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1998-06-10 - Grace and Mercy
Ephesians 1:4-7, "But God, being rich in mercy...might
show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
For the first Wednesday topic I have been asked to try to show what the
difference is between grace and mercy. This was a topic one of you suggested
and anyone is welcome to continue to suggest topics. I have a few, but more
suggestions are always welcome.
Grace is most commonly called "unmerited favor". Grace is what God offers
to fallen sinners through the salvation obtained by the atonement of Jesus
Christ. We call it grace because it is undeserved. The forgiveness we receive
in Christ is through no work we ourselves do, it is for this reason we call
it "unmerited favor". (Romans 3:24, Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10,
Titus 2:11)
Grace can be broken down into lots of subsets: Common and Special grace,
saving grace, free grace, justifying grace, prevenient grace, efficacious
grace, sanctifying grace, Covenant of Grace, cooperating grace, irresistible
grace, and means of grace to name a few. All these phrases are various
theological narrowings of the term grace. Your use of these particular terms
will differ depending upon the theological tradition you ally yourself with.
Mercy is what grace offers. The grace of God comes to us in our poor sinful
condition and offers us the mercy of God when we deserve His wrath. So grace
comes to us giving us mercy. I admit it is somewhat semantical, and the terms
are virtually interchangeable. There is a subtle difference in the two words.
Mercy has meaning more synonymous with compassion. For some verses on mercy
see, Psalm 119:156, Jeremiah 31:20, Romans 9:15,
Matthew 18:33.
" 'Grace' is more than mercy and love, it superadds to them. It denotes,
not simply love, but the love of a sovereign, transcendently superior, one
that may do what he will, that may wholly choose whether he will love or
no. There may be love between equals, and an inferior may love a superior;
but love in a superior, and so superior as he may do what he will, in such
a one love is called grace: and therefore grace is attributed to princes;
they are said to be gracious to their subjects, whereas subjects cannot be
gracious to princes. Now God, who is an infinite Sovereign, who might have
chosen whether ever He would love us or no, for Him to love us, this is grace."
Thomas Goodwin
"Mercy is God's favour that holds back from us what we deserve. Grace is
God's favour that gives us what we do not deserve." Rolfe Barnard
Soli Deo Gloria,
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