Knowing God: Experience & Love Him

The Mercy and Grace of God

God tenderly and effectively cares for us

Dr. Ridge Orr

Mercy and Grace of God handout pdf | doc

Knowing God Series Index

Series Introduction| Knowing God | The Revelatory God | Goodness of God | Holiness of God | Power of God | Omnipresent God | Exalted God | Faithfuness of God | Wisdom of God | Mercy of God |Wrath of God | Love of God | Sovereignty of God | Providence of God

Purpose: Why is it so hard to forgive others? It would seem that we never made a mistake! But God is perfect. Why is he so kind and forgiving? We seem to be missing something big here.

The Mercy & Grace Of God Defined:

Mercy, simply put, is God not giving us what we do deserve.

Grace, simply stated, is God giving us what we do not deserve.

The Source Of God’s Mercy & Grace

First: Mercy / Grace come from the divine goodness of God, flowing out of His magnificent eternal, holy nature.

Second: God’s mercy and grace presume the condition of mankind’s sin and are given freely by God as He deems appropriate to His eternal purpose.

Reasons For God’s Mercy & Grace -- O.T & N.T

• The general mercy / grace of God (Ps. 145:9 ; Acts 17:25 ; Mat. 5:45)

• And there is the special sovereign mercy / grace of God (Ex. 33:19 ; Isa. 55:7)

• God’s deliverance from enemies, affliction, & adversity (Ps. 6:4 ; 31:7, 16 ; 57:3 ; 69:13–16)

  • His enabling (Ps. 85:7)
  • His daily guidance (Ps. 143:8)
  • His forgiveness (Num. 14:19 ; Ps. 51:1)

  • His preservation (Ps. 23:6 ; 33:18 ; 42:8 ; 94:18 ; 119:75-76)
    
    Meeting the temporal needs (Heb. 4:16), and

• Granting eternal salvation of His elect (Rom. 9:23-24 ; Eph. 2:4-6 ; Titus 3:5) (Ps.145:9)

• The emphasis upon eternal salvation intensifies in the N.T. (1 Peter 1:3)

• Christ came to us full of grace and truth (John 1:18 ; Rom. 1:5)
  

  • by grace Christ enabled believers to stand in God’s presence (Rom. 5:2)

  • by grace Christ brought life instead of death (Rom. 5:17)

  • by grace Christ overcame the sin of Adam (Rom. 5:15 , 18-20)

  • by grace Christ gave spiritual gifts to believers (Rom. 12:6 ; Eph. 4:7-8)

  • by grace Jews and Gentiles are accepted into His kingdom (Eph. 3:1-2).

• God’s mercy and grace was extended first to Israel (Ps. 102:13) And, then to the Gentiles

• 
  Then through the Gentiles to all Israel (Gentile and Jew) (Romans 11:30-32; 15:9)

• Free of any obligation, this is granted according to God’s sovereign choice. (Rom. 9:15–16, 18)

God’s Mercy & Grace As Found In The Psalms

(Psalm 5:7) (6:4) (13:5) (17:7) (18:50) (21:7) (23:6) (86:5) (86:13) (86:15) (103:17) (136:1)

God’s Mercy & Grace As It Relates To His Justice

Justice: Aristotle defined it as “Giving someone what they deserve”. “The punishment meets the crime”.

• God is not influenced by things outside Himself like we are (Titus 3:5)

• God tempers His justice with mercy and grace.

• Even God’s casting unrepentant sinners into the lake of fire shows God’s mercy to His elect:

• From God’s side it is an act of sheer justice – vindication of His honor.

• From their side it is an act of true equity – suffering a due reward.

• From our side it is an act of pure mercy – we no longer have to endure their evil devises, nor even their eternal travail (Psalm 143:12) (Psalm 136:15)

The Divine Plan Of God’s Mercy & Grace

• Eternal

• Absolutely free
  

• The expression of God’s sovereign will
  (James 2:13) (Ephesians 2:8-9 – also see Romans 4:4-5) ( 2 Timothy 1:9,10)
  

God the Father – The Fountain of mercy and grace

God the Son – The Channel of mercy and grace

God the Holy Spirit – The Communicator or Bestower of mercy and grace

Discussion Questions:

• Do you believe that God’s mercy / grace is the greatest “gift”?
  

• How have you experienced the mercy and grace of God in recent days?
  

• If so explain why, if not then why not?

Biblical Foundations for Freedom ( BFF )

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell