift is given by God, and the gift is received by man through repentance and faith.  Grace is to be humbly sought through the prayer of faith.

 

The grace of God was supremely revealed and given in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was not only the beneficiary of God’s grace, but He was also its very embodiment, bringing it to mankind for salvation.

 

By His death and resurrection, Jesus restored the broken fellowship between God and His people, both Jew and Gentile.  The only way of salvation for any person is “through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.”  (Acts 15:11)

 

The Holy Spirit, who is called “the Spirit of Grace”, applies the grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ to human beings for their salvation.  (Hebrews 10:29)  The Spirit is the One who binds Christ to His people so that they receive forgiveness, adoption to sonship and newness of life, as well as every spiritual gift or grace.

 

The theme of grace is that salvation cannot be earned or merited; it can only be received as a gift.  However, grace must be accompanied by faith.  A person must trust in the mercy and favor of God.

 

Mercy is the aspect of God’s love that causes Him to help the miserable, just as grace is the aspect of His love that moves Him to forgive the guilty.  Those who are miserable may be so either because of breaking God’s law or because of circumstances beyond their control.  I.e. a natural disaster

 

God shows mercy upon those who have broken His law (Daniel 9:9; 1 Timothy 1:13, 16), although such mercy is selective, demonstrating that it is not deserved.  (Romans 9:14-18)  God’s mercy on the miserable extends beyond punishment that is withheld.  (Ephesians 2:4-6)  Withheld punishment keeps us from hell, but it does not get us into heaven.  God’s mercy is greater than this.

 

God also shows mercy by actively helping those who are miserable due to circumstances beyond their control.  We see this aspect of mercy especially in the life of our Lord Jesus.  He healed blind men and lepers.  (Matthew 9:27-31; 20:29-34; Luke 17:11-19)  These acts of healing grew out of his attitude of compassion and mercy. 

 

Finally, because God is merciful, He expects His children to be merciful.  (Matthew 5:7; James 1:27)

 

So, why is Grace and Mercy always together?

Answer:  (GRACE + MERCY=JESUS CHRIST)