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“But God, who is rich in mercy…even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5).
“By grace are ye saved through faith” (Ephesians 2:8).
In these verses we find the words “mercy” and “grace.” They are often found together in the Bible, especially in the New Testament, but they do not mean the same thing. Mercy is not receiving the punishment we deserve. In this verse, it means that God does not put all of us in hell for all eternity for our sins. No, He had mercy on us, and sent His Son to die for us.
On the other hand, grace is getting something good that we do not deserve. In this way it is the opposite of mercy. In the verses we are considering, we not only do not receive the judgment we deserve, but we do receive salvation which we do not deserve. It is God’s goodness that does this. God has shown His grace in sending His Son into this world. We read in John 1:17 that “grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”
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