| Yesterday Afternoon's Bible Study |
"We need mercy, although it may not be something we often think about. We're aware that we need forgiveness and grace, but why do we need mercy?
Maybe we can justify a criminal's need for mercy, but clearly, we haven't done anything as horrible as criminals have. Right? They commit crimes and deserve to be punished for what they've done, but we haven't done anything to merit punishment. Right?
Wrong.
Every sin we've ever committed deserves punishment. But fortunately for us, God's great mercy means that we don't have to suffer the eternal consequences. If we were to view our sin in the light of God's holiness, we would be keenly aware of how unworthy we are. But in the midst of our sinfulness, God reached down to us and granted us mercy."
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This afternoon's verse says that "even when we were dead in our sins we received grace through Christ. When we see others at their lowest point, do we extend that same type of grace to them?
Even when we demonstrate mercy to others, we are incapable of taking the next step that Paul mentions in Ephesians 2:4-5. We are made alive through Christ. We have no power within us that can bring us life. Only through His death and resurrection have we been offered eternal life that removes the curse of sin from us.
Now, though we were dead in our sin, we have been made alive through Christ. What an amazing gift!
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