What do the word grace mean

“The very center and core of the whole Bible is the doctrine of the grace of God.”  –J. Gresham Machen

“Grace” is one of the most important concepts in the Bible, Christianity, and the world. It is most clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ.

Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely, the peace of God given to the restless, the unmerited favor of God.

Definition of Grace

In Christian terms, grace can be defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s benevolence on the undeserving.” In His grace, God is willing to forgive us and bless us, even though we fall short of living righteously. 

«For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God» (Romans 3:23). 

«Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.» (Romans 5:1-2)

«But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.» (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Modern, secular definitions of grace relate to a person’s «elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action; or a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.»

Merriam-Webster’s list of definitions for grace includes:

1. «Unmerited divine assistance granted to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.»
2. «Approval, or Favor»
3. «A charming or attractive trait or characteristic»
4. «—used as a title of address or reference for a duke, a duchess, or an archbishop.»
5. «A short prayer at a meal asking a blessing or giving thanks.»
6. «A musical trill, turn, or appoggiatura»

What is Grace? — Christian Quotes

“Grace is free sovereign favor to the ill-deserving.”(B.B. Warfield)

“Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues.”(John Stott)

“[Grace] is God reaching downward to people who are in rebellion against Him.”(Jerry Bridges)

“Grace is unconditional love toward a person who does not deserve it.” (Paul Zahl)

«Grace is God’s best idea. His decision to ravage a people by love, to rescue passionately, and to restore justly — what rivals it? Of all his wondrous works, grace, in my estimation, is the magnum opus.» (Max Lucado)

«The five means of grace are prayer, searching the Scriptures, the Lord’s Supper, fasting, and Christian [fellowship].» (Elaine A. Heath)

Grace is most needed and best understood in the midst of sin, suffering, and brokenness. We live in a world of earning, deserving, and merit, which result in judgment. That is why everyone wants and needs grace. Judgment kills. Only grace makes us alive.

A shorthand for what grace is — “mercy, not merit.” Grace is the opposite of karma, which is about getting what you deserve. Grace is getting what you don’t deserve and not getting what you do deserve. Christianity teaches that what we deserve is death as the price of sin, which separates us from God, Who is life.

While everyone desperately needs it, grace is not about us. Grace is a word about God: his un-coerced initiative and pervasive, extravagant demonstrations of care and favor. Michael Horton writes, “In grace, God gives nothing less than Himself. Grace, then, is not a third thing or substance mediating between God and sinners, but is Jesus Christ in redeeming action.”

Christians live every day by the grace of God. We receive forgiveness according to the riches of God’s grace, and grace drives our sanctification. Paul tells us, “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives” (Titus 2:11). Spiritual growth doesn’t happen overnight; we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 2:18). Grace transforms our desires, motivations, and behavior.

In fact, God’s grace grounds and empowers everything in the Christian life.

The Biblical Meaning of Grace

Grace is the basis for:

• Our Christian identity: “By the grace of God I am what I am.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
• Our standing before God: “this grace in which we stand.” (Romans 5:2)
• Our behavior: “We behaved in the world … by the grace of God.” (2 Corinthians 2:12)
• Our living: those who receive “the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ,”(Romans 5:17) by the “grace of life.” (1 Peter 1:7)
• Our holiness: God“called us to a holy calling … because of his own purpose and grace.” (2 Timothy 2:9)
• Our strength for living: “Be strengthened by the grace that is in Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:1), for “it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace.” (Hebrews 13:9)
• Our way of speaking: “Let your speech always be gracious.” (Colossians 4:6)
• Our serving: “serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 1:10)
• Our sufficiency: “My grace is sufficient for you.” (2 Corinthians 2:9). “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 2:8)
• Our response to difficulty and suffering: We get “grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16) and when “you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace…will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” (1 Peter 1:10)
• Our participation in God’s mission: As recipients of grace, we are privileged to serve as agents of grace. Believers receive grace (Acts 11:23), are encouraged to continue in grace (Acts 13:43), and are called to testify to the grace of God (Acts 20:24). Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). God’s mission is to the entire world.
• Our future: God and His grace, is everlasting. “Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13)
• Our hope beyond death: “grace [reigns] through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:21)

Summary of God’s Grace

The gospel is all about God’s grace through Jesus Christ. That’s why Paul calls it “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24) and “the word of his grace” (Acts 14:3).

The gospel of the grace of God is the message everyone needs. The word of grace is proclaimed from every page of the Bible and ultimately revealed in Jesus Christ. The last verse of the Bible summarizes the message from Genesis to Revelation: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all” (Revelation 22:21). Through Jesus, “we have all received grace upon grace” (John 1:16)—the gratuitous and undomesticated grace of God.

Here are 15 Bible Verses Every Christian Should Know By Heart for you to download or share with loved ones!

Short Prayer for Grace

O Lord Jesus, grant us your grace and give us time for repentance.

We want to keep your commandments and do your bidding, choose the better part and no longer follow evil.

Give us your strength to do this, O loving Savior, for your name’s sake. Amen.

Source: Dan Jeremy, 12th Century

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Justin Holcomb is an Episcopal priest and teaches theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary. Justin wrote On the Grace of God and co-authored with his wife Lindsey Rid of My Disgrace and Save Me from Violence. He is also the editor of Christian Theologies of Scripture. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, and at JustinHolcomb.com.

Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Peter Miranda

The word grace has many meanings. This article will cover all the meanings of grace, its etymology, example sentences, translations, synonyms, and antonyms. Keep reading to learn more about grace!

What Does the Word Grace Mean?

According to Dictionary, grace is a noun that has many different definitions. Most often, grace refers to the beauty of movement, a sense of propriety, or an attractive quality. In Greek mythology, grace is thought of as three sister goddesses named Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalia. 

Grace can also refer to temporary immunity from a penalty after something like a bill is due or something has expired and needs renewal, usually known as a grace period for a debtor. 

Finally, the title grace can be used for a duke, duchess, archbishop, or other members of nobility. The word grace can also be a verb that means to adorn or honor.

In Christian theology, the grace of God is the state of sanctification and unmerited love that God provides. This gift of God allows for the salvation of sinners in the Christian gospel, and the favor of God leads to salvation for the masses. Grace is sometimes said as a short prayer.

