Mercy and Grace
What are the two most desperately needed things for every person?
Mercy and Grace. If any think otherwise, it is because they do not know who and what they are. They do just as the Bible states, “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness” (Prov 20:06). Most people think they are good. Listen to their explanations. I was born in a Christian home, went to church all my life, was baptised and read my Bible daily.” Or, “I may not be religious, but I have not murdered anyone and although I am not perfect, nobody is.” “I am better than the next person.
The flaw of these thoughts is the measurement standard. One who measures himself by man’s standard might come out well, but not if measured by God’s standard. The Bible states, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one.” Rom 03:10. We are all born sinful creatures and are spiritually dead. Do you wonder why? It did not begin that way. The first man and woman God made were spiritually alive. God’s own life was in them. The day He created them, He breathed His own holy spiritual life into them. He loved them. But they sinned by disobeying His commandment. The earth was cursed and man became spiritually dead. We all are descendants of the first man Adam and so we are all born spiritually dead in sin. You may say, “Well, that’s not my fault, what does that have to do with me?” Adam sinned, but we are not going to be punished for Adam’s sins. We are going to be punished for our own sins. We too have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Even the most pure person is impure in God’s eyes because we have broken his commandments ― God’s standard. We all have either lied, dishonored our parents, lusted in our heart, or hated (which Jesus said is the same as murder). In God’s eyes we are not good. We are so bad that we fully deserve the eternal flames of hell. Think of this, after one billion times one billion years eternity has not even begun.
So what is mercy?
God’s holy wrath against sin is revealed in three places, proving our need of mercy. One such place is hell where great eternal flames show how serious God is about disobedience and what he thinks of sin. If we don’t go to hell then we are receiving God’s mercy because we are not receiving what we deserve. Secondly, the Judgment Day will reveal God’s holiness. Straight after death and before hell there is the judgment. This is when God will judge us by the standard of His holy Word. Even those who lived a reasonably good life will see they are sinners by God’s holy standard on that day. Thirdly, the cross! We see how serious God is about hell and sin when we realise He had to give his only Son to die on a tree to give us a chance to be saved from both. Not having to face hell and God’s judgment which we all deserve would be God’s mercy.
What is grace?
Grace is receiving what you don’t deserve. If you go to heaven one day you are receiving what you don’t deserve! If you as a child of the devil become a child of God, you are receiving what you don’t deserve! God even says he will make you as if you had never sinned and this is surely giving us something we never deserve. If we are made spiritually alive then it is grace indeed. We don’t deserve to receive it.
Put simply, mercy is not receiving what you deserve while grace is receiving what you don’t deserve.
How is grace made possible?
God is holy and must punish sin severely. That means we must go to hell. Good works and religion could never make us deserve grace and forgiveness. The only reason God can forgive us is that God sent His only Son to die for our sins. Jesus was born of a virgin and so did not have Adam’s sinful nature. God went into Mary and became the man Jesus. We receive blood from the father’s side. He is God the Son. He never did sin, yet God made him to be sin. God punished him for our sins. The real punishment was not to die on a cross or be pierced with nails. Jesus faced far worse than that. He became sin, and this to the pure and holy God was so bad that He started to bleed even before God made Him sin. Then he faced His own Father’s wrath for our sin. If we faced it we would be in Hell forever. Jesus did and died, but rose again. He lives and that is our hope, for now he intercedes for sinners who would be forgiven. Because he died and rose again we can receive grace and mercy by receiving Him.
What is the condition of grace?
To those who realise who they are and what they have done grace and mercy are a free gift to be received from God. To those who are proud and do not see their sinful heart and deeds as serious or worthy of repentance there is no grace. The Bible says, “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.” God’s grace and mercy is found in Jesus Christ and He is everywhere. A humble sinner need but call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. There is no other name whereby we can be saved, but the name of Jesus. We can know Him. We can know His forgiveness and life. We can experience the His power to set us free from the chains of a life of sin. We can have all this freely if we humbly come and call upon Jesus to save us. He actually will become our spiritual life and light inside us where once darkness and spiritual death reigned.
Does it take years to receive mercy and grace? Do you have to pray with a specific person or in a specific place?
God did all that is needed when Jesus died and rose again. It only takes a moment to be forgiven and become God’s child. Only Jesus can save you. We don’t need to go to any place, to any person, or do anything. We need Jesus in our lives. We need to surrender to Him. He is the way, the truth, the life. In Him is mercy and grace. I wish you would seek Him, for the Bible says in Acts 17:27 “That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him , and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.” Jesus is not far from every one of us. In fact, he is right by you while you read this tract. What are you going to say to him?
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