by Chelsea Taylor and Tam Odom
Many people who have received mercy have said that it is a great thing. For most, Not getting something you deserve is a blessing. Mercy and Grace are two principles that distinguish Christians from other religions. Other gods do not exemplify mercy on the people who follow them; they do not show grace out of unconditional love for them.
In today’s culture, mercy and Grace are easily confused. Mercy is when you don’t get something you do deserve. For example, not having to face the consequences such as a spanking, when you deserve one. Grace is receiving something that you do not deserve. For instance, you get a toy even though you just told your little sister to shut up. Mercy and Grace have two very different qualities that reveal the character of God.
In Ephesians 2:4-9 it says, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” These verses are saying that no matter how many times human beings mess up, God will always have mercy on us and we will be shown grace. Mercy is an important trait because it is always needed to reach forgiveness and forgiveness of our sins is what God is all about. We come to need forgiveness because we have wronged someone or vice versa.
Mercy is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as: 1) compassion or forbearance shown to an offender or subject; clemency or kindness extended to someone instead of strictness or severity; 2) a blessing regarded as an act of divine favor or compassion; 3) relief of distress; compassion shown to victims of misfortune. These ideas are correct when aligned with the Bible, but it lacks one important piece to the picture. The missing piece of the picture is that the reason we receive mercy, or grace, is because we have been shown love by our God. As human beings we can also show mercy to other people because we have received it. This is part of the learning process of Christianity. Webster’s definition reminds me of the golden rule found in the Bible, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Everyone needs mercy. We all need it so that we can be restored from our sins back to a righteous standing with God.