For Christians, God’s grace is thought to be divine assistance from the heavens, and Christ Jesus allows for the absolution of sin.

What Is the Origin of Grace?

Learning the etymology of different words like grace can be useful in understanding their meaning. The word grace has been used since the 1100s in Middle English and comes from Old French. This word comes from the Latin grātia, gratus, and grātus.

How Can We Use Grace in a Sentence?

Since the word grace has numerous definitions, this means that it can be used in many ways in sentences. When you study these example sentences containing the word grace, see if you can determine which meaning is being used in each: 

We said grace at the Thanksgiving dinner table to honor God’s divine influence.

We read about the concept of God’s grace in the books of Genesis, Ephesians, and Romans.

The girl in the cotillion walked with grace and impressed all of the banquet’s attendees.

We were grateful that we were still in our grace period when it came time to cancel our subscription to the expensive service. 

We honored the duchess by referring to her as “Your Grace.” 

What Are Translations of Grace?

The concept of grace is not exclusive to English-speakers — it is present all around the world! If you are going to speak with someone who does not know English and want to talk about the concept of grace, study this list of translations from Nice Translator. That way, you will be prepared to speak about grace in any language.

You might notice that several of these translations of grace look similar to the word grace. This often happens when a word in one language has the same root or language of origin as a word in another language. These wods are called cognates. How many can you spot?

• Polish: wdzięk
• Chinese (Taiwan): 優雅
• Spanish: gracia
• Basque: liraintasun
• Serbian: грациозност
• Arabic: نعمة او وقت سماح
• Italian: adornare
• Japanese: 恵み
• Danish: nåde
• Welsh: gras
• Catalan: gràcia
• Hebrew: חן
• Tamil: கருணை
• Turkish: lütuf
• Portuguese (Portugal): graça
• Icelandic: náður
• Hindi: सुंदर
• Kannada: ಗ್ರೇಸ್
• French: la grâce
• Malayalam: ചാരുത
• Russian: милость
• Thai: เกรซ
• Bengali: অনুগ্রহ
• Swedish: nåd
• Estonian: arm
• Norwegian: nåde
• Bulgarian: гратис
• Marathi: कृपा
• Ukrainian: грація
• Hungarian: kegyelem
• Czech: milost
• Latvian: žēlastība
• Korean: 우아함
• Amharic: ጸጋ
• Vietnamese: duyên dáng
• Urdu: فضل
• Greek: χάρη
• Dutch: elegantie
• Slovak: rozmnožiť
• German: Anmut
• Portuguese (Brazil): graça
• Indonesian: berkah
• Croatian: milost
• Telugu: దయ
• Romanian: graţie
• Gujarati: ગ્રેસ
• Finnish: armo
• Chinese (PRC): 优雅

What Are Synonyms of the Word Grace?

There are several words that can be used in place of the word grace. Since grace has numerous definitions, it can be useful to know synonyms for each in case someone is confused about your intended meaning. 

Study this list of synonyms of grace from Power Thesaurus to learn more!

• adorn
• amnesty
• attractiveness
• allowance of time
• beatitude
• beautify
• beauty
• bedeck
• benediction
• beneficence
• benevolence
• benignity
• bless
• blessing
• blessings
• charity
• charm
• clemency
• comeliness
• compassion
• courtesy
• cultivation
• culture
• decency
• deck
• decorate
• decorum
• dignify
• discrimination
• distinguish
• elegance
• embellish
• endowment
• kindliness
• kindness
• leniency
• lenity
• loveliness
• manners
• mercy
• ornament
• pardon
• philanthropy
• piety
• pity
• poise
• polish
• politeness
• prayer
• prettify
• refinement
• reprieve
• righteousness
• sanctity
• seemliness
• sophistication
• style
• suaveness
• suppleness
• tact
• taste
• tastefulness
• thanks
• thanksgiving
• trim
• urbanity

What Are Antonyms of the Word Grace?

Several words also mean the opposite of the word grace, known as antonyms. Power Thesaurus lists numerous antonyms of the word grace.

• abhorrent behavior
• abominable behavior
• abuse
• abusive behavior
• abusiveness
• aggravation
• aggressive behavior
• aggro
• agitation
• annoyance
• antagonism
• anxiety
• arseholery
• atrocious behavior
• attaint
• avarice
• avenged sevenfold
• awkwardness
• bad side
• banefulness
• beg
• betrayal
• blight
• blot
• boorishness
• brass neck
• clumsiness
• clunkiness
• coarseness
• commonness
• complain
• complication
• conflict
• consternation
• controversiality
• controversialness
• controversy
• critical nature
• crudeness
• cruelty
• deface
• demean
• disfavor
• disgrace
• distress
• embarrassment
• evil
• gracelessness
• harshness
• revenge
• ruin
• tastelessness
• trouble
• unseemliness
• vulgarity

Conclusion

Grace is a word with several meanings. It can be used as a noun or verb in various contexts, from general usage to Christian theology. Try using the word grace in a sentence today!

Sources:

1. Synonyms of Grace | Power Thesaurus 
2. Grace antonyms – 420 Opposites of Grace | Power Thesaurus 
3. Grace Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com 
4. Grace | Nice Translator

What does the word grace mean in the Bible? Is it simply the fact that God likes us?

Many people in the church talk about grace and even sing songs about it. They know he came through Jesus Christ (John 1:14, 17), but few know his true definition! Is it the freedom, according to the Bible, to do what we want?

When Paul wrote the words “… to you you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14) he used the Greek word charis (Strong’s Concordance # G5485). God saves us from this charis. As this is the way of a Christian’s salvation, it is critically important and something the devil is doing his best to confuse the true meaning of grace!

The scriptures say that Jesus grew up in charis (Luke 2:52), which is translated as «favor» in the KJV. Many marginal notes show «grace» as an alternative translation.

If grace means undeserved forgiveness in Luke 2, as opposed to favor or grace, how could Jesus, who never sinned, grow into undeserved forgiveness? The translation here of «favor» is obviously the correct one. It is easy to understand how Christ grew in favor of his Father and of man.

In Luke 4:22 the people were amazed by the words of grace (favorable to men) that came out of his mouth. Here the Greek word is also charis.

