¿What is the difference between mercy and grace?

Mercy and grace are often confused. While the terms have similar meanings, grace and mercy are not the same. To synthesize the difference we see that, mercy is that God does not punish us as our sins deserve, and grace is that God blesses us even though we do not deserve it. Mercy is the freedom of the judgment. Grace is the goodness that extends to those who do not deserve it.

According to the Bible, we have all sinned (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23 and 1 John 1: 8). As a result of that sin, we all deserve death (Romans 6:23) and eternal damnation in the lake of fire (Revelation 20: 12-15). Considering that, every day we live is an act of God's mercy. If God gave us what we deserve, we would all be, right now, condemned for an eternity. In Psalm 51: 1-2, David cries out, “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your mercy; according to the multitude of your piety, erase my rebellions. Wash me more and more of my evil and cleanse me of my sin. ”A plea to God for mercy is to ask you to stop the judgment we deserve, and instead grant us the forgiveness that we have by no means earned.

We do not deserve anything from God. God owes us nothing. All the good we experience is the result of God's grace (Ephesians 2: 5). Grace is simply an unmerited favor. God gives us good things that we don't deserve and that we could never win. Rescued from the judgment by the mercy of God, grace is anything and everything we receive beyond that mercy (Romans 3:24). Common grace refers to the sovereign grace that God grants to all mankind, regardless of his spiritual condition before Him, while saving grace is that special dispensation of grace, by which God sovereignly extends the undeserved divine assistance over His elect for its regeneration and sanctification.

Mercy and grace are best illustrated in the salvation that is available through Jesus Christ. We deserve judgment, but if we receive Jesus Christ as Savior, we receive mercy from God, and we are delivered from judgment. Instead of judgment, we receive by grace salvation, forgiveness of sins, an abundant life (John 10:10) and an eternity in heaven, the most wonderful place imaginable (Revelation 21-22). By the mercy and grace of God, our response must be to kneel in adoration and thanks. Hebrews 4:16 declares, "Let us therefore come confidently to the throne of grace, to attain mercy and find grace for the opportune help."