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NASB | 2 Timothy 1:2 ¶ To Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Timothy 1:2 ¶ to Timothy, my beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. |
Bible Question: What does grace mean? What does mercy mean? How are they different? |
Bible Answer: Greetings RLCantlon, You ask: "What does grace mean? What does mercy mean? How are they different?" In the Bible, the words "grace" and "mercy" both appear together in 5 verses: Zechariah 12:10, 1 Timothy 1:2, 2 Timothy 1:2, Hebrews 4:16, and 2 John 1:3. The word "grace" alone appears in 122 verses throughout the Bible. The word 'grace' literally means "unmerited favor." "Unmerited" means that this favor cannot be worked for. Grace, as in the Bible, refers to the undeserved, unearned favor of God. In regard to salvation, Romans 5:1-11 tells us that God gives His incredible grace to those who actually deserve the opposite-that is, condemnation. Eternal life cannot be earned. Scripture tells us that eternal life is a gift of grace that comes as a result of believing in the Savior, Jesus Christ (John 6:47, Romans 6:23, Revelation 21:6). True grace is sometimes difficult for people to grasp in our performance oriented society. But God's gift of salvation is a grace-gift. It is free! We cannot attain it by a good performance (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5). However, this does not mean that this gift was free for God. The price that God paid to provide us with grace-salvation was the very death of His Son, Jesus, who died on the cross for us. He ransomed us from death by His own death on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21). Such is the wonder of God's grace. The word "mercy" is mentioned in no less than 152 verses in the Bible. Mercy is having compassion on the miserable. Because of Christ's death on the cross for our sins, a way is now open for God to show mercy towards the sons of men, in harmony with the demands of truth and righteousness (Genesis 19:19; Exodus 20:6, 34:6,7; Psalm 85:10, 86:15,16). In Christ, mercy and truth meet together. Mercy is also something that a Christian should show towards others (Matthew 5:7, 18:33-35). Webster's 1828 dictionary defines "mercy" as follows: "Mercy MER'CY, n. [L. misericordia.] "1. That benevolence, mildness or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice, and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy. That which comes nearest to it is grace. It implies benevolence, tenderness, mildness, pity or compassion, and clemency, but exercised only towards offenders. Mercy is a distinguishing attribute of the Supreme Being. "The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty. Num 14. "2. An act or exercise of mercy or favor. It is a mercy that they escaped. "I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies. Gen 32. "3. Pity; compassion manifested towards a person in distress. "And he said, he that showed mercy on him. Luke 10. "4. Clemency and bounty. "Mercy and truth preserve the king; and his throne is upheld by mercy. Prov 28. "5. Charity, or the duties of charity and benevolence. "I will have mercy and not sacrifice. Mat 9. "6. Grace; favor. 1 Cor 7. Jude 2. "7. Eternal life, the fruit of mercy. 2 Tim 1. "8. Pardon. "I cry thee mercy with all my heart. "9. The act of sparing, or the forbearance of a violent act expected. The prisoner cried for mercy. "To be or to lie at the mercy of, to have no means of self-defense, but to be dependent for safety on the mercy or compassion of another, or in the power of that which is irresistible; as, to be at the mercy of a foe, or of the waves." The difference between "grace" and "mercy" would be that God can show us grace through the salvation of believing in His Son, while mercy is an attribute that all Christians should exhibit. Grace is given to those who do not deserve to have grace, while mercy is given to those who are under the yoke or oppressed. I hope that this helps! Blessings to you, Makarios |
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Questions and/or Subjects for 2 Tim 1:2 | Author | ||
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rlcantlon | ||
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Makarios | ||
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NIFEMI |