In Acts 2:46 — 47 we find the disciples «having charisma with all the people». In Acts 7:10 we find it delivered to Joseph in the eyes of Pharaoh. The KJV has translated charis as “favor” here, as opposed to grace, as in other places (Acts 25: 3, Luke 1:30, Acts 7:46). It is not clear why some do not like this translation. It implies that it doesn’t matter what you do once you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. However, many believers know it matters what Christians do! We are told that we must keep the commandments (Acts 5:32).

Man receives favor for two different reasons. First, Jesus died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5: 8). Almost all of Christendom would agree that this is God’s grace in action (see John 3:16).

The cancellation of the death penalty on us is the first part of the salvation process. A Christian is justified (past sins paid for) by the death of Christ. Christians can do nothing for their sins but accept this sacrifice. The question is why does man receive this amazing favor in the first place.

Our Heavenly Father has not favored the angels who have sinned with salvation and does not offer them the opportunity to become children (Hebrews 1: 5, 2: 6 — 10). God favored man because we are in his image. The offspring of every being appear to be the father in nature (Acts 17:26, 28-29, 1Jn 3: 1). Those who do not believe that man is in the image of his Creator cannot even understand why we receive charity or the grace of justification.

The other reason we receive favor is that it resolves the argument between grace and works. How do you grow in favor of any boss? It keeps its directives or commands!

Once we believe in Jesus’ sacrifice to pay for our sins (break the law), repent (keep the commandments), and be baptized, we receive the Holy Spirit. We are now the children of the Lord by the presence of his spirit. We have His seed in us (see 1Jn 3: 1 — 2, 9). Now we have grown in favor (grace) in His eyes!

True Christians are under the great favor or grace of God and must be perfect. He watches over us as any good father watches over his children and favors them (1 Peter 3:12, 5:10 — 12; Matthew 5:48; 1Jn 3:10). He even favors them with punishment when needed (Hebrews 12: 6, Revelation 3:19). Therefore we keep his commandments in the Bible and remain in his favor.

Grace [T] [E]

The word «grace» in biblical parlance can, like forgiveness, repentance, regeneration, and salvation, mean something as broad as describing the whole of God’s activity toward man or as narrow as describing one segment of that activity. An accurate, common definition describes grace as the unmerited favor of God toward man. In the Old Testament, the term that most often is translated «grace, » is hen [ej]; in the New Testament, it is charis [cavri»].

The Old Testament. The word hen [ej] occurs around sixty times in the Old Testament. There are examples of man’s favor to man, but the theological concept of importance to us is the grace of God demonstrated toward man. The term occurs most often in the phrase favor «in your (i.e., God’s) sight» or «in the eyes of the Lord.» This assumes the notion of God as a watchful master or king, with the one who is finding favor, a servant, an employee, or perhaps a soldier.

The concept first occurs in Genesis 6:8. Noah finds «favor in the eyes of the Lord.» The context is that the Lord was grieved at «how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become» ( Gen 6:5 ). This statement about the Lord’s antipathy toward man is followed by his promise that he will wipe humankind from the face of the earth, that is, completely destroy him, because of his anger at their condition. Noah is then described as having found favor in the eyes of the Lord. The themes of judgment and salvation, in which the vast majority of humankind are condemned to destruction, while God finds favor on a few (Noah and his family), reoccurs often in connection with the idea of grace. Hence, concepts of election, salvation, mercy, and forgiveness are all linked in this first illustration of grace in the Old Testament. Interestingly, the rest of the references to favor in Genesis all describe favor in the eyes of man (e.g., Jacob begging Esau’s favor, 32:5 ; Genesis 33:8 Genesis 33:10 Genesis 33:15 ).

Crucial among the Old Testament passages on the unmerited favor of God is the conversation between Moses and God recorded in Exodus 33. There, in the space of six verses, Moses is said to have found favor with God five times, hen [ej] being translated either «find favor» or «be pleased with.» At the beginning of the chapter, Moses goes into the tent of meeting, while the pillar of cloud stands at the entrance to the tent, and the people of Israel stay outside, worshiping (v. 10). The Lord speaks to Moses «face to face, s a man speaks with his friend.» In the passage, the conversation between Moses and the Lord has to do specifically with the favor that God shows to Moses, and Moses requests that God demonstrate that favor toward him. Moses begins by reminding God that he has called Moses to lead these people, but that God has not let him know whom he will send with Moses. The statement echoes the original conversation between Moses and God at the burning bush in chapter 3, where God promises to send Aaron with Moses to help him get the people out of Egypt. Here, the Lord promises only that his «Presence» will go with Moses, and that he will give him rest (v. 14). Moses has just stated that he knows God’s name (another echo of chap. 3), and that he has found favor with God; he requests that God teach him his ways, so that he may «know you and continue to find favor with you» (v. 13). Moses demonstrates his humble dependence upon the grace of God by affirming that if God’s Presence does not go up with them, he does not want to be sent, because he knows they will fail (v. 15). But he asks the reasonable question, «How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us?» (v. 16). God promises to go with him in the next verse because «I am pleased with you and I know you by name» (v. 17).

Moses then makes one of the most remarkable requests of God ever made in Scripture, asking God to «show me your glory.» Just as remarkable is that God answers his request positively. He promised to «cause all my goodness to pass in front of you» and that he will proclaim his name «Yahweh» in Moses’ presence. He then makes a statement that is connected with grace throughout Scripture, one that Paul will quote in the context of election in Romans 9: «I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.» This is a remarkable example of the unconditional and full character of the grace of God. God holds very little back, only telling Moses that he «cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.» Even this is an act of unconditional and full grace in that God has withheld from Moses what would destroy him. The passage closes with the strange instruction that God will cause his «glory» to pass by, Moses being hid in a cleft in a rock and covered with the hand of God until the glory has passed by. Then God will remove his hand and allow Moses to see the back of his glory, but not his face. Again, this protective, gracious act of God emphasizes the extent to which God is willing to go with his faithful servant to show his favor toward him.

