The mercy of God does not get nearly as much press time as the grace of God does.  Everyone wants to talk about God’s grace, and to be sure, the grace of God is worth discussing and keeping in the forefront of our minds, but the mercy of God deserves a lot of thought time as well.

Comparing grace and mercy, mercy is the other side of the coin.  Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve, ultimately culminating in a home in heaven.  Many elements contribute to our salvation (hope, the Word of God, the blood of Christ, etc.), all of which come to us by the grace of God.  It is no wonder that Paul says we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

What is the difference between God’s grace and His mercy?  While grace is a receiving of what we do not deserve, mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve.  What is it that we deserve that God mercifully does not give us?  The answer is sin and all the consequences of it.  Paul summed it up in Romans 4 by quoting David.

Romans 4:7-8 (ESV)
⁷ “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; ⁸ blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Our sins being counted against us is what we deserve.  The word “blessed” means to be fortunate or well off (Strong).  The Greek word is also translated “happy” 5 times.  The fact that our lawless deeds have been forgiven and our sins have been covered, rather than laid on our account, should make us very happy.  Thank God He does not give us what we deserve.

Why do we deserve to have our sins accounted to us?  It is because when we sin, it is our own fault.  Do not forget that God created us upright (Ecclesiastes 7:29).   Then, out of our own lust, we decided to sin.  Listen to the way James put it.

James 1:13-15 (ESV)
¹³ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. ¹⁴ But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. ¹⁵ Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.

What does James mean when he speaks of desire conceiving?  He is referring to the time when we give in to our desires by doing whatever it is we are being tempted to do, the result being sin, which then leads to death, that is, spiritual death or separation from God.

Since God does not make us sin, He would have been well within His right to leave us in it, which, of course, would lead to eternal damnation.  Why didn’t God do that?  Mercy.  Mercy is what moved God to send His one and only Son to pay the price for our transgressions.   We should thank God every day, not just for giving us what we do not deserve, but also for holding back from us what we do deserve.

2 Corinthians 1:3 (ESV)
³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.