Grace VS Forgiveness

Grace and forgiveness are often linked together in conversation and perhaps even in comprehension. Both show the abundance of love and generosity that our Heavenly Father has for us; however, they show two different functions of His love. "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:8

Forgiveness 

God forgives us because he is our Father. He wants to be there for us in our times of need. He wants to support and embrace us when we feel lonely or afraid. He desires to be with us in good times and bad. It is the will of our Father to never be separated from us.

Grace

God remits our sins so that we will be qualified to serve in His Kingdom. Only those who are without blemish are allowed to serve in the King's Court. The service that His blood provides wipes our record clean so that when a background check is run, it comes back empty.

 
Conclusion

While forgiveness and grace are both beautiful and powerful aspects of God’s love, they are distinct in nature. A simple way to think of it is to consider forgiveness as personal and grace as business.  When Adam and Eve committed the first sin, they were separated from God because of the principle of disobedience. God did not hold a grudge against Adam and Eve. They suffered the consequences for their own actions. The consequences were not punishments from God, they were predetermined results of that particular action.

 
God’s arms are always wrapped tightly around us. He doesn’t wait for us to ask for forgiveness. When we do ask for forgiveness, that is us returning His ever-present embrace.
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”  Hebrews 4:16

Written By Mike Verdin