God’s Mercy and Grace

“Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight,

and thou hast magnified thy mercy,

which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life…”

(Genesis 19:19)

In Christ’s time on earth the religious leaders mistakenly believed that their wealth, religious status and prosperity were signs of God’s grace. However, in Matthew 23 our LORD used strong language to emphasize that outward appearances are temporary and do not indicate whether one is a child of God. A person can be rich and condemned, just as another can be poor and saved, as illustrated in Luke 16:18-20.

It’s important to distinguish between ‘grace’ and ‘mercy’. Grace always includes mercy, which is particular and distinct, stemming from the sacrifice of the LORD Jesus Christ. Lot’s confession reflects the understanding of all who are taught by the LORD’s Spirit. There is mercy available and those who seek it do so because of God’s sovereign grace, manifested through the blood shed by Christ and the righteousness He imparts.

However, God also shows mercy to those who are not elect—providing breath, food, comfort, health and prosperity—which are not necessarily indicators of His grace. In fact, anything short of hell can be considered a mercy. Just because God has not yet condemned a soul to hell does not mean they are recipients of His saving grace. Mercy can be described as God withholding what we deserve as elect ones [Lamentations 3:22] and it can also refer to His delaying judgment on the reprobate, Nehemiah 9:27. However, mercy alone does not equate to salvation. God allows the sun to shine on both the just and the unjust [Matthew 5:45] and He may postpone eternal judgment while allowing many to prosper in this life. This leads some to pridefully assume they are ‘blessed’ when in reality, it may be God hardening their hearts for the day of wrath, Romans 2:25.

In contrast, mercy combined with grace is unique and specific to those sinners whom God has chosen, redeemed and justified in Christ, Ephesians 2:8-9. In due time, God reveals Christ in them, allowing them to rejoice in His grace even more than in the temporal mercies of life.

Let us, as the LORD’s people, rejoice in the Gift of Christ and in God’s grace and mercy through Him, thankful for the righteousness imputed to us. May we value these blessings even more than the daily temporal gifts that sustain us in our earthly journey.