Mercy, Faith, and Grace ( God’s Winning Combination )

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 is 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, for what you believe)

Man’s faith is generally weak,   is sometimes strong,  but it is easily shaken

But,  with God‘s help (Grace) ,  faith becomes assurance  ( a strong belief) .

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 ( God’s HELP, His POWER ).

It is given to man often (1) for his regeneration or sanctification, or (2) as evidence to build his faith upon.

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.

Grace is not Mercy,  Grace is Almighty God’s 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 God will give you the power to act the way you should,

man rationalizes his shortcomings, ….. and continues to live as he wishes,  not doing what God expects…

 

………. 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 Jesus’  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 is often called the Father of Faith,

in Mat 8:10 Jesus referred to the Centurion, as having the greatest faith that He 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 obedient 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 that 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,  failure to remember what God has done in the past, 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 ( 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 “

(c) 1999 www.focusonjesus.net……..

 

Thank You  …  https://www.BibleGateway.com … for the many passages we quoted from your vast resources of Holy Bible Translations