Moses again speaks of finding favor with the Lord in Numbers 11:4-17. When the people of Israel complain at having only manna and not any meat, Moses cries out to the Lord in an apparently sincere state of vexation at the burden of judging this entire people by himself: «I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now — if I have found favor in your eyes and do not let me face my own ruin» (vv. 14-15). Without questioning his integrity or his strength of character, God immediately gives Moses a solution to his problem by appointing seventy of the elders of Israel to help him carry the burden of the people, «so that you will not have to carry it alone» (v. 17).

At the same time, God even answers the question that Moses has not asked: What about meat for the complaining people? God instructs Moses that he will give them meat for the month, though he will give them more meat than they want, as the story makes clear. The fact that the Lord brings judgment upon the people, however, does not vitiate the point of God’s favor toward Moses in this passage. He still Acts as a sovereign who gives complete, unmerited favor to his servant.

God’s favor sometimes extends to the fact that he will wait upon man as if he were his servant. Gideon, when called by God to lead Israel against Midian, asks God to wait while he goes to get his offering to set before him ( Judges 6:17 ). As with Moses, the statement is in the context of the promise of the Lord to be «with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together» ( Judges 6:16 ). When Gideon actually brings the offering that he has prepared, God shows his grace beyond what Gideon has asked by giving him instructions on where to place it and how to arrange it, then creating a supernatural fire that consumes the meat and the bread. After he disappears, Gideon realizes that he has seen the «angel of the Lord» and, interestingly, makes reference to the fact that he has seen him «face to face, » recalling the passage in Exodus. God shows his grace one more time by assuring Gideon that although he is afraid since he has seen the angel of the Lord face to face, he is not going to die ( Judges 6:23 ).

Samuel, too, finds favor in the eyes of the Lord ( 1 Sam 2:26 ). Here, the boy Samuel is described as growing in stature and in favor, not only with the Lord, but also with men. This verse is quoted, of course, in the New Testament, using the heavily theologically weighted term charis [cavri»] in relation to Jesus ( Luke 2:52 ). It is significant because it is a description of the growth of a child in the favor of God. The child cannot earn that favor since he is merely a child. Thus, God’s grace toward those whom he loves grows in its extensiveness, as the child grows. This is perhaps no less important because of Samuel’s unique relationship to salvation history. He is the last of the judges and is the transitional figure between the period of the judges and the period of the kings in Israel’s history, as John the Baptist is in the New Testament between the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament evangelists.

Remarkably, the life of David is devoid of references to finding favor in the eyes of the Lord, though often he finds favor in the eyes of men, or requests such favor ( 1 Sam 16:22 ; 1 Samuel 20:3 1 Samuel 20:29 , etc. ). One reference, however, is striking, especially in light of the dearth of references elsewhere. As David flees the city of Jerusalem after hearing that Absalom has been crowned king in Hebron, he takes the ark with him. A particularly faithful servant named Ittai, the Gittite, has declared his faithfulness to David, even though David has given him leave to go back and spare himself potential death by association with David. The procession continues into the desert, where it stops so that they can offer sacrifices with the ark in their midst. Then the king tells Zadok the priest to take the ark back into the city because he knows it belongs in the temple of the Lord. In a remarkable display of trust in God and in his sovereignty, David says that if he finds favor in the Lord’s eyes, then God will bring him back. But if he does not, then David is ready; as he puts it, «Let him do to me whatever seems good to him» ( 2 Sam 15:26 ). David recognizes that the unmerited favor of God has to do with God’s choice, not his. Grace in the Old Testament is just as much an act of the sovereign will of God as is grace in the New Testament.

The last prominent example of grace in the Old Testament is found in the Book of Esther. Of course, the book does not speak of God’s favor at all, but Esther’s humility in seeking the favor of the king has always been understood as a pointer toward human responsibility to humbly accept the grace of God. Esther finds favor in the eyes of the king and is rewarded with the freedom of her people ( 5:1-8 ; 7:3 ; 8:5-8 ).

Only a few references close out the notion of grace in the Old Testament, but they are significant. Ezra in his notable prayer to God when he finds that the people have intermarried with foreigners against God’s will (Ezra 9), states that God has been gracious to the people of Israel «for a brief moment, » in doing two things. The first is that he has left the people of Israel a remnant. The remnant is a sign that God’s gracious favor bestowed upon Israel in the covenant continues on even in times of great disobedience and/or destruction among the Israelites, though this is the only reference to the remnant in the context in which hen [ej] is used in the Old Testament.

God has also given them «a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage» ( Ezr 9:8 ). Here is a reference to the grace that is shown the people in the giving of the temple and the light that it brings to Israel. But in the context of the Book of Ezra, this may also be a reference to the grace shown by God in giving Israel the Law, since the reading of the Law and the confession of the sin of the people on the basis of that reading is so important to this book.

Another crucial reference is found in Jeremiah 31. The famous passage about the new covenant (vv. 31-34) is enough of a statement about the grace of God on its own, but it is linked to the hen [ej] of God by the occurrence of that word in 31:2. Introducing the same passage with the phrase «at that time, » an echo of the beginning of the covenant passage in 31:31, God says that «the people who survive the sword will find grace in the desert; I will come to give rest to Israel.» Here is a promise of the grace of God given to the people when they are given the new covenant. The new covenant, of course, is a promise that God will be their God, and they will be his people, with the Law written upon their hearts and present in their minds, and the gracious promise that all God’s people will know him. From the least of them to the greatest, they will be forgiven their wickedness, and God will remember their sins no more.

The New Testament. Grace in the New Testament is largely encompassed by the use of the word charis [cavri»]. While the idea of unmerited favor is found in some other places, the concept may be fairly restricted within the bounds of this article to the use of that term. It is worth noting that, though Jesus is never quoted as using the word charis [cavri»], his teaching is full of the unmerited favor of God. Perhaps the parable of the prodigal son is the most obvious example. In that parable grace is extended to one who has no basis upon which to be shown that grace, other than the fact that he has asked in humility and repentance to be shown it. Other parables demonstrate grace in the teaching of Jesus, perhaps most notably the parable of the laborers in he vineyard ( Matt 20:1-16 ) and the parable of the great supper ( Luke 14:16-24 ).

