Mercy, Grace, and Favor - 1

These are 3 very important, foundational concepts in Christianity. How well do we understand them? Do they portray to us a God of retribution or a God of compassion?

This teaching looks at these concepts on 3 levels:
1. The modern, secular definition of each of these 3 words.
2. The modern Christian usage of these words. Based on how Christians use these words, what do they mean?
3. What do these words in the original manuscripts mean? What would a contemporary of an Old Testament or New Testament writer hear when they used one of these words?

You will be surprised, especially by the underlying original words and what they mean. For example, we usually think of mercy as a kind of leniency or reduction of punishment for someone who was found guilty of a crime. We think of pardon as the elimination of punishment for a guilty person. Is that what Jesus did for us, pardon our sins but leave us guilty? Is that the idea that is conveyed by the original word mercy in the Old Testament and New Testament. The Hebrew word sometimes translated mercy and the Greek word almost always translated mercy are very similar in meaning. How does the ancient meaning of those words line up with our modern Christian concept of mercy?

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