“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.” (Acts 13:38–39, NASB95)

God leads us to eternal life not by our merits but according to his mercy. Augustine

Mercy is often defined as “not getting what you deserve.” God’s greatest act of mercy is offering forgiveness of sins through His Son, Jesus. How does this forgiveness of sins work? All mankind is guilty of sin, which, by God’s own definition, is the coming short of His perfection. The penalty for sin is death, and everyone who is born into this world is automatically guilty of sin and lives under a death penalty. The law of Moses declares God’s standard of righteousness, but because of man’s condition, no one has ever completely fulfilled the law. Because man is by nature a lawbreaker, man is incapable of becoming justified before Holy God.

God, in His great mercy, has provided a means to be justified through Jesus. Justification is a legal term meaning that the requirement of the law has been fulfilled, and the one justified can be forgiven because their penalty has been paid for in Jesus. Through faith in Jesus, a person is “put right with God” and now is acceptable to God. What the law was unable to do, Jesus did in that He paid the penalty for sin and has made us acceptable to God through His obedience.

Consider this act of mercy of God. God did not have to provide a solution to man’s dilemma. But because of God’s great mercy, God provided His Son to be the substitutionary sacrifice for our sins so that we might receive eternal life. How have you benefited from the mercy of God? Have you experienced the blessing of forgiveness? Think about the freedom that God has declared over His children through Jesus – “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36, NASB95)

In His Service,
Pastor Cary