While the idea of grace can be said to be largely a Pauline one, there are references to it in John and Luke as well. John describes Jesus as «full of grace and truth» and speaks of his people receiving grace upon grace from the fullness of his grace ( John 1:16 ). In one of the most important theological statements about grace in Scripture, John says that the Law, a good thing, was given through Moses; the better things of grace and truth came through Jesus Christ ( John 1:17 ).

When we turn to the writings of Luke, we find that Jesus is described as having the grace of God upon him ( Luke 2:40 ) and as growing in grace with God and man ( Luke 2:52 ). Many more references to grace are found in the Book of Acts. Luke makes a strong association between grace and power, especially in the early chapters ( 4:33 ; 6:8 ; 11:23 ). Grace is found without qualifier ( 18:27 ) and in the phrases «message of his grace» ( 14:3 ), «grace of God» ( 14:26 ), «grace of our Lord Jesus» ( 15:11 ), «grace of the Lord» ( 15:40 ). The distinction between these phrases does not seem acute, and therefore the basic synonymity between them points to an intention on Luke’s part to make a statement about the deity of Christ. Again, these phrases often seemed to be linked with the power of God to create spiritual life and to sustain Christians. This grace is, as in the Old Testament passages, an unmerited favor, but now a new aspect of power in the Spirit has been added to it.

The concept of grace is most prominently found in the New Testament in the epistles of Paul. The standard greeting in the Greek ancient world generally involved the verb charein. Paul’s greeting, however, was unique, combining the Hebrew greeting, shalom [/l’v] (eirene in Greek) with the word charis [cavri»]. This in itself is enough to note that Paul is thinking and not simply reacting as he writes his greeting.

The fact that he sometimes uses grace in his benedictions as well, which clearly are intentional, indicates that his greetings are to be taken with some seriousness. For instance, the benediction in 1 Corinthians 16:23, coming just after his dramatic plea to the Lord to come, demonstrates a strong belief in the grace of God. In the salutation of the letter ( 1:3 ), one gets a greeting that follows on from a strongly worded theological statement about sanctification and calling ( 1:2 ) and that leads into a statement about grace in 1:4 demonstrating the theological import Paul intends. A similar seriousness could be argued about the other salutations in Paul’s letters.

Overwhelmingly in the letters of Paul God is the subject of grace. He gives it freely and without merit. Hence the many different phrases connected with grace: the grace of God ( Rom 5:15 ), the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ ( 2 Cor 13:14 ), and the like. Sometimes this is explicitly stated, as in Ephesians 4:7: «to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.»

Interestingly, Paul sometimes mentions the gift of grace from God using alongside it language that speaks of human responsibility. So in Romans 15:16, Paul speaks of «the grace God gave me to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God.» Grace, then, is the power with which the human being then performs his or her gifted task. This is even more clearly seen in Paul’s self-defense in Galatians. In one of the most truly dialectic passages in Scripture, Paul proclaims that he has died, yet lives, yet not he but Christ lives, yet he lives in the body by faith. He then argues that in living «by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me, » that he is not «setting aside the grace of God» ( 2:20-21 ). Only an argument that Paul was too dependent upon works in his life would create the argument that he was not setting aside the grace of God in his understanding of the sanctified Christian life.

Grace can be such a forceful thought for Paul that he sometimes anthropomorphizes it. Hence, in 1 Corinthians 15:10, in the midst of an emotional defense of his apostleship despite the fact that he had persecuted the church of God, Paul says that he is what he is by the grace of God. He then goes on to compare himself to others who had worked among the community, the other apostles, and declares that he worked harder than all of them. In order that this statement might not seem boastful, Paul follows it up by saying «yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.» Though this grace is said to be God’s grace, it nevertheless is said to be «with him, » and working harder than the other apostles, and is tantamount to equating the grace of God with the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians 1:6 Paul speaks of the «glorious grace» of God, which should garner our praise. Of course, once again, Paul is not expecting us to praise an abstract comment, but he is thinking of the grace of God working so mightily in his life that it becomes a metonymy for God. The highly rhetorical character of the passage in which this verse is found ( 1:3-14 ) helps explain the power of this statement. The point is that Paul was so saturated with the notion of grace in his writing that he thought of it as an essential, if not the essential attribute of God.

Grace is most often associated in Paul with other terms having to do with salvation. We see it related to election ( Eph 1:3-6 ), to the gospel ( 2 Col 4:15 ; Col 1:5-6 ), explicitly to justification (Romans passim, esp. 3:23-26 ; Eph 2:8-9 ), and most often to sanctification ( Romans 5:2 Romans 5:21 ; Romans 6:1 Romans 6:14 Romans 6:15 ; 2 Col 12:9 ; Eph 2:10 ; Titus 2:11-14 ). It is even used with the human subject in speaking of the collection for Jerusalem as a work of grace.

In connecting grace to election Paul sees God as electing us before the creation of the world for the purpose of holiness and blamelessness ( Eph 1:4 ). He predestined us to be adopted as sons into the family of God ( Eph 1:5 ). All of this elective work is so that we might «praise his glorious grace.» In other words, election and grace go hand in hand because of their free character. We can do nothing to deserve them.

This is the essential connection also with the gospel. In one of Paul’s passages about the suffering that a minister of Christ undergoes, he speaks of faith and continuing in ministry «because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence» ( 2 Cor 4:14 ). Paul sees this as the benefit of not only the Corinthians but also all who receive his ministry, so that «the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart» (vv. 15-16). Grace thus renews Paul’s inward spirit and assures him of glory in the afterlife (vv. 16-17). Hence, Paul’s ministry is not one that he always does joyfully or motivated by his own power, but rather motivated by faith that God is working in the present and will reward him in the eschaton.

In the same way, he links the grace of God with the gospel in Colossians 1:5-6. The word of truth, the gospel, is bearing fruit and growing at the present time «just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth» (v. 6). The parallel descriptions of «gospel» and «grace» as «truth» link the two as synonyms in the passage. This grace is therefore the «hope that is stored up for [them] in heaven» (v. 5), presumably something God is doing in heaven for them, and hence free from merit.

