“My last three articles have been mostly concerned about our lives as Christian citizens of the USA. In my article for today I want to switch the emphasis from our responsibilities as Christian citizens in this nation to our response as Christian citizens to the Mercy of God.
A Living Response to Mercy
In Romans 12:1, Paul urges believers, “in view of God’s mercy,” to present their bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. The Christian life does not begin with what we do for God, but with what God has already done for us. His mercy—shown most fully in the cross of Christ—changes the way we see ourselves and our lives. Because God has withheld the judgment we deserve and instead given us forgiveness and life, our whole selves now belong to Him. Worship is no longer confined to words or songs; it becomes the offering of our daily lives in grateful response.
That mercy is grounded entirely in grace. Ephesians 2:8–9 reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Salvation is God’s work from beginning to end. We did not earn it, contribute to it, or deserve it. Grace is the motivator, not guilt. The Christian does not serve God to gain His favor, but because His favor has already been freely given in Christ.
Yet grace does not leave us unchanged or idle. Immediately after proclaiming salvation by grace, Paul adds in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Good works are not the root of our salvation, but the fruit of it. God, in His mercy, not only saves us but also shapes our lives for loving service to others.
So the Christian response to God’s mercy is not fear-driven obligation, but joyful surrender. We live as living sacrifices because we belong to a merciful God who has saved us by grace and now invites us to walk in the good works He has lovingly prepared. Our lives become a daily “thank you” to the God who first loved us.
Interesting fact as we begin Lent February 18 is that there really are 46 days during Lent not 40. However, historically the Church recognizes that even during Lent as we prepare for Holy Week leading to Easter that every Sunday during Lent is a mini-Easter and not counted in the 40 days. Even as we lament and repent of our sins during Lent it is in view of God’s mercy.
What love could remember, no wrongs we have done
Omniscient all-knowing, He counts not their sum
Thrown into a sea, without bottom or shore
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
Praise the Lord, His mercy is more
Stronger than darkness, new every morn
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more
What patience would wait as we constantly roam
What Father so tender is calling us home
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more.
What riches of kindness He lavished on us
His blood was the payment, His life was the cost
We stood 'neath a debt we could never afford
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more.
Praise the Lord, His mercy is more
Stronger than darkness, new every morn
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more.
(Matt Papa. Matt Boswell)”
