Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Theology 650 research paper
Theology 104 theology essay
Religion paper 1
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Theology 650 research paper
Theology 104 Application Paper
Mercy and Grace
Tabatha Hopkins
Liberty University
Theology 104 Application Paper
Mercy and Grace
Mercy and grace are two key terms used when describing God’s character. We understand that His mercy and grace are made known in Jesus Christ. Hebrews 4:14-16 (New International Version), tells us that Jesus is the Son of God, he can empathize with our weaknesses, and although he was tempted, he never sinned. Next states “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.” Although mercy and grace often are used interchangeably, one should know separateness exists amidst the two.
Theological Definition: Grace
In the theological
…show more content…
Grace is a divine quality that is attributed to God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy …show more content…
Because of our sinful nature as humans, we deserve death. Romans 6:23 (NIV) states “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” By giving an atonement for our sin God shows us His mercy. Mercy is the act of not meeting justice when that justice is punitive. Because of our sinfulness, we deserve death and eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23; Isaiah 59:2), but God gave an atonement for sin and through it shows us mercy. That is, He does not deliver to the Christian the natural consequence of his sin which is damnation.
Biblical Foundation: Mercy
In the book of Genesis, mercy was not given to Noah as a result of him asking for it. God gave Noah instructions, by faith Noah obeyed Him and God blessed him. God showed Noah mercy and found him righteous. Genesis 7:1, (NIV) reads “The LORD then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.” Jesus became sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21, NIV). And His death was the punishment due to
...e toward him as well, since at one point he felt he deserved to die for what he had done. This grace gives him a purpose and strength to go on living, even though he may never completely overcome the hurt and pain.
“This He did out of sheer love for us” (Athanasius 8). This quote refers to the amount of love that God had for humanity, this love had been strong enough to shine through our own rejection towards Him. It continues to do this. When the human race repeatedly rejected God, He continued to have mercy on us. “It was our sorry case that caused the Word to come down” (Athanasius 4). Why would God continue to love us after all this? God could not abandon us, His creation. If we look at kings and rulers in the time of Jesus, we would most likely see corruption and death. When a king was upset he would often take a violent path. God, on the other hand, chose to send someone kind and loving to help us rather than to hurt us. This proves that God is and was genuinely concerned for us, and wanted to see us prosper. “ Now that the common savior of all has died on our behalf, we who believe in Christ no longer die” (Athanasius 21). God wants us to have faith in Him, He wants us to live forever with Him. Another king might bring death upon his people rather than on himself only for his well being not of his people’s. When Jesus died He gave us the option of life over death. All we must do is have faith and believe that He is the on...
The traditional Christian answer to why God allowed the death of Christ is for the absolution of humanity’s sin. However, this begs the question, as an omnipotent God why was it necess...
The word grace in the Greek is translated as “charis, pronounced as khar’-ece; it means graciousness (as gratifying), the God’s divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in ones life: acceptable, benefit, favor, or g...
Grace is arguably the most important idea in the Bible, Christianity, and the universe. Grace is “the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the unmerited favor of God,” (Holcomb). It’s the idea that humans are granted salvation by God, and that He has the ability
May (1988) writes that “grace is the active expression of God’s love” (p. 120), which is the ultimate desire of all humans. Grace is a difficult concept to understand because there is nothing a person can do to receive it; rather, it is freely given as a gift from God. Grace is given to all who believe in Him, regardless of their sins. Guilt is almost always attached to addiction. The Christian counselor can use the concept of spiritual grace and the supporting theology to help the client change his or her feelings of guilt into feelings of hope for personal change and forgiveness through
In an evil world sprinkled with undeserved blessings, humans seem to strive to make sense of why it happens. As a result, it could seem logical that our “real God,” who is powerful and loves us unconditionally, shows grace to those who are obedient to Him. When reading the Old Testament in this context, there are several stories that could help reaffirm the idea of a god who shows his grace to those who seek Him.
In Judaism, God is seen as having a contractual relationship with the Jewish people where they must obey his holy laws in return for their status of the chosen people. God rewards or punishes Jewish people based on whether they obey or disobey his will. In parts of the Old Testament, however, God does show mercy or forgiveness, and in later interpretations God’s laws such as the Ten Commandments are followed
In Christianity, the emphasis is placed on love of God rather than on obeying his will. People must believe that God is merciful and loves them as well. As a reflection of God’s love, people must also love other people (and the whole humanity in general) and forgive their enemies.
In Genesis 6:8 God says “But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.” The word “favor” is translated in Greek to “Charis”, which is then translated to the word “grace”. This verse once again shows the grace of God. He could have easily just killed every single man but instead he shows his grace and mercy to save Noah and his family because Noah listened to God. ...
The Dictionary of the Accademia della Crusca, dating from 16th century Italy, defines grace as "belleza... che rapisce altrui ad amore." Grace is beauty which seduces one unto love. Grace is the prayer before nourishment, it is the passing of power through blood, it is a classical muse, it is a verb, it is liberation, it is a head-ransom, it is a gazelle, it is simplicity, it is complexity, it is sanctifying, it is controversial, it is desired, it is metrical, it is ubiquitous, it is rare, it is actual. "Grace is in all, yet beyond all," quotes a medieval anchoress. According to Castiglione, grace springs from "that virtue opposite to affectation," as an unconscious extension of a certain je ne sais quoi within the soul. Grace is the nature of language, of number, of beat, of silence. Grace is pervasively elusive.
In other words, Jesus, although perfect and blameless in all His ways, took on the title criminal and died as such. He was crucified on a cross at Calvary. No other God has died for his people. Jesus drank the cup of wrath that was reserved for mankind (Matthew 26:39). Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The death and resurrection of Jesus purchased victory over death for humanity, if they choose to accept Him as their Lord and Savior (1 Cor. 15:55). Those who cling to the Gospel, either in sharing it or receiving of it, must believe that Jesus’ death is the only route to attain salvation. He is the only way, truth, and life (John 14:6,
As Christians, we are to be redemptive agents for God. Just as God showed us grace and mercy. By the sacrifice of his only son, Jesus Christ, and through his blood saved us from our sins. To then be reborn in salvation. We too are responsible to show grace and mercy to our fellow man. In both cases, we are presented with the opportunity to show grace and mercy.
Grace In order to completely understand the theology of grace. you have to take a look at Augustine, Aquinas, Luther. Rahner, Segundo, and Boff, and how they understood what. grace was.
We all know God is love and it is shown everywhere in the Bible. To be merciful means to have broad grace. To be just means to be respectably good and fair. These two attributes seem to contradict each other because how can a merciful God judge a person for their wrongdoing or how can someone who hates sin have mercy on the people who do evil? Many atheists question how could a merciful God be just? The answer to this question is Gods mercy is expressed to us through His love. God is a perfect God meaning his justice and mercifulness is also faultless. This paper will focus on comparing and contrasting the attributes God is just and merciful by pointing out the similarities, differences, and by showing ways in which God demonstrates them to mankind.