It is said that mercy is God not giving us what we really deserve and that grace is Him giving us that which we could never deserve on our own. Hebrews 5 speaks to both of these.
Mercy- What We Deserve, But Didn’t Receive:
Death and punishment! Romans 6:23 says that the wages of sin is death-period. But instead of allowing us to face the ramifications of our sins, God made a way of escaping the punishment that was due us. We deserved death, but He didn’t leave us to reap what we had sown.
Thankfully He didn’t stop at a mere absence of death and punishment!
Grace- What We Received That We Didn’t Deserve:
The hope of eternal life with Him! The Father extended the lavish grace we desperately needed by sending Jesus to be the one and only mediator between God and man. Jesus fulfilled the role of the high priest who was to offer up the sacrifice for sin that was required by the implications found in Romans 6:23.
But He also did the unimaginable; He willingly allowed His precious, sinless blood to be spilled out as the sacrificial lamb as well! As that crimson flow of grace was poured out upon the mercy seat in Heaven, those of us who have trusted in the power of that blood and sacrifice can now eternally experience life because of God’s amazing grace!
Take a few moments today to meditate on and give thanks for God’s endless mercy and grace personified in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Sandy