[Word Count: 1058]
Grace vs Mercy
Both Grace and Mercy are mission-critical to our Salvation from the Wrath of GOD which, even now, is on Its way to the Earth:
“'I will utterly sweep away everything from the face of the earth,' declares the Lord. 'I will sweep away man and beast; I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the rubble with the wicked. I will cut off mankind from the face of the earth,' declares the Lord.” -- Zephaniah 1:2,3 ESV
It must be clear, however, that these two terms are not synonymous. Mercy steps in between us and the execution of our sentence, which is eternal torment and Wrath in the Lake of Fire and Sulfur.
(NOTE: It's worth noting that sentence was already passed on our species from the moment Adam sinned; without the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus Christ imputed to you, GOD's holy angels WILL carry out your sentence in the presence of every soul under Christ.)
Grace, on the other hand, grants us That which we could never earn nor comprehend without experiencing It for ourselves: The Transcendent Relationship that has always existed between GOD The Father and GOD The Word (known to us as the Incarnate and Only-Begotten Son Jesus Christ):
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was [the] Life, and the Life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome It. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, that all might believe through Him. He was not the Light, but came to bear witness about the Light. The True Light, which gives Light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His Glory, Glory as of the Only Son from the Father, full of Grace and Truth.” -- John 1:1-14 ESV
Mercy is wonderful for us because It shields us from Wrath but exalting us forgiven sinners to GOD's Throne (as Grace does) is another matter entirely; and requires a Legal Act on GOD's Part: Justification!
Justification
“He shall see of the travail of His Soul, and shall be satisfied: by His knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justify many; for He shall bear their iniquities.” -- Isaiah 53:11 KJV
“Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, But the words 'it was counted to him' were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in Him Who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.” -- the Apostle Paul, Romans 4:4-5, 23-25 ESV
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His Blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the Wrath of God.” -- the Apostle Paul, Romans 5:1,9 ESV
Oh My GOD! GOD is justifying the ungodly: that is, He is DECLARING THE UNGODLY LEGALLY JUST for Christ's Sake!! This has nothing to do with feelings, but WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART!!! If you believe in your heart that what was done to Christ in the garden, in the Sanhedrin, before Herod, before Pilate, in the Praetorium and on the Cross was done for YOU, GOD considers you as just as Christ is EVEN THOUGH YOU ARE NOT!!!
This is why i write and speak so much about the Wrath of GOD and the Lake of Fire and Sulfur: NO ONE with the capacity for sin will escape GOD's Righteous Vengeance against sin and evil unless they receive Christ as their Sacrificial Lamb Who was slain from before the Foundation of the world to UNCONDITIONALLY ATONE FOR THEIR EVIL NATURE AND DEEDS, Eventually those who are found in Jesus will exchange their totally depraved nature for Christ's Living, Perfect and Divine Nature!!!! When The Holy Spirit of GOD is done with you, YOU WILL BE AS IMPERVIOUS TO SIN, EVIL AND TEMPTATION AS GOD IS!!!!!!!
I apologize...i'm getting ahead of myself; i'm spontaneously jumping into topics such as discipleship and sanctification in the context of the believer's present experience with Christ and even further to the glorification of the saints. It's just so EXCITING that GOD would gift such ETERNAL TREASURES to hopelessly wicked sinners...such Grace and Love both humbles and overwhelms me.
The Blood
I also believe that now is a suitable time to address a popular blasphemy in the church: this so-called "pleading the Blood" of Jesus, which has no support in Holy Scripture.
Yes...priests served in the Tabernacle and Temple administering sacrifices, but they were acting on behalf of Christ and reflecting His Work in the REAL TEMPLE IN HEAVEN, not in the stead of sinners. And yes: we are called to be priests unto GOD through Christ to intercede for each other and the unsaved, but we were NEVER authorized to handle or administer Something so extremely HOLY and SACRED as The Blood of The Lord Jesus Christ! The Blood of Christ is for GOD The Father alone, Who at His Own Discretion receives It to appease His Wrath against those He has chosen.
In Part Thirteen we will discuss the ordinance of physical baptism and the amazing truths contained therein!