Mercy & Grace

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

~Hebrews 4:14-16

Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. Grace is the free and unmerited favor of God. As humans, we don’t really deserve mercy or grace. We have failed God on such a grand scale, yet He continues to show mercy by allowing the world to continue because He knows there are still those out there who will come to accept His grace through Jesus Christ. God shows us mercy by not destroying us when He has every right to, and He shows us grace by forgiving us for everything we’ve done and giving us everlasting life in Heaven. It is His great compassion for us that allowed Christ to come to earth and die for our sins. It is His great compassion that allows us to be forgiven and live a life we don’t really deserve. But one day, God’s mercy and grace will come to an end and instead of being our salvation, He will be our judge.

My pastor in California used to tell the following story that shows the difference between Savior and Judge:

One day a man was driving to work and saw a car had plunged over the railing into a creek and was filling with water. A teenage boy was trapped in the vehicle, struggling to free himself as the water rose around him. The man jumped the railing, slid down the bank and plunged into the freezing water. He was able to break the window and cut the seatbelt, freeing the teenager. He dragged the boy to safety and stayed with him until help arrived. Many years later, the teenager had become a man and broke the law. He was arrested and brought to court. He immediately recognized the man on the bench as the same man who had dragged him from his car all those years ago. He said, “Don’t you remember me? When I wrecked my car all those years ago, you were the one who saved me!” The man looked at the prisoner and nodded. “Yes, I do remember you. But then, I was your savior. Today, I’m your judge.”

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:21-24).”

Today, Jesus Christ is our Savior, full of mercy and grace. One day we will stand before Him, and He will be our Judge. We have only this lifetime to do one thing right, and that’s to ensure our eternal destination is in Heaven. That is why God showers us with such great compassion despite the things we have done. That is why Christ died on the Cross at Calvary. It is not God’s desire that any should perish, but that all should come to salvation (2 Peter 3:9). He has done all He can to provide for our salvation and the rest is up to us. God loves us so much, He died for us in the person of Jesus Christ. God loves us, but it is up to us to love Him back.

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:1-10).”

Read Job 7-10

©2018 Marie McGaha