Forgiveness, Mercy, Grace – What’s the difference?

by | Jan 29, 2020 | Bible verses, Devotions

There are a lot of words people use at church, and they seem interchangeable, but sometimes they are definitely not.  The 3 words “Forgiveness, Mercy, and Grace” seem to be like this.  But are they interchangeable?  No.  In fact, to understand the richness of what the Bible says for each of these 3 concepts, we need to take a good look at each of them.

Let’s think of these words as the phrase “FMG”.  Three related words with entirely different meanings, but they all impact our lives tremendously.  Part of why we read the Bible and learn these things is so we can be like Jesus.  If we are going to be like Jesus, then we need to live a lifestyle of FMG as He did.

Forgiveness is the first part of this.

We start with this one because it is really the easiest to define – even though it may be the hardest to do!  We need to live a lifestyle of forgiveness.  We need to learn to forgive – A lot!  We will have opportunities to forgive – A lot!  This should be a good response from us because God forgives us – A lot!

The best working definition I’ve heard of forgiveness is “giving up your right to get back at someone.”  I am fully aware that when you are in a position to forgive, it’s because you have been wronged.  You didn’t imagine it.  The wrong is a legitimate thing where on some level you feel justified getting back at the person.  But that’s where Jesus says (in my working translation) that we need to give up our right to get back at them and give it over to God.  It’s not easy, but if we want to experience forgiveness, then we need to forgive.  When we do forgive, it actually frees us!  Yes, the other person is let off the hook, but when we forgive we are no longer bound by the chains of bitterness and revenge.  We are free to walk in the Love God has for us.

Mercy is the next part of this phrase.

Mercy is best defined as ‘not receiving what we are owed’, and usually means being spared some punishment that we deserved.  Even in the Old Testament, we are called to lovemercy (Micah 6:8).  Not just love receiving mercy but being merciful toward others.  Even deeper than that, I really think that mercy is not just something we receive or give to others, but it is a position of the heart.

This is also the most forgotten word of the three.  In my experience, mercy is not talked about as much is because in order to know we need God’s mercy, we have to acknowledge that we have sinned.  People generally don’t like to admit that they have sinned unless they are caught.

More and more I see people who don’t want to repent (turn away from their sinful ways) but rather want to just live in their sinful lifestyle.  They don’t want to give up their selfish ways, but they just want God to bless them because they asked God to bless them, much like a vending machine – they do the things, they get their reward.  The reality is that no matter how many times we go to church or do nice things (religion), we need to acknowledge our sin as sin and repent or turn away from it and accept Jesus’ sacrifice for us.  We all need His mercy.

One thing that Jesus continually showed the disciples is that they need to live a life of mercy toward others.  In doing so, they better see the heart of God.

Grace is the final letter of this phrase.

Grace is often confused with mercy even though it is pretty much the opposite.  Grace is best described as ‘receiving what we do not deserve’ and is usually in reference to something good like a blessing.  It’s much more than that, though.  I heard Pastor Kris Vallaton say something that best describes grace:   Grace is God’s ‘operating system’.  When you use an I-phone, Android, PC, Mac, or any other sort of system, all the functions depend on the operating system used.  That’s how all the pieces communicate and function together.  Grace is like that.  It’s how God relates to us.

Many times people will say ‘God gives us grace even when we sin’.  Well, technically God gives us mercy as described above.  People want God’s good things – His blessings.  They want the blessing without the relationship.  This is wrong thinking.  The ultimate example of grace is that God has made a way (Jesus) for us to be in His presence and in relationship with Him.  Do you want to be close to God?  Acknowledge that you are a sinner and let Him cleanse you through the ultimate sacrifice of the blood of Jesus!

So the right way to say all this may be:  We have sinned and are distant from God. But because of His mercy, God forgives us when we confess Jesus Christ as Lord and believe that his sacrifice on the cross takes away our sins.  As His children, He gives us grace as we move forward in life, and in relationship with Him.

Another way to look at this is:

– Grace is the operating system

– Mercy is the heart

– Forgiveness is the action that flows out of these

God is always perfect, but he is not changing His character by showing FMG.  He is revealing the depth of His character – His great love for us by showing grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  His justice always prevails and His ways are always right.  On the other side of this, His mercy is continual.  It is ‘new every morning’ as the Bible describes (Lamentations 3:22-23).  Jesus showed this.  Jesus lived this.  So living like Jesus, I propose, is revealing and displaying the fullness of God’s heart.

So how is your FMG?  Good? Bad?  There is no limit to FMG.  When we truly recognize our need for and accept His mercy and forgiveness, then we can walk in God’s grace!

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