Cheap Grace

We know that our salvation is based on two critical factors ... grace and mercy. The two terms are interesting because they're almost mirror images ... or something. Grace is basically getting something you haven't earned and mercy is not getting something you have earned. Grace is unmerited favor (Rom 11:6). Mercy is justice withheld. Grace gives us favor from God that we don't deserve and mercy withholds punishment from God that we richly deserve. Together, these form our salvation where God's magnificent grace and amazing mercy combine to prevent justice from overwhelming us and, instead, substitutes God's favor. That ... is good news ... "gospel."

I'm amazed, then, when people who call themselves "Christians" (I'm not saying they're not; I'm simply differentiating between those who make no such claim.) decide to devalue grace and mercy. "People are basically good," they tell us. That is, grace isn't really unmerited favor; it's actually good and appropriate favor because we're valuable. They tell us that sin isn't that bad and certainly not deserving of some sort of "eternal punishment," minimizing God's mercy to some rational clemency ... to God "doing the right thing" to save. God "meets us halfway" or God "helps those who help themselves." Sin consists of moral "faux pas" and is manageable. God is a kindly judge who pardons, a pleasant father who pats His kids on the head ... "There, there, you'll do better next time" ... a king who grants mercy to His people because He's a nice guy. Others plan to "make it up" to God, to "earn His pleasure," to "show Him He was right in saving me." Or the other side ... "God forgave me, but He'd never forgive that" where "that" is ... homosexuality or murder or divorce or some sin we didn't happen to commit. Maybe "He loves me, but He's tired of me sinning." Or the idea that grace and mercy are simply a "clean slate" rather than the empowerment, transformation, adoption, filling of the Spirit, union with Christ ... so much more. We have lots of ways to minimize God's grace and mercy.

The truth is, we're pretty good at diminishing the value of God's grace and mercy. Paul wrote that the blessings God grants us (Eph 1:3-14) are "to the praise of the glory of His grace" (Eph 1:6) and granted "according to the riches of His grace (Eph 1:7). We are told that God is "rich in mercy," and it's predicated on "His great love with which He loved us" (Eph 2:4). So if sin just isn't that bad or we're just too valuable to lose ... if God is gracious and merciful because we're so lovable or if He can't forgive because we're just too bad, we dismantle the magnificence of His glory that is in His grace and mercy for us. Grace gives those who have no reason to expect God's kindness the favor they don't deserve. Mercy provides relief from the divine punishment to people who have worked hard to earn divine punishment. Anything less minimizes grace and mercy, God's love, and God's glory.