Category: Grace and Mercy

Grace and Mercy are at the heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In fact, without grace and mercy there wouldn’t be a gospel.

Yet it seems that few Christians understand what these terms — these gifts from God — actually mean.

As a result many Christian labor under a heavy load of guilt and shame — constantly feeling that they are not good enough; that they don’t measure up.

Often these feelings are installed or exacerbated by spiritual leaders who, instead of being shepherds, have turned into harsh task masters.

Whether you have been subjected to spiritual abuse, or you simply feel you’re not able to ‘make it’ as a Christian, this series of articles will come as a breath of fresh air.

Our Righteousness Can’t Do It

We have access to more teaching and preaching than any other church in history -- but our knowledge has outstripped our ability.

If we are honest, most of us must admit that we're not applying what we've learned. We're not living up to God's expectations. We're striving too much. And our righteousness is falling short of the mark.

Imprisoned for Mercy

The Bible constantly declares that all humanity is imprisoned not only under the penalty for sin-death-but also under the power of sin-enslavement. We suffer both the penalty and the power. That is, we human beings are unable to extradite ourselves from sin. Sin has power over us.

Our imprisonment is effective because it leaves us with only one alternative: If we want to be forgiven and freed from the penalty and the power of sin, we must accept God's mercy.