Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

 

Hebrews 4:16

 

 

Mercy and Grace

Mercy and Grace will often be confused with each other. Though the meaning of the two is similar, Grace and Mercy are not the same. They could be viewed as being two sides of the same coin. I heard Pastor Adrian Rogers once explain the difference. Mercy, he had said, is God not giving us what we deserve and Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve. In other words, Mercy is God not punishing us for our sins as we deserve, and Grace is God blessing us despite the fact that we do not deserve it.

The Bible tells us that all of us have sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:23 and 1 John 1:8) and that we deserve death (Romans 6:23) and an eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:12-15). Everyday that we live is God showing us His magnificent mercy. David once cried out, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:1-2).

Contrary to what many people think, we deserve nothing from God: He does not owe us anything. All of our blessings that we receive is strictly because of His Grace (Ephesians 2:5). God offers Grace, often referred to as unmerited favor, freely “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). God’s Grace overpowers our magnified sins, and goes above and beyond our many transgressions. “But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Romans 5:20).

The best illustration of Mercy and Grace is in the Salvation that is only available through Jesus Christ, our Lord. We deserve judgment. We deserve death. We deserve hell. Because of His Mercy, we are spared from these things. We are delivered from judgment, death and hell. And through His amazing Grace, we are given something that we do not deserve; salvation, forgiveness of sins, and everlasting life.

Mercy and Grace are glorious gifts from God, and all of us should bow to our knees and thank God for them. As the writer of Hebrews so eloquently wrote; “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

We cannot bring anything to God save a humble and thankful heart. We should not put our trust in our works, but solely in the finished work of Christ.  “Not works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5).

Take time today, right now, and thank God that “his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalm 136:26).