影片來源：http://www.ligonier.org/blog/god-doesnt-owe-us-mercy/
What happens is that we get accustomed to God’s grace. At first, we are amazed by it. The second time not quite so much surprised. By the third or the fourth time, we begin to expect it, then we assume it, and then we demand it. And we’re angry if we don’t get it. The greatest distortion in our thinking, dear friends, is thinking that God owes us mercy—that God is somehow obligated to be gracious to us. But think about that. The minute the idea comes in your head that God owes you mercy or owes you grace, let a bell go off in your brain that says ‘whoops, I’m confusing these concepts,’ because grace by its very definition is voluntary. God is not required to be merciful. He reserves the right to be merciful to whom He will be merciful and to be gracious to whom He is gracious. You can plead for grace. You can beg for mercy, but you can never, ever demand it. Justice may be required but never, ever mercy. And it’s because God is holy that anytime He withholds justice He is giving grace.
中文譯本：
今天所發生的情況，就是我們視神的恩典為理所當然的。最初，神的恩典令我們驚歎不已，第二次就沒有那麼驚訝了，到第三或第四次，我們開始就預期有神的恩典，然後我們就把神的恩典視作理所當然的，然後我們就對神的恩典有所要求了。若果我們得不到神的恩典，我們就會生氣。我們的思想裡頭最大的曲解，親愛的朋友，就是以為神欠我們憐憫，無論如何神有義務向我們施恩。但想一想，當這種神欠你憐憫或欠你恩典的想法在你頭腦浮現的那分鐘，讓這個警鐘在你腦袋裡頭響起，說：「哎呀！我把這些概念都混淆了。」因為根據恩典的完整定義，恩典是出於自願的。神不需要表現寬宏大量的，祂要恩待誰就恩待誰，要憐憫誰就憐憫誰。你可以向祂懇求恩典，你可以向祂丐求憐憫，然而你從來都絕對不可以要求得到恩典。公義是必要伸張的，而從來都絕對不是寬恕，因為神是聖潔的，所以祂容忍不彰顯公義的時候，就是祂正在賜下恩典的時候。
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尋道者：
看哪！今天多少人被膚淺的教導、錯誤的講道所龐壞了，講壇上高舉人文主義，神的地位被降格到好像「阿拉丁的燈神」或「黃大仙」，你要求祂給你甚麼恩典和利益，祂就要給你，否則祂就是不慈愛、不恩慈的神。荒謬！神是至高無上主權的神，是創造天地萬物的主，人算甚麼？竟然向神要求恩典和利益？我們應當跪下來，遠遠的站在神的施恩座前，連舉目望天也不敢，只捶著胸向神丐求憐憫說：「神啊，開恩可憐我這個罪人！ 」
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