Perhaps the most dominant metaphor with which grace is associated is the legal metaphor of justification. We see the two linked in two very important passages in which grace is used in Paul. Romans 3:23-24 states quite clearly that all have fallen short of the glory of God and are «justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.» Here, while the language of the slave market may be implied in the use of the word «redemption, » and that of the cultus in the use of the phrase «sacrifice of atonement» in the next verse, the strongest linking with grace in this passage is with the word «justified» in verse 24. Hence the unmerited favor of God buys us legal freedom from our sin and cancels the sentence of guilt the judge has had to declare in order «to be just and the one who justified those who have faith in Jesus» (v. 26). It is interesting to note that the next thought of Paul is: «where, then, is boasting? It is excluded» (v. 27), again emphasizing that grace is free and not the work of man.

In Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul states the free character of grace perhaps even more explicitly, now not using the language of justification but simply of salvation. We are told that we have been saved «by grace» but «through faith.» Grace is seen here as the means by which we are saved, a free gift; faith is seen as the mechanism by which that salvation or grace is appropriated. Paul must then go on to argue that even faith is «not by works so that no one can boast» (v. 9).

This does not mean that Paul keeps grace separate from works in sanctification, for he goes right on to speak of us being God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works (v. 10). Similarly, grace is seen as being in the midst of our present Christian life. In Romans 5:2 Paul speaks of gaining «access by faith into this grace in which we now stand» and in 5:21 of grace reigning «through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.» While all of this is in the context of the grace of God as a gift versus the Law of God as a work, nevertheless grace is viewed as reigning even as we live the life we are supposed to live in Christ. Hence the argument of Romans 6 that we are not to go on sinning so that grace may increase, but we are to «count [ourselves] dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus for sin shall not be [our] master, because [we] are not under law, but under grace» (vv. 11-14). The key metaphor used in this chapter to describe this «work» of sanctification is «offer.» Hence we are not to «offer the parts of [our] body to sin as instruments of wickedness, » but rather offer ourselves to God, «as those who have been brought from death to life» (v. 13). This is done as slaves, offering ourselves in obedience to him (v. 16).

Even the suffering of the present Christian life is linked to the grace that God gives us. In Paul’s famous statement about the thorn in his flesh ( 2 Cor 12:7-10 ), he speaks of asking three times that this thorn be taken from him, only to receive the answer «my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.» Here grace is equated with the power to live the Christian life and to do ministry in the name of Christ. So Paul delights even in the hardships of that ministry. In a similar way, the whole of the Christian life is linked to grace in tit 2:11-14. This grace «teaches us to say No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope.» Here we see both the ethic of the Christian life (saying no and living uprightly) and the thought of the Christian life (the blessed hope) combined under the reign of grace.

Finally, grace is associated strongly with the gifts of the Spirit. This is true of the list of gifts in Ephesians 4:3-11 corporately to the church and the gifts given to individuals within the church for its edification ( Rom 12:4-8 ; 1 Cor 12 ). In all of the work of grace about which Paul speaks, the Spirit has been implicit if not directly explicit. Hence, even though grace is not specifically mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12, we find that the Spirit gives to each one a gift «as he determines» (v. 11). The simple mention of these attributes as «gifts» throughout the chapter implies that they are a work of grace as well, but the connection with grace is explicit in the parallel passage of Romans 12:3-8. Here Paul states we have different gifts «according to the grace given us» (v. 6), and he has opened the passage by proclaiming that the source of his statement about thinking of others more than you think of yourself by saying that it comes through grace (v. 3). The somewhat different list in Ephesians 4 is similarly controlled by the notion of grace. Paul states in verse 7 «to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.» As he then describes this grace that has been given, it comes in the form of apostles, evangelists, and pastors/teachers in order «to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up» (v. 11).

The notion of grace as connected to the Spirit of God is continued by the author of Hebrews in such a way that even mentions «the Spirit of grace» ( 10:29 ). Hebrews also emphasizes the connection of grace to salvation ( 2:9 ), sanctification ( 4:16 ; 12:15 ; 13:9 ), and the final blessing of God ( 13:25 ).

The other literature in the New Testament also emphasizes the free character of grace. The one reference in James links it to God’s gift ( 4:6 ). Peter, who also includes it in his greeting, quotes the same Old Testament verse as James ( 1 Peter 5:5 ) and speaks of us as stewards of the grace of God ( 4:10 ). Peter also closes his second epistle with a benediction in joining us to «grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.» The Book of Revelation also begins with a salutation and closes with a benediction that includes grace ( 1:4 ; 22:21 ), the only two references to grace in the entire book.

Andrew H. Trotter, Jr.

See also Favor; Paul the Apsotle

Bibliography. H. Conzelman, TDNT, 9:359-415; H.-H. Esser, NIDNTT, 2:115-24; A. B. Luter, Jr., DPL, pp. 372-74; J. Moffatt, Grace in the New Testament; C. R. Smith, The Bible Doctrine of Grace; J. H. Stringer, NBD, pp. 442-44.

Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Edited by Walter A. Elwell
Copyright © 1996 by Walter A. Elwell. Published by Baker Books, a division of
Baker Book House Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan USA.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

For usage information, please read the Baker Book House Copyright Statement.

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[T] indicates this entry was also found in Torrey’s Topical Textbook
[E] indicates this entry was also found in Easton’s Bible Dictionary

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Bibliography InformationElwell, Walter A. «Entry for ‘Grace'». «Evangelical Dictionary of Theology». . 1997.

In Western Christian theology, grace is created by God who gives it as help to one because God desires one to have it, not necessarily because of anything one has done to earn it.^[1] It is understood by Western Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to people – «generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved»^[2] – that takes the form of divine favor, love, clemency, and a share in the divine life of God.^[3] In the Eastern Orthodox Church, grace is the uncreated Energies of God. Among Eastern Christians generally, grace is considered to be the partaking of the Divine Nature described in 2 Peter 1:4^[4] and grace is the working of God himself, not a created substance of any kind that can be treated like a commodity.^[5][6]

As an attribute of God it manifests most in the salvation of sinners and Western Christianity holds that the initiative in the relationship of grace between God and an individual is always on the side of God.

