InTouch October 2024

Dear Friends,

Two great words frequently used in the Christian vocabulary are "grace" and "mercy". Very often Paul would begin his letters this way, for example, 1 Tim 1 v 2, "Grace and mercy from God the Father..". These two very wonderful words carry the meaning of our salvation. Is there any difference between the two of them? Yes, there is. 

The word translated "grace" in the NT carries the thought of a gift. When used in connection with salvation it means an undeserved, free gift of God, without  any possibility of ever earning it or of paying it back. This is clearly stated in Ephesians 2 v 8-9.
"Mercy", on the other hand, is the expression of God's pity upon people steeped in the misery of sin. Far from being harsh and hard, God is the God of all mercy. It was because of His mercy that He planned man's salvation. So, at this stage of redemption, mercy preceded grace. 

Now there is no way of determining which act or word is the greater of the two. Rather it is a case of marvelling at these two great meanings in our salvation; of God bestowing His wonderful gift of salvation upon us, because He was moved by our helpless inability to receive salvation by our own means. As Paul puts it in Titus 3v5, we are saved according to the mercy of God, and justified by the grace of God.

As Christians, let us continue to marvel at the meaning of these two words, that our God is a God of grace and a God of mercy.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Tim 

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