EPISODE 316 – UNDERSTANDING MERCY

Tuesday 5th December, 2023

UNDERSTANDING MERCY

“So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy”

Romans 9:16 (NKJV)

As I mentioned in yesterday’s discussion, most people have not really understood and esteemed the concept or matter of God’s mercy.

Others even think since they are now in Christ, they don’t need the mercy of God. Some also think the Grace of God is greater than the Mercy of God.

Both the Mercy and Grace of God are the expression of God’s benevolence.

The concept of God’s Mercy is not a temporal reaction of God towards your rebellion. Mercy is a picture of God’s heart.

The Greek word for Mercy is “ELEEO”, which means kindness or goodwill towards the miserable and afflicted. It also means to have compassion for someone.

Mercy is not just related to sin. Mercy is God’s benevolence towards all failure.

During the GREAT FAITH episodes, I explained that the man in Christ does or achieves all things by (his or her personal (subjective) Faith. Faith is your receptive ability to God’s grace. However, at a point when it seems you have not increased in the understanding of God’s word concerning a particular situation, where it seems your personal revelation is limited, and you have not increased in the faith for results, GOD’S MERCY WILL MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

The Mercy of God completes your obedience of Faith.

God’s Mercy steps in when it seems your faith cannot conduct your miracle.

In Matthew 8, we saw the Great faith of the Roman Centurion. He had a rich understanding of the authority and power of Jesus. By this understanding, even Jesus marvelled at his.

Bartimaeus (who was blind) turned to Jesus and cried out, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!”.

Jesus reckoned this also as faith. Bartimaeus may not have declared the authority of the Word of God with boldness, just like the Roman Centurion.

Turning to God’s Mercy completes your faith.

In the most hopeless situation, God’s Mercy brings new hope to you.

Mercy and Grace are used interchangeably. Though there are some similarities between Mercy and Grace, these are unique concepts of God’s heart. There are a few distinctions between Mercy and Grace.

God abounds in Grace and is rich in Mercy. He is the God of all grace and all mercies.

Grace is the embodiment of God’s truth and goodness. While Mercy is the embodiment of God’s compassion. These two items go before the Lord’s face.

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.” Psalm 89:14 (NKJV).

They both express God’s benevolence.

Mercy is often seen as God not giving you what you deserve. While Grace speaks of God giving you what you don’t deserve.

Grace is bringing the undeserving to the realm where he can legally deserve. Mercy is the compassion of God towards us when we fall short.

The Grace of God was dispensed through the death and resurrection of Jesus. However, this work of salvation was wrought by God according to His Mercy.

What man really deserved was eternal condemnation. However, God’s mercy (compassion) withheld the judgement of condemnation.

For God to give you what you don’t deserve (which is Grace), He must first NOT give you what you deserve (that is Mercy).

As grace gives you freedom from the power of sin and the law. Mercy deals with the consequences or negative effects of your sins and transgressions of the law.

Grace is also God’s activity within you to nourish you with His life. God’s Mercy delivers you from judgement.

By grace, we enjoy all that Christ has done. By Mercy, we don’t drink of the cup of wrath and destruction of our disobedience.

Mercy is not receiving the outcome of your wrong choices. It is God giving you fresh or new chances every day.

Mercy works like a Presidential pardon.  This is a constitutional clause which effectively allows the president of a country to say, on behalf of this country, ‘We forgive you.’ It means that the person can’t be prosecuted, or even if they’ve already been prosecuted and convicted, that conviction will be set aside.

This is when a rule is bent in your favor, by a legal power. The president chooses who he wants to pardon.

Beloved, this is how Mercy works. Mercy is God bending the rule in your favor.

It is legal and just for God to apply Mercy.

Mercy is not necessarily God strengthening your weakness; rather, it is Grace. Mercy is God making up for the failures or effects and negative consequences of your weakness.

It may seem you have had many shortcomings and your life has not been up to the standards or your best. Everyone may expect the worst to happen to you, but God, who is merciful, will be merciful to you. Which means by His Mercy, you don’t get the bad things you deserve. You don’t get the condemnation, poverty, failure, loss and even death.

It takes great humility to turn to God’s mercy.

Receive God’s mercy today!

Hallelujah!