Where Mercy Meets Grace

This is the truth of the Gospel.  At the cross, mercy and grace collided.  Both were present in full force, and neither was greater than the other.  The magnitude of mercy met with the greatness of grace, and neither gave an inch.  Both had to be present for the Gospel to have it's full effect.

Fast forward 2000 years, and you will find a struggle that has continued as long as these two forces have been in place.  What is the difficulty?  Allowing the truth of one to rule over the other.

Mercy had it's place at the cross.  When we realize the fact that God's holiness demanded a punishment for sin, and that His wrath needed to be poured out on the ones who have sinned against Him, Christ taking our place was a huge act of mercy for us.  Christ realized the full wrath of God upon Himself.  Jesus took our sin and our punishment so that we did not need to experience the consequences that we justifiably deserve.  Mercy was not passive, but active in moving us out of the way so that Christ could receive Gdd's wrath that we should have experienced.

Grace also showed up that day.  Not only did we not receive what we deserved, but due to Christ's gift of His own perfection charged to our account, we received membership into the family of God.  No longer are we foreigners.  No longer are we enemies.  No longer are we outcasts.  We are heirs with Christ.  We are part of God's family.  Yeah, grace made it possible to approach a holy God not only without fear of experiencing His wrath, but more importantly, an expectation of experiencing His joy. 

Here's the struggle though - both were equal at the cross.  If we emphasize the one to the neglect of the other, we have missed out on the full gospel message.  We want to be amazed at God's grace that has given us freedom from sin and it's power in our lives.  Yet, if we magnify His grace to the neglect of His mercy, we forget the depth of sin and the massiveness of His wrath that was poured out on Christ.  Mercy tends to keep us humble.  Appreciation of grace left unchecked could lead to an arrogance of being selected to receive the grace.

Yet the alternative exists as well.  To the point at which we emphasize the mercy that God had on our sinful soul to the neglect of His grace, we can find ourselves seeking to payback the one who took our punishment.  Mercy cleared my slate of sin and so I am no longer a slave to it, but if I am not careful, I will find myself a slave to good works for the benefit of earning the gift I received.  A proper view of grace keeps us free from this bondage.

Neither of the two stand alone.  Neither of the two reveal the whole Gospel message.  Both are necessary to give us a balanced understanding of the truth of the Gospel.  AND a balanced view of both will give us the ability to share them with others.  To the extent that I understand grace, I offer grace to others.  To the extent that I understand mercy, I offer mercy to others.  Both are necessary in the Christian walk. 

Where do you tend to lean?  Lean toward either to the neglect of the other, and you are missing out on a key part of the truth of the Gospel.  Thank you God for both your mercy that took my place on Calvary, and your grace that made a relationship with you possible.  You are a great, merciful and gracious God!