Thought for Today

Exodus 33:19  And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, 'The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

Psalm 23:6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.  

John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.  

Ephesians 2:8  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God--  

τὸ ἔλεός – mercy, compassion; (1) as an attitude and emotion roused by the affliction of another pity, compassion, sympathy; (2) especially of gracious action demonstrating God’s compassion, mercy, lovingkindness, faithfulness

χάρις – grace; (1) as a quality that adds delight or pleasure graciousness, attractiveness, charm . . . (2b) as a religious technical term for God’s attitude toward human beings kindness, grace, favor, helpfulness

Too often, Christians fail to distinguish the subtle differences between mercy and grace. We tend to conflate mercy with grace and use the 2 words interchangeably. Those definitions above are from my computer software Greek lexicon. My Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms defines the words a bit differently:

God’s mercy – God’s grace and compassion toward sinful creatures and special care of those in need.

God’s grace  - God’s goodness toward humanity as expressed in the unmerited, undeserved favor given supremely in Jesus Christ to bring salvation, forgiveness, and new life.

For us as Christians, we need not try to choose between God’s mercy and God’s grace. The 2 are unmerited, undeserved and always operating together in God’s Creation and in our lives.

As I think about God’s mercy and grace this morning, the first thing that comes to my mind is Jesus’ story about prayer, and the words of that tax collector, “Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'“ Every time I think about salvation and about the impossibility of attaining salvation through perfect obedience to the Law, I ultimately find myself praying that same prayer. And, as I do pray, I remember Paul’s words to the Ephesians in vs. 2:8.

There are theological words, phrases and terms that are too often carelessly bandied about. We talk about God’s love, God’s grace and mercy, God’s immutability, God’s covenant faithfulness without fully realizing the magnitude of those words carelessly spoken.

As I think about that, the first thing that comes to my mind is a question, “Why?” Why does God love sinful humanity? Why does God take mercy upon us? John 3:16 has become so ubiquitous in our society, so frequently seen referenced on handmade signs at sporting events that the magnitude has been trivialized. Christians could, maybe should, spend a lifetime reflecting on and being thankful that "16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17 Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

Why? Because love is the nature of our Creator God. “1 John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love . . . 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” God is love. God created Creation as an act of love. God’s grace and God’s mercy are expressions of God’s essence, God’s being. God is love. All we are asked in return for that love is "Luke 10:27 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."

Stay safe, love, trust God,

Pastor Ray