Love, Mercy, and Grace

So far we have discussed Love and Grace, but what about Mercy? According to our last study, the difference between grace and mercy seemed to be unclear, and rightly so since it was a study on grace, not mercy. But now it is time we made this distinction a bit more explicit.
As I mentioned previously, it is my opinion that Grace is just an expression of love. As I have heard it said: Grace is when God gives someone something that they do not deserve. Likewise I have heard it say that Mercy is when God does not give someone what they do deserve; with an implied understanding that this "something" is a negative something such as punishment, or eternal damnation.
If we turn this second definition around, mercy becomes the extension of God's forgiveness and, therefore, a more particular type of grace. Mercy is grace applied onto sin and sinners. A grace that extends (gives) forgiveness to those that do not deserve it. Mercy then is another way to refer to His saving grace. John 10:10 describes a general sense of His grace. In this passage God says that Jesus came to give us a more abundant life.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:10-11
However, we see in Johns 3:16-17 a more specific aspect of the grace of God. If Jesus came to give us gifts (see Luke 11:13) and a more abundant life, then his forgiveness is another one, and the most significant, of His gifts. This passage is obviously talking about his saving grace, but what it actually says is that God so loved, that He gave.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:16-17, ESV
We can conclude that if grace is God's giving, then mercy is, specifically, God giving us his forgiveness.
As a closing thought, It is important to mention the difference between discipline and punishment at this point. Discipline, is another expression God's grace, though it might be unpleasant for those on the receiving end of it. Discipline is meant for the good of the one being disciplined, to produce a good and desirable quality in them and for the purpose of teaching. Discipline always has its origin in Love. Punishment, as I use it throughout this blog, is a retribution for sin based on anger. If Divine, this punishment can be referred to as wrath, condemnation , or judgment (not necessarily the "final Judgment"). If human, punishment is also known as vengeance, which is another form of sin.
Thank you Father for your amazing, saving, grace. Thank you for what you did at the cross for us undeserving, wretched creatures. I pray that you show us the extent of our sinfulness, and the true extent of your Holiness and glory, to whatever degree we can possibly understand. Help us grasp the full extent of your mercy to the point where we are transformed in who we are and how we see our lives and you. Help us understand how helpless we are without you, and how impossible it is to re-pay you for your sacrifice so we might understand the true value of it. Amen

All About Grace, Part 2

But grace is not just our attitude towards others, it is also our attitude towards ourselves. I have a hard time with this. I struggle with perfectionism and, therefore, am very hard on myself when I do not perform and achieve my own expectations. But grace is also being understanding towards ourselves. God is not a hash God, he is not a "lightning bolt God", if He went to the trouble to take that savage punishment on my behalf, then why am I punishing myself over something that He has forgiven me of? My counselor would say that it is a sin to treat myself in such a way, and I would agree with him (hence why he give me counsel).
Jesus did not die at the Cross so we could continue to strive to achieve perfection. Even Jesus Himself did not believe that equality with God was something that could be obtained so, why do we try so hard to achieve it? Personally, I think it is a pride issue. There is something deep within that says that we need to do more or be better so we can achieve perfection on our own strength.
"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8, ESV
But, as with every other piece of advice given by God, grace has immense benefits for the one being gracious as well. If we make a habit of extending grace towards ourselves and others, it will have a deep effect in the way we perceive life, in the way we live life and, ultimately, in how much we enjoy life. An attitude of grace is beneficial to the one on the receiving end, as well as the one that is being gracious. All of life should be lived in an attitude of grace, which is nothing more than expressed love toward the undeserving.
What would happen if you adopted this attitude of grace towards yourself, your spouse, your children, the members of your church, your co-workers, your boss, your employees, your business partners, your friends,....?
How much more enjoyable would life be if your heart would automatically react with love, compassion, and grace towards yourself and others, instead of harshness and judgmentalism?
In this article, we have spoken a lot about grace, but you might be thinking that it is a lot like mercy, in which case you would be correct. Stay tuned because, on my next post, I will be explaining my view on the difference between grace and mercy.
A note about this blog: If you read through some of my other articles, you will notice that a lot of what I write assumes a level of perfection. This is because I tend to think a lot in terms of idealistic concepts and express them in such way. However, perfection is not achievable and whatever habit or attitude I might be talking about, please be compassionate and understanding towards yourself if you decide to embark in a journey and embrace change towards those. Leave some room for error for yourself. No one, other than Jesus, can maintain any habit or attitude perfectly for an indefinite period of time, including you and me.

All About Grace, Part 1

Christianity is all about grace, yet people keep insisting in making it about a whole lot of other things. But, what is grace exactly? To understand grace, lets first take a look at love.

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at  wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV

Grace is when you apply this attitude that the bible calls love (which is very different than what the world calls love) to someone that has hurt you, or does not deserve it. Grace is to forgive, and treat others as you would have them treat you, when they mess up. Put yourself into the offender's shoes and ask yourself these questions: If I had done what he/she did, how would I like people to treat me? Would I want people to respond with understanding and forgiveness? Or would I like people to judge me and put me down because of what I did?

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." Matthew 7:12, ESV

If you are like me, you would likely choose the second of those two options. Then why is it that most of the time people do not behave like this? As a matter of fact, treating other in any other way is, in my opinion, hypocritical. But, since we are talking about grace, let me hasten to add that no one can do this perfectly, and there is grace for that too. I sure don't get it right nearly as much as I would like to.
Grace is God coming down to save a disgusting, filthy, sinful people, and submitting himself to humiliation, torture, and the cross, when He could have stayed in the comfort of Heaven, surrounded by angles singing Him praises for ever more.

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8, ESV

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:10-11, ESV

For the second and, in my opinion, more important part of this article please, check back on Monday February 27th -g