I heard a preacher say that grace and mercy are two sides of the same coin. What did he mean? And was he right?

The mercy rule used in sports such as baseball is an act of mercy to cease a game when one team has a huge lead. One of the acts of mercy in the Bible is when an offender or enemy is forgiven or pardoned by withholding punishment.

According to the Bible, because we have all sinned, we deserve to die and face eternal judgment in the lake of fire (Rom. 3:23; 6:23; Rev. 20:12-15). Without God we are spiritually dead and doomed to eternal punishment (Eph. 2:1-3). But that is not the end of the story. God had a rescue plan!

The greatest example of mercy in the Bible is God’s act of mercy in forgiving and pardoning the sins of humanity: “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (Ps. 32:1NIV); “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more” (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 11:10).

We see God’s mercy in His plan to rescue us from the death and judgement that we deserve. Our sins can be forgiven because Jesus took the death penalty on our behalf. This is an example of mercy – delivering someone from a penalty. So we have a God who is rich in mercy (Eph.2:4).

What prompted God to be merciful? He chose to act this way – it was entirely voluntary (Ex. 34:6; Jas. 1:18). It was an example of grace, which is an undeserved favor.

But that is not the end. God has done more than this for us. Christians are not only rescued, they will also be rewarded. Usually only the rescuer is rewarded, but in this case those who are rescued are rewarded! The believer’s reward is to be resurrected to have bodies that will not die and to be with God eternally in a world without sin (Eph. 2:6). They are now children of God and co-heirs with Christ (Jn. 1:12; 1; Rom. 8:17; Jn. 3:1). This is an example of grace – receiving a gift beyond our wildest expectations.

What are “two sides of the same coin”? The two sides of a coin are different with respect to their inscription and image, but they are similar in sharing the metal that comprises the coin. So they share a difference and a similarity.

Are mercy and grace “two sides of the same coin”? They are different because mercy is God not punishing us as our sins deserve, and grace is God rewarding us although we do not deserve it. Mercy is deliverance from judgment. Grace is favor to the unworthy.

How are mercy and grace similar? Clearly mercy and grace are two essential components of God’s plan of salvation. They are both gifts that cannot be earnt, but are received by faith in Jesus Christ. In this way, mercy and grace are two sides of the same coin.

However, a sandwich may be a better illustration of mercy and grace than a coin. As God’s great act of mercy was preceded and followed by God’s grace, God’s mercy is sandwiched between two examples of God’s grace. For example, in Psalm 103, God’s mercy is described as “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (v.10), and is preceded and followed by references to God’s grace, compassion and love (v.4, 8, 11, 13).

Jesus can also supply the mercy and grace we need for daily life: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

Written, December 2012