There are two words that sometimes cause confusion for Christians – mercy and grace. What do they mean and what’s the difference?
- Mercy is NOT GETTING something (usually bad) you DESERVE
- Grace is GETTING something (usually good) you DON’T DESERVE
Consider King David and his sin with Bathsheba. He deserved to be punished for breaking the law, even one of the ten commandments. However, God showed David mercy and kept him from getting what he deserved. Look at Psalm 51:1-2:
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. (Psalm 51:1-2 NASB95)
David asked God to be gracious and blot out his transgressions. He didn’t want to get something he deserved.
Contrast that example with grace, which is getting something you don’t deserve. For any Christian the best example of grace is the eternal life God has promised us through our Savior, Jesus Christ. There are a few requirements to be saved, however – take a look at Romans 10:9 and Joel 2:32. In Ephesians, Paul writes about this example of grace in Ephesians 2:8:
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (Ephesians 2:8 NASB95)
Christians have the certainty of eternal life in heaven based upon God’s grace. We are getting something we don’t deserve. And thinking about that eternity in heaven makes me shout, “Hallelujah, Amen!”