This beautiful attribute is unmerited favor. It is helpful at this point to contrast mercy with grace. God’s mercy allows him to withhold merited punishment. God’s grace allows him to freely bestow unmerited favor. Mercy is not getting what we deserve, namely, hell. Grace is getting what we do not deserve, namely, heaven.
Consider this illustration:
A young man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for leading a violent rebellion against his king. One day the king himself visits the prisoner. To the amazement of the young rebel, his ruler sets him free. After releasing him, the king then offers to provide a permanent place in the royal palace for the ex-convict. Finally, the ruler states his intention to adopt the former rebel as his own son. At this point, the prisoner has experienced both mercy and grace. When released, he experienced mercy, that is, he did not receive that which he deserved, namely, the life of a prisoner. When adopted, he experienced grace, that is, he did receive that which he did not deserve, namely, the life of a prince (Pss 111:4; 116:5; 1 Pet 2:3).
Inasmuch as God’s grace is more than sufficient for all men (Rom 5:20), does this mean that all men will be saved? Obviously, it does not! When we relate grace to the character of God, we are referring to his “graciousness.” When we relate it to the acts of God, we are referring to God’s response to the devastating effects of sin on the human condition. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 6:23). Only the work of God’s grace in the death of Christ on Calvary will work to undo the effects of sin. But the cross does not automatically apply its benefits. Only “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead . . .” will you be saved (Rom 10:9,).
The Scriptures reveal the grace of God again and again (Num 6:22–26).
God’s grace is first mentioned on the eve of the first universal world destruction (Gen 6:8). The last reference to grace occurs in Scripture’s final verse (Rev 22:21).
The phrase “grace to you and peace,” a common salutation in that day, is found many times in the New Testament, but always in this order—never “peace and grace.” It is spiritually true that one cannot experience God’s peace until he has first appropriated his grace.
1. Grace led him to Bethlehem (2 Cor 8:9; Titus 2:11).
2. Grace led him to Calvary (Heb 2:9).