Grace And Mercy
Grace - the Greek word is charis. This word has several meanings: that which bestows or occasions pleasure, delight, or causes favorable regard.[1]
Mercy – the Greek word is eleos. Is the outward manifestation of pity; it assumes need on the part of him who receives it, and resources adequate to meet the need on the part of him who shows it.[2]
Most common definition for grace is unmerited or undeserved favor. In the case with God, He gives us what we do not deserve.
Common definition for mercy is not getting what we do deserve; which is eternal punishment.
In both scenarios God is showing extraordinary love to mankind.
Both of these benefits are extended to the entire world every day. This is course would be debated by many regarding those in third world countries where people are stricken with disease, hunger and, poverty constantly. While it is terrible these things occur, there are many organizations that are actively involved in helping the destitute of this world such as: World Vision Feed the Hungry, Missionary programs, and many others. The problem of poverty is not God’s problem; it is man’s greediness, and unwillingness to help those in need. God honors the poor and wants them regarded and cared for just like any other citizen (Pro 14:21, 31; 17:5; 22:9).
The fact that these benevolent organizations exist is a manifestation of God’s grace and mercy even to the most needy of this world.
What I have just described is what some have called common grace and mercy. It is that which God gives to all of humanity. As Jesus said, the Lord makes the rain fall on the just and the unjust (Matt 5:45b).
There is another component of God’s grace and mercy that he bestows strictly on those whom He has chosen from all eternity. The writer calls this God’s particular grace and mercy. These benefits exceed His general grace and mercy that is given to all humanity.
God’s particular grace and mercy belong exclusively to the elect, the chosen of God throughout all of history. Starting as early with Enoch, Noah, and Abraham all the way to the last Saint brought into the family of God in the future.
What is Foreknowledge?
The dictionary definition of foreknowledge is:
Knowledge or awareness of something before its existence or occurrence; prescience.
Now, the next word we need to define is prescience. This is obviously a compound word. Pre meaning before, and science meaning knowledge. Foreknowledge and prescience are synonyms.
I have mentioned this idea in other articles, but it bears repeating because it is so important that we as Christians understand how God chooses. A prescient view of divine election has God looking down the corridors of time in which He sees those that will respond in faith to the gospel. Based on that foreknowledge or prior knowledge, God chooses those individuals based on the faith that He foresees they will exhibit. So in the prescient view of election, God chooses man because some men have the “sense” to respond to the gospel call of repentance positively. God also sees those in this same corridor that do not respond to the gospel call, and so they are rejected in eternity past which will in time lead to their eternal damnation. This is how many regard predestination, or sovereign election.
The problem with this view is that this limits God’s ability to choose whomever He wants. In this heretical worldview God is constrained by the “foreknown faith” of man whom He has yet to even create! This “faith” of man demands that God elects him to eventually be saved in time after he is born.[3] Who is controlling things in this relationship, God or man? Certainly not God. God in essence is made lower than his unborn creation because He HAS to choose man after man chooses him first.
In essence this is not biblical predestination whether positively or negatively. What is actually going on here is that the sovereign election to salvation and the sovereign election to reprobation is all of man. In the prescient view of election, man predetermines his own salvation and damnation. God is a helpless impotent bystander. It’s a “lose-lose” for God. What do I mean? 1) God does not get the glory for planning a predestinating salvation for His chosen, 2) nor does He get the glory for destroying His enemies; those He did not choose before the foundation of the world.
The prescient view of divine election is wrong. Reason being is it a pre-incarnate works salvation of man. God cannot respond to a pre-incarnate or an unborn faith nor does He respond to a pre-incarnate unbelief.
Divine Election is a Trinitarian Work
Biblical foreknowledge is not prescient. Foreknowledge in Bible is the Greek word proginosko. Pro means before, and ginosko meaning to know. This is where we get the English word prognosis. When the Bible speak about foreknowledge it means God without any outside influence chose in eternity past those who will receive salvation at the precise time in history He has determined. Apostles Paul and Peter said it clearly, we are chosen before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4; 1 Pet 1:2).
Who God decided to choose is a mystery that I believe we will never know in this life or the next. We do know why God chose some for His electing grace though: to the praise of His glory. God wanted to glorify Himself. He also chose some because it was His good pleasure in doing so (Eph 1:5-6).
God’s divine election is that particular grace and mercy the writer is talking about. God extended unmerited favor and non-justice (mercy) to His own. Far from being a human work, sovereign election is a Trinitarian work. The Father created the plan of salvation, the Son executed the plan, the Spirit applies the plan to those who believe. Here’s the beautiful part about God’s elective grace, everyone that He has chosen will be absolutely saved. Someone may protest at this point and say, “wait a minute! You mean to tell me all those whom God has chosen before the world began will be saved?" “How is that possible?" Simple answer, it’s God who’s doing the saving. Man has nothing to do with it. That is what makes salvation a surety. It is all of God – none of man. Man’s only part is to respond in faith, and even the faith to believe is a gift from God (Eph 2:8-9).
What if those chosen before the foundation of the world do not want salvation? Does God chooses them against their will?
I’ll mention this again also. God in no time in history has violated man’s will. God is not a violator. That is what we do. No God is a liberator of man’s will. I will explain. When we are born, we are under the wrath of God. We are enemies of God because of our inherent corrupt nature (Rom 5:8,10). We hate God and each other (Titus 3:3). We are rotten to the core and totally depraved. In the space of time prior to our regeneration, we are hopeless deserving of hell. The Bible describes us as being dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1).
Once this revelation is made clear to the chosen sinner, the rescue is on. The first thing God does is bring the dead back to life (Eph 2:1; Col 2:13). That is regeneration. Now that we are spiritually alive, the gospel is preached. We are given faith to believe the message of Jesus Christ. When we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead we are saved (Rom 10:9-10).
This process is a miracle. When we are made alive, God gives us a heart of flesh. God does spiritual heart transplant surgery (Ezek 36:26-27). The heart of stone is removed, and in its place a new heart that yearns and longs for God is placed in our being. As a result, our will is made free by the power of God to trust the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation. We cannot do this on our own. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast (Eph 2:8-9).
Paul quotes from Isaiah regarding the chosen of God who prior to this were strangers and nomads of God: I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those did not ask for Me (Rom 10:20-21, quoted from Isa 65:1,2).
So we see once the power of God gets a hold of us, it will be too irresistible for us to deny. The once stubborn soul that hated God will pursue Him with everything they have. Once we get a clear revelation of how hopeless and sin sick we really are, and our need for salvation, we will run to the cross, and will not let go until God blesses us with eternal life.
Every child whom God has chosen in eternity past will in God’s timing be saved. Why? Because God said so!
The part that is most disturbing to those who do not the like the doctrine of sovereign election have the actual nerve to believe that is somehow God is unfair; that God chooses some for salvation, and passes by others. Divine punishment is never unfair. It is always fair to punish the guilty. God would be unjust to His own self if He didn't.
Concluding, God’s particular grace and mercy are definitely undeserved gifts. Those of us who are chosen have to praise God forever, and let others know about this grace and mercy of God.
The only way a person can value the beauty of God’s grace and mercy is to reveal to them the ugliness of their sin, and the horrific cost Jesus paid for sin to purchase our redemption. If they are of the elect (of course we cannot know on the human side), they will be awakened to this glorious truth, be humbled by it, and come to the saving knowledge of Jesus the Messiah while there is still time.
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