Grace and Mercy and Mentors

So Sarah and I had a long conversation last night and we both realized we did not have the best grip on exactly what mercy and grace were and what the difference between them was. I started to try and explain it, and realized I had no idea how to do it.

So we turned to Scripture and it really didn't clear anything up (mostly due to my lack of understanding I am sure). So I turned to a mentor....

Which made me think. Having a mentor is very important.

Often today churches don't emphasize the need for mentorship. People are often actually told to read their Bible with no guidance. This can lead to very tragic theological consequences.

Not to say that people cannot understand the Bible on their own. And not to say that tradition ever trumps Scripture, but we have tradition and we have mentors for a reason. We can all use a voice of those more advanced in the faith than us to help us understand that which is just beyond our comprehension.

In this case grace is something that is not a one time thing (as we often think of it), but rather it is a one time gift (at regeneration) and it is an ongoing gift. So that there is common grace (those blessings that are given to all people regardless of their elect status) like air to breathe, food to eat, etc. Then we see the grace in sanctification (some people get more of this grace than others). Finally we will see grace in glorification (which we will all get an equal dose of as the elect).

Then we see mercy as the application of the work of Christ to sinners in their justification. But we also see it in the lives of the reprobate (because God delays their judgment).

Without tradition and without a mentor Sarah and I might have taken much longer to understand these concepts if we even got them at all.

Mike