The question of the means of grace has been called «the watershed that divides Catholicism from Protestantism, Calvinism from Arminianism, modern theological liberalism from theological conservatism.»^[7] The Catholic Church holds that it is because of the action of Christ and the Holy Spirit in transforming into the divine life what is subjected to God’s power that «the sacraments confer the grace they signify»: «the power of Christ and his Spirit acts in and through [each sacrament], independently of the personal holiness of the minister. Nevertheless, the fruits of the sacraments also depend on the disposition of the one who receives them.»^[8][9] The Sacred Mysteries (sacraments) are seen as a means of partaking of divine grace because God works through his Church. Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Protestants agree that faith is a gift from God, as in Ephesians 2:8: «For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.» Lutherans hold that the means of grace are «the gospel in Word and sacraments.»^[10][11] That the sacraments are means of grace is also the teaching of John Wesley,^[12] who described the Eucharist as «the grand channel whereby the grace of his Spirit was conveyed to the souls of all the children of God».^[13] Calvinists emphasize «the utter helplessness of people apart from grace.» But God reaches out with «first grace» or «prevenient grace». The Calvinist doctrine known as irresistible grace states that, since all persons are by nature spiritually dead, no one desires to accept this grace until God spiritually enlivens them by means of regeneration. God regenerates only individuals whom he has predestined to salvation. Arminians understand the grace of God as cooperating with one’s free will in order to bring an individual to salvation. According to Evangelical theologian Charles C. Ryrie, modern liberal theology «gives an exaggerated place to the abilities of people to decide their own fate and to effect their own salvation entirely apart from God’s grace.»^[7]

Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible[edit]

Grace is the English translation of the Greek χάρις (charis) meaning «that which brings delight, joy, happiness, or good fortune.»^[14]

Old Testament[edit]

The Septuagint translates as χάρις the Hebrew word חֵ֖ן (ẖen) as found in Genesis 6:8^[15] to describe why God saved Noah from the flood.^[14] The Old Testament use of the word includes the concept that those showing favor do gracious deeds, or acts of grace, such as being kind to the poor and showing generosity.^[14] Descriptions of God’s graciousness abound in the Torah/Pentateuch, for example in Deuteronomy 7:8^[16] and Numbers 6:24–27.^[17] In the Psalms, examples of God’s grace include teaching the Law (Psalm 119:29)^[18] and answering prayers (Psalm 27:7).^[19][14] Another example of God’s grace appears in Psalm 85, a prayer for restoration, forgiveness, and the grace and mercy of God to bring about new life following the Exile.

Roman Catholicism[edit]

In the definition of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, «grace is favour, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life».^[20] Grace is a participation in the life of God, which is poured unearned into human beings, whom it heals of sin and sanctifies.^[20]

The means by which God grants grace are many.^[21] They include the entirety of revealed truth, the sacraments and the hierarchical ministry.^[21][22] Among the principal means of grace are the sacraments (especially the Eucharist), prayers and good works.^[23][24] The sacramentals also are means of grace.^[25] The sacraments themselves, not the persons who administer or those who receive them, are «the means of grace»,^[26] although lack of the required dispositions on the part of the recipient will block the effectiveness of the sacrament.^[27]

The Catholic Church holds that «by grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.»^[28][29] Both the Council of Orange (529) and the Council of Trent affirmed that we are «justified gratuitously, because none of the things that precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification».^[30]

The Council of Trent declared that the free will of man, moved and excited by God, can by its consent co-operate with God, who excites and invites its action; and that it can thereby dispose and prepare itself to obtain the grace of justification. The will can resist grace if it chooses. It is not like a lifeless thing, which remains purely passive. Weakened and diminished by Adam’s fall, free will is yet not destroyed in the race (Sess. VI, cap. i and v).^[31]

The joint declaration between Catholics and Lutherans on the doctrine of justification affirms:

We confess together that all persons depend completely on the saving grace of God for their salvation. Justification takes place solely by God’s grace. When Catholics say that persons «cooperate» in preparing for and accepting justification by consenting to God’s justifying action, they see such personal consent as itself an effect of grace, not as an action arising from innate human abilities.^[32]

Sanctifying and actual grace[edit]

According to a commonly accepted categorization, made by St. Thomas Aquinas in his Summa Theologiae, grace can be given either to make the person receiving it pleasing to God (gratia gratum faciens) – so that the person is sanctified and justified – or else to help the receiver lead someone else to God (gratia gratis data).^[33][a] The former type of grace, gratia gratum faciens, in turn, can be described as sanctifying (or habitual) grace – when it refers to the divine life which, according to the Church, infuses a person’s soul once they are justified; or else as actual grace – when it refers to those punctual (not habitual) helps that are directed to the production of sanctifying grace where it does not already exist, or its maintenance and increase it where it is already present. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Sanctifying grace is an habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love. Habitual grace, the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God’s call, is distinguished from actual graces which refer to God’s interventions, whether at the beginning of conversion or in the course of the work of sanctification.^[34]

The infusion of sanctifying grace, says the Church, transforms a sinner into a holy child of God, and in this way a person participates in the Divine Sonship of Jesus Christ and receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.^[35] Sanctifying grace remains permanently in the soul as long as one does not reject one’s adopted sonship by committing a mortal sin, which severs one’s friendship with God. Less serious sins, venial sin, although they «allow charity to subsist, they offend and wound it.»^[36] However, God is infinitely merciful, and sanctifying grace can always be restored to the penitent heart, normatively in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (or Sacrament of Penance).^[37]

Augustine versus Pelagius[edit]

In the early 5th century, Pelagius, an ascetic who is said to have come from Britain,^[38] was concerned about the moral laxity of society that he witnessed in Rome. He blamed this laxity on the theology of divine grace preached by Augustine of Hippo, among others.^[39] He strongly affirmed that humans had free will and were able to choose good as well as evil. Augustine, drawing on the exaggerated statements of the followers of Pelagius rather than on Pelagius’ own writings,^[40] began a debate that was to have long-reaching effects on subsequent developments of the doctrine in Western Christianity. Pelagianism was repudiated by the Council of Carthage in 418, largely at Augustine’s insistence. However, what Pelagius taught was likely what has come to be called semi-pelagianism.^[41]

In semi-Pelagian thought, both God and the human person always participate in the salvation process. Humans make free will choices, which are aided by God through creation, natural grace, «supernatural» grace, and God’s restrictions on demonic influences. God continually brings the human person to real choices, which God also aids, in the process of spiritual growth and salvation. Semi-Pelagianism is similar to synergism, which is the traditional patristic doctrine. John Cassian, in continuity with patristic doctrine, taught that though grace is required for persons to save themselves at the beginning, there is no such thing as total depravity, but there remains a moral or noetic ability within humans that is unaffected by original sin, and that persons must work together (synergism) with divine grace to be saved.^[42] This position is held by the Eastern Orthodox Church and by many Reformed Protestants,^[43][44] and in the Catholic Church has been especially associated with the Society of Jesus.^[45][46]

Catholic versus Protestant[edit]

In 1547, the Council of Trent, which sought to address and condemn Protestant objections, aimed to purge the Roman Catholic Church of controversial movements and establish an orthodox Roman Catholic teaching on grace and justification, as distinguished from the Protestant teachings on those concepts. It taught that justification and sanctification are elements of the same process.^[47] The grace of justification is bestowed through the merit of Christ’s passion,^[48] without any merits on the part of the person justified, who is enabled to cooperate only through the grace of God.^[48] The grace of justification may be lost through mortal sin, but can also be restored by the sacrament of Penance.^[48] The sacraments are, together with revealed truth, the principal means of the grace, a treasury of grace, that Christ has merited by his life and death and has given to the Church.^[22] This does not mean that other groups of Christians have no treasury of grace at their disposal,^[49] for, as the Second Vatican Council declared, «many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of (the Catholic Church’s) visible structure».^[50]

Jansenists versus Jesuits[edit]

At about the same time that Calvinists and Arminians were debating the meaning of grace in Protestantism, in Catholicism a similar debate was taking place between the Jansenists and the Jesuits. Cornelius Jansen’s 1640 work Augustinus sought to refocus Catholic theology on the themes of original sin, human depravity, the necessity of divine grace, and predestination, as he found them in the works of Augustine. The Jansenists, like the Puritans, believed themselves to be members of a gathered church called out of worldly society, and banded together in institutions like the Port-Royal convents seeking to lead lives of greater spiritual intensity. Blaise Pascal attacked what he called moral laxity in the casuistry of the Jesuits. Jansenist theology remained a minority party within Catholicism, and during the second half of the 17th and 18th centuries it was condemned as a heresy for its similarities to Calvinism, though its style remained influential in ascetic circles.

Grace and merit[edit]

Citing the Council of Trent, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

With regard to God, there is no strict right to any merit on the part of man. Between God and us there is an immeasurable inequality, for we have received everything from him, our Creator. The merit of man before God in the Christian life arises from the fact that God has freely chosen to associate man with the work of his grace. The fatherly action of God is first on his own initiative, and then follows man’s free acting through his collaboration, so that the merit of good works is to be attributed in the first place to the grace of God, then to the faithful. Man’s merit, moreover, itself is due to God, for his good actions proceed in Christ, from the predispositions and assistance given by the Holy Spirit. […] The charity of Christ is the source in us of all our merits before God. Grace, by uniting us to Christ in active love, ensures the supernatural quality of our acts and consequently their merit before God and before men. The saints have always had a lively awareness that their merits were pure grace.^[51]

Eastern Christianity[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2022)

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, grace is identified with the uncreated Energies of God. Among Eastern Christians generally, grace is considered to be the partaking of the Divine Nature described in 2 Peter 1:4.^[4] The Holy Mysteries (Latin, «sacraments») are seen as a means of partaking of divine grace because God works through his Church, not just because specific legalistic rules are followed; and grace is the working of God himself, not a created substance of any kind that can be treated like a commodity.^[5][6]
Orthodox theologians reject Augustine’s formulation of original sin and actively oppose the content and implications of John Calvin’s conceptions of total depravity and irresistible grace, characteristic of Reformed Protestantism, as well as the Thomistic and scholastic theology which would become official Roman Catholic pedagogy until the Second Vatican Council. Eastern Christians typically view scholasticism and similarly discursive, systematic theologies as rationalistic corruptions of the theology of the Cappadocian and early Desert Fathers that led the Western Church astray into heresy.^[52] Orthodoxy teaches that it is possible and necessary for the human will to cooperate with divine grace for the individual to be saved, or healed from the disease of sin. This cooperation is called synergism (see also semipelagianism and monergism), so that humans may become deified in conformity to the divine likeness – a process called theosis – by merging with the uncreated Energies of God (revealed to the senses as the Tabor Light of transfiguration), notably through a method of prayer called hesychasm.^[5][53]

Protestant Reformation[edit]

The Protestant Reformation reacted against the concepts of grace and merit as they were understood in late medieval Catholic theology.

Luther and Lutheran theology[edit]

Martin Luther’s posting of his ninety-five theses to the church door in Wittenberg in 1517 was a direct consequence of the perfunctory sacramentalism and treasury doctrines of the medieval church. The act was precipitated by the arrival of Johann Tetzel, authorized by the Vatican to sell indulgences.

The effectiveness of these indulgences was predicated on the doctrine of the treasury of grace proclaimed by Pope Clement VI. The theory was that merit earned by acts of piety could augment the believer’s store of sanctifying grace. Gifts to the Church were acts of piety. The Church, moreover, had a treasury full of grace above and beyond what was needed to get its faithful into heaven. The Church was willing to part with some of its surplus in exchange for earthly gold. Martin Luther’s anger against this practice, which seemed to him to involve the purchase of salvation, began a swing of the pendulum back towards the Pauline vision of grace, as opposed to James’s.

Luther taught that men were helpless and without a plea before God’s justice, and their acts of piety were utterly inadequate before his infinite holiness. Were God only just, and not merciful, everyone would go to hell, because everyone, even the best of mankind, deserves to go to hell. Mankind’s inability to achieve salvation by its own effort suggests that even the best intentions are somehow tainted by mankind’s sinful nature. This doctrine is sometimes called total depravity, a term derived from Calvinism and its relatives.

It is by faith alone (sola fide) and by grace alone (sola gratia) that men are saved. Good works are something the believers should undertake out of gratitude towards their Savior; but they are not sufficient for salvation and cannot earn anyone salvation; there is no room for the notion of «merit» in Luther’s doctrine of redemption. (There may, however, be degrees of reward for the redeemed in heaven.