The Doctrines of Grace and Mercy
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, February 24, 2026 (Donate)
Grace and mercy are doctrines that are often discussed in
today’s local churches. Nevertheless, the depth of these doctrines run deep—and
I wonder how often we reflect on the “ocean floor” level of these doctrines—especially
in light of the fact that there are many shallow variations of Christianity we
see in hosts of churches today.
As a case in point, I’ve seen professing Christians act with
the least amount of grace; and I’ve witnessed the unmerciful wrath of professing
Christians. In fact, you probably have too! Before we get on our “high horse”,
perhaps we should think really hard about times in our own past, where we could
have been a little more merciful and showed a bit more grace.
As Christians, we need to be growing in Christ’s likeness
and being more gracious and merciful. To do so, we need to know what exactly these
doctrines are and how to grow in them.
The Doctrine of Grace
Grace, in godly sense, is the free and unmerited favor of our
gracious God toward sinners. This is something that needs to be understood
about grace—it is not merited by its definition; otherwise, it is earned favor
(I deserve this) as opposed unearned favor (I don’t deserve this).
We don’t deserve God’s favor, yet He gave it while we were
still sinners in rebellion against Him (Romans 5:8). It flows from His eternal
purpose in Christ. It is not merely divine kindness, but a saving grace based
on God’s love and mercy (John 3:16-18).
Grace originates in God Himself and is not conditioned upon
foreseen human merit. The apostle Paul writes:
“Just as He chose us in Him before
the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to
Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory
of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:4–6, NKJV)
Grace is expressed in redemption. It is not a response to
human actions (something we did). Fallen man, dead in trespasses and
sins, cannot generate faith apart from what Christ did to rescue us. Grace
therefore precedes and produces faith.
“For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9, NKJV)
It is by grace that the righteousness of Christ is imputed
to the believer.
“Being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24, NKJV)
Furthermore, grace is not merely initiatory but sustaining.
The believer stands in grace, grows in grace, and is ultimately glorified by
grace.
“And He said to me, ‘My grace is
sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’” (2
Corinthians 12:9, NKJV)
Grace magnifies God’s glory. It demonstrates that salvation
is of the Lord from beginning to end. It humbles man and exalts Christ. In
Buck’s language, grace is the “unmerited favor of God toward sinful men,” and
in Gill’s theological precision, it is the sovereign, eternal, and efficacious
goodwill of God in Christ toward His elect.
Thus, grace is free in its source, powerful in its
operation, particular in its design, and glorious in its end.
Grace: In Calvinism and Arminianism
As one looks at the fine-tuned aspects of grace, differences
emerge between certain theological groups. For instance, Calvinists and
Arminians disagree with one another on these fine details. This shouldn’t be
news to anyone. Let’s use two prominent theologians—both respectable in their
own rights but on different side of the debate.
John Gill (Calvinist) and John Wesley (Arminian) agreed that
grace is the unmerited favor of God given through Christ and that fallen
sinners cannot save themselves apart from God’s actions. Both affirmed that
salvation is based solely in Christ’s atoning work and that grace is absolutely
necessary for justification and sanctification. Neither believed that human
works could earn salvation.
Their primary difference concerned the scope and
operation of grace. Gill, representing Calvinism, taught that saving grace
is sovereign, eternal, and effectual, given particularly to the elect. Grace
does not merely make salvation possible; it actually secures it. In his view,
regeneration precedes faith, and grace is irresistible in those whom God has
chosen to save.
Wesley, by contrast, taught that grace is universal in
provision through prevenient grace (a grace that precedes and prepares a
potential believer), which restores to all people sufficient moral ability to
respond to the gospel. Grace, according to Wesley, enables sinners to come to
Christ but does not compel and may be resisted. Justification comes through
faith, and believers must continue cooperating with sanctifying grace.
In short, Gill taught an irresistible grace for the elect,
while Wesley[1]
taught a resistible grace and only the elect didn’t resist. Both upheld
salvation by grace alone, but differed on how that grace is applied. We
encourage you to speak to your family and local church pastoral staff to see
where they may align in this minor debate.
The Doctrine of Mercy
Mercy, while closely related to grace, is distinct in its nature.
Where grace deals with unmerited favor, mercy deals God’s compassion toward
those in misery. Mercy is the “divine inclination” to relieve the wretched.
Mercy is God’s tender compassion flowing from His goodness
toward guilty and afflicted creatures. It shows God’s willingness to help those
in need.
Mercy becomes active in our broken world that is full of sin
and suffering. It deals with the condition of the sinner who is already under
judgment. Whereas grace bestows blessing, mercy withholds deserved punishment (which
is technically imputed to Christ) and provides relief from misery.
Scripture reveals mercy as an essential attribute of God’s
character:
“And the LORD passed before him and
proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and
abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty…’” (Exodus
34:6–7, NKJV)
Mercy does not negate justice; rather, it operates in
harmony with it through the atonement. God does not simply overlook sin; He
provides satisfaction through Christ. Therefore, mercy is freely exercised.
“Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing
of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5, NKJV)
John Gill often stressed that mercy flows from God’s
sovereign will. It is not compelled by human misery but freely bestowed
according to the Lord’s divine purpose.
“For He says to Moses, ‘I will have
mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I
will have compassion.’ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs,
but of God who shows mercy.” (Romans 9:15–16, NKJV)
Mercy is abundant, tender, and enduring. Consider:
“The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.” (Psalm 103:8, NKJV)
Mercy, by God’s design:
· In His redemptive plan, God’s mercy is utilized to rescue the sinner from wrath.
· By God’s continued care and providence, His mercy helps sustain the believer in our weaknesses.
· In eternity, mercy culminates in our everlasting life.
Mercy is God’s divine compassion without compromising His holiness.
It should humble us as sinners. It should help us cry to God and exalts His goodness.
Mercy is the compassionate exercise of God’s sovereign will in relieving the
misery of sinners through Christ. And brilliantly, this is perfectly consistent
with God’s justice and covenant faithfulness.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various
churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers
in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding
news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight
Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science
was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one
year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and
scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over
25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
[1] Wesley
distinguished three primary expressions of grace: prevenient grace (awakening
and convicting), justifying grace (pardoning and accepting the believer through
faith), and sanctifying grace (renewing the heart in holiness).
