The beginning of the end...
Tonight commence the moving-in festivities at my new place (meaning I'm going to take a carload over at some point this evening). My family is pulling into town sometime late tonight with a trailer full of outdoor furniture and we'll be moving Millie's and my furniture over the next day or two.
I have to give a shout out to my MVPs in the pre-move-in prep work: the Artist Formerly Known as My Roommate, Christa, and the newest member of the "Now I'm A Housepainter" Hall of Fame, Chris C. They've been MUCH help in getting my living room, dining room, stairwell, bathroom and main hallway painted and ready (that sounds like a lot, but the place is tiny, trust me). The supporting players were also invaluable: Kristin V., Milli, Bobby G., Brooks R., Will K. and Joel A. I'm so grateful for all of the work that you put in. We'll celebrate together once there's a seat to sit in and a dish from which to dine. I promise.
And I promise to post some pictures soon so those of you near and far can see my little piece of planet Earth. If I can ever remember to get batteries for my stinkin' camera...!
In other news...here are some questions for my readers (all three of you...) that pertain to the awesome Bible study on personal revival that I'm going through at the moment. I'm interested to hear your thoughts:
How would you define "grace"?
What's the difference between "grace" and "mercy"?
How does grace function in your life?
posted by Lorie @ 10:46 AM
15 Comments:
Why, a very fine local songwriter with a name that sounds like mine once wrote a song that had a definition of grace in the chorus:
"Pardon, forgiveness, sacrificial love --
That's grace, and it's always enough."
I've also heard it described as unmerited favor. Which is why that same songwriter began his first verse with:
"The favor of God cannot be bought or won,
But it flows so free through the blood of the Son ...."
Grace comes through mercy. In other words, God granted grace BECAUSE of His mercy.
Or, as that songwriter said in the later part of another song:
"In truth, You don't need anything.
There's fellowship in You complete.
But You accept my sacrifice
Through Your own mercy, rich and sweet."
(The sacrifice in reference being the "living sacrifice" of our bodies, as per Romans 12.)
congrats on the house and the fun of moving in
hmmm good questions, i need to ponder and return
I think we're granted mercy because of grace. Mercy is NOT getting what you DO deserve (being spared). Grace is getting what you DON'T deserve (receiving blessings). But that's only a simplistic and one-sided way to look at it. There are other aspects of grace that I'm wondering if anyone will touch on. Yes, this is a test. :)
And, no, I didn't mean that Bobby's perspective is simplistic and one-sided, merely that the way of explaining the difference between the two that I cited was so.
Grace - any gift voluntarily given to us individually or corporately
Mercy - the giving and receiving of unearned kindness, compassion, or forgiveness
I see mercy as a subset of grace. Grace can go beyond mercy. Grace may simply be generosity.
I have seen the grace of God at work this week through children and adults who have affirmed me in my involvement in certain Summer Bible School activities.
It seems to me that Grace is something one bestows at anytime.
Mercy seems to be bestowed in specific events of justice or disciplinary action.
In the Psalms, David cries out to God for mercy...he has sinned and his enemies are heavily about him.
Paul, in his writings greets his readers with "Grace be to you from God our Father and Christ Jesus" as a form of encouragement and edification.
hmmm...going to think some more on that.
It's interesting, isn't it, when you really stop to define the terms that we bandy about so freely.
Grudem provides concise definitions of the orthodox understanding of these terms in his Systematic Theology:
Grace: God's goodness to those who deserve only punishment.
Mercy: God's goodness to those in misery and distress.
He elaborates:
"Because these characteristics of God are often mentioned together, it may seem difficult to distinguish among them. Yet the characteristic of mercy is often emphasized (in scripture) where people are in misery or distress ... With respect to the attribute of grace, we find that Scripture emphasizes that God's grace, or his favor toward those who deserve no favor but only punishment, is never obligated but is always freely given on God's part."
I say that grace (favor to those who deserve no favor) comes through mercy (goodness to those in misery or distress) but it can just as easily be said in the other direction. I think we would end up in an exercise of rhetoric to labor over either point though.
In truth, grace, mercy, the gospel -- it's not rocket science and nor did God mean it to be. It's so simple that little children can understand, that the lowly and downtrodden of this world can grasp it, that it can be explained through song -- it's so simple that it is a stumbling block to the wise of this world, who must always, like the ancient Greeks, "learn some new thing."
But as this discussion indicates, the gospel, while simple, is not simplistic. It is profound, it is deep, it is a mystery. And so things that are easily grasped on the surface can actually run much deeper than we'd imagine. As we increase in the knowledge and wisdom of the Spirit, we understand more and more -- but never more than what God chooses to shed light upon.
So when do we get to hear about some of these other aspects that you're learning and discussing in the small group?
It seems like a good class ....
Grace I can tell you the definition but I can't tell you what it is.
And then grace in my life, is more than likely all around, i just don't know it well enough to point it out. Or I see it all the time, accept it, and move along without ever giving it another thought.
Congrats on your new home! It looks really cute! I am so excited for you!
Lorie, when are you gonna post pictures of the house? Maybe I'll just have to come over and see it for myself! -LB
Now my camera is totally buried in a box somewhere (or something...). So you WILL have to come over!
ok jumping in the mix (late of course) . . . to me it seems rather interesting that grace is a concept dealt exclusively in the confines of God's dealings with man. I guess what I'm saying is that mercy can be shown from one man to another, but grace really isn't. Grace seems to deal with salvation, with the merit of Christ being given to the unworthy man on account of God's act of grace. It is tied together with the sacrifice of Christ competely. Can there be grace outside of sacrifice? specifically Christ's sacrifice? Mercy can exist all on its own, and it does throughout scripture, but grace (even though mentioned as the idea of lovingkindness in old testament) always pointed toward the coming salvation of man through Christ. So I guess my round about answer is that grace is from God, by God, and only through God while mercy is a quality He has and gives that He has also allowed man to show.
Sorry if this doesn't make sense, I'm thinking by comment right now and not sure I'm on a straight line when it comes to expressing what I'm thinking.
It does make sense. I left my study book at home, but I want to give you guys the simple illustration she gave of the difference. I'll try to remember to bring it in tomorrow and type it up as a post.
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