Mercy, Faith, and Grace
Mercy, Faith, and Grace
( God's Winning Combination )
EVERYONE who learns , understands, and practices
this combination of Godly principles, is guaranteed success
Unfortunately, today there is some mis- understanding of what these mean, so
before considering the power of the combination, it's first important to know about, and understand, each one individually.
Mercy, according to Webster's,
a) is compasssion shown, especially to an offender
b) allows no punishment, even when Justice demands it ( a PARDON )
c) is extended to the most undeserving ( otherwise, it is a reward )
Unconditional, unwarranted forgiveness is by Mercy, through Love
Faith, is a firm belief in that for which there may be no proof
meaning proof is not needed
Man's faith is generally weak, that is sometimes strong, but easily shaken
but with God's help (Grace) , it becomes " Blessed Assurance "
Hope, is not Faith, hope is only a desire with expectation !
Hope, though good, includes no assurance, and should not be confused with faith.
Grace, according to Webster's, is unmerited Devine assistance ( HELP, POWER ),
given man for his regeneration or sanctification
Simply...it is God's Power..given to you..so you can do what he expects of you.
In recent years, there has been much mis-understanding of Grace,
resulting in many Christians thinking that Grace is the same as God's Mercy,
rather than His gift to us, of the help in the ability to do what pleases Him.
In Psalm 23:3 David said " He helps me do what honors Him the most "
By not believing that He has given us the power to act the way we should,
man has an excuse for not doing what God expects...
and he rationalizes his shortcomings, ..... and continues to live " the lie "
.......... Mercy produces Faith ..........
During His period of Teaching, Jesus taught often about mercy, as well as faith.
Through His actions, we can see the tremendous connection between the two.
In Jn 4:46-54 we find the Lord's act of mercy healed the officials son...
then we see the result..." ...and the entire family believed.... "
In Mark 8:31-36 Jesus had compassion and healed the deaf man...
and again we see the results ...of belief by all there
Throughout the Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there are many similar recorded instances of Mercy producing Faith , and John wrote,
" these are recorded so that you will believe ( too ) " Jn 20: 30,31
........ Faith and Obedience produce Power ........
Although Abraham is well known for his faith, and called the father of faith,
in Mat 8:10 Jesus referred to the Centurion, as having the greatest faith Jesus had seen in all Israel.
The Centurion's self-description tells much about how his faith was formed.
He expected those below him to be odedient in doing what he commanded them,
and he knew they would do it ( because when he thought back, they always had )
By the same principle, he knew he would obey his superiors, and knew his superiors would also do what they told him they would do ( because they always had )
When the Centurion went into battle, he went with great faith , because he knew from past experience, he could trust in the army he was part of,
because obedience and understanding authority were fundamental principles.
In like manner, he knew what Jesus had been doing.
He knew that Jesus had authority ( power) and knew he could heal his son.
often we need to look back at what God has done
to strengthen our assurance in what He can do
for most of humanity since Moses, this has been the biggest failure of man.
God's Winning Combination :
So...God, first in Mercy forgives us...and that forgiveness brings Peace as it always will.
Then we, in Peace, and thanks, try to obey Him , and in that Peace, we learn to Love Him.
Because He sees we Love Him, He gives us Grace, His Power to do what He wants
( love Him, obey Him)
and now we have the intention, and His help, to obey.
Being human, we fail, BUT now we have learned we can go to Him for forgiveness,
and He forgives us again ( if we are intending to change, and we forgive all others ).
We find peace, and our faith is strengthened again..and we obey..
and learn to love Him more, ..
and get more Grace ( His helping Spiritual power) .....
Eventually, as we learn more about Him,
our Love for Him and others increases
our peace increases, and our failures decrease....
our Faith becomes faithfullness...more often strong than weak..
" for faith worketh by love ( OUR love )" Gal 5:6
because we are able to quickly recall the awesome things He has done for us before ,
and we have assurance...Blessed Assurance...
that he will rescue us...because we love Him Ps 91:14 The Living Bible
Paul understood this well...in Phil 4:13 he wrote:
"I have found the secret of contentment in every situation,....for I can do anything God asks me to,
with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.
James also understood...in James 2:20 he wrote...
" ...believing is useless, without doing what God wants you to...
Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith "
and vs 24 :
" So you see, a man is saved by what he does, as well as by what he believes "
02-1019
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