Mercy & Grace
God is rich or full of mercy, as mention earlier. But God is also rich or full of grace as well (see verse 7). His mercy moved Him to make us alive with Christ. Then His grace took over and saved us. Mercy withholds what is due us. A court can show mercy by not throwing the full weight of the law on you. Grace on the other hand gives you what you don't deserve. God's grace gave us a righteousness we didn't deserve. We need both God's mercy and His grace. You can forgive a thief for stealing, but that will not keep him from stealing again. He needs a new nature to live through. God's grace gives us a new nature, the nature of Jesus Himself. God's gracious act saves us from the sin that caused our death.
