Grace and Mercy

GOD’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.

Seek the Truth with all your heart.

Dictionary definitions:

Grace is something that is unmerited and undeserved, and that a person does not have a given or earned right to receive. It is a type of security in the form of unmerited - undeserved favour which sets people free from the consequences of sin, but NOT to continue sinning. With such a privilege, each person should turn away from the past and turn to a new sin-free life-style.

Grace is the free and undeserved gift of GOD the FATHER through Jesus Christ; and is the greatest expression of the FATHER’s love and all-encompassing mercy. Grace is an amazing gift to humanity. GOD the FATHER is the source of grace which comes to the believer who then continually receives GOD’s divine love, favour, blessing, gracious care, help, benefits, gifts, goodness, and goodwill.

The only means by which grace is granted is through Jesus’ birth, life, crucifixion, death, and resurrection, as the perfect sacrifice of GOD. The believer enters GOD’s grace and righteousness through faith in Christ’s sacrifice for the forgiveness of their sins, upon their repentance of sins, and being baptised by full immersion which is the outward sign of repentance, and of acknowledgement of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Grace establishes a new spiritual relationship between the believer and GOD the FATHER, and Jesus Christ. The believer who is now chosen, called, forgiven, accepted, and begotten with the Holy Spirit, becomes a child of GOD, begins a new life under grace, and becomes an heir of eternal life.

We need to get away from the ‘sin’ mindset and allow the ‘GRACE’ mindset to overwhelm our Christian thinking, reasoning, and consciousness, otherwise we are in danger of minimising what Jesus has achieved for us. It is GOOD NEWS, and we need to be appreciative, thankful, joyful, and always exhibiting our Christian happiness about it. We must always remember where we were, and the lost sinful condition we were in, to appreciate our born again transformation through GOD’s grace and Jesus supreme sacrifice and victory; but live life as what we have become, not what we were.

Mercy is a disposition to dispense forgiveness or to show great compassion, also defined as the ability to pardon or forgive something of someone, that is seen by others as being unforgiveable, and for which the person deserves certain punishment or discipline. It may be the dispensing of leniency, or the compassionate treatment of someone who is undeserving of such treatment.

GOD’s grace and mercy following forgiveness does not give us the right to continue sinning in any way. Whatever He has forgiven us for is to be avoided from then on.

GOD is not fooled, He knows the difference between deliberate sin and an unintentional, unplanned stumble. In fact He knows what everyone is going to do before they do it, or even think about doing it.

Grace is GOD’s provision – Faith is acting on it.

Psalm 23:6 ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.’

Psalm 123:3 ‘Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.’

Luke 6:36 ‘Be merciful, just as your FATHER is merciful.’

John 1:17 ‘For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.’

John 1:16-17 ‘From the fullness of HIS (GOD’s) grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.’

Acts 15:11 ‘No.! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’

Romans 5:1-2 ‘Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of glory of GOD.’

Romans 5:20-21 &6:1-4 ‘The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us, who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the FATHER, we too may live a new life.’

Romans 9:14-16 ‘What then shall we say? Is GOD unjust? Not at all. For HE says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” It does not, therefore, depend on one’s desire or effort, but on GOD’s mercy.’

Romans 11:6 ‘And if by grace, then it is no longer by works (your own efforts,) if it were, grace would not be grace.’

2 Corinthians 8:9 ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you, through His poverty, might become rich.’

2 Corinthians 9:8-9 ‘And GOD is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “HE has scattered abroad HIS gifts to the poor; HIS righteousness endures forever.”

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 ‘Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’

Galatians 1:3-5 ‘Grace and peace to you from GOD our FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our GOD and FATHER, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’

Ephesians 2:3-10 ‘All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of HIS great love for us, GOD, WHO is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions; it is by grace you have been saved. And GOD raised us up with Christ and seated us with HIM in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages HE might show the incomparable riches of HIS grace, expressed in HIS kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of GOD, not by works (deeds,) so that no one can boast. For we are GOD’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which GOD prepared in advance for us to do.’

Ephesians 2:8-10 ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of GOD; not by works, so that no-one can boast. For we are GOD’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which GOD prepared in advance for us to do.’

Ephesians 3:7 ‘I became a servant of this gospel by the gift given me through the working of HIS power.’

Philippians 4:23 ‘The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.’

A beautiful greeting.

1 Timothy 1:2 ‘To Timothy my true son in the faith; Grace, mercy, and peace from GOD the FATHER and Christ Jesus our Lord.’

2 Timothy 2:1 ‘You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Titus 2:11-14 ‘For the grace of GOD that brings salvation has appeared to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and GOD-ly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope; the glorious appearing of our great GOD and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.’

Hebrews 4:16 ‘Let us then approach the throne of grace (GOD’s throne in heaven) with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.’

James 2:12-13 ‘Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement.’

James 4:6 ‘But HE (GOD) gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “GOD opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

James 5:11 ‘As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.’

1 Peter 2:9-10 ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to GOD, that you may declare the praises of HIM who called you out of darkness into HIS wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of GOD; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.’

2 Peter 1:2-3 ‘Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of GOD and of Jesus Christ our Lord.

His divine power has given us everything for a GOD-ly life through our knowledge of HIM WHO called us by HIS OWN glory and goodness.’

2 Peter 3:18 ‘But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.’

There is magnificent, beautiful grace for us to live in every moment, but it can only be received by having faith in GOD’s promises.

GOD’s grace is ‘Transforming Grace’ and is therefore ‘Amazing Grace.’

We are infinitely privileged to have GOD’s Grace and Mercy which HE has given us as a gift, to redeem us from the sentence we are under as the result of having inherited a sin-ruined world from Adam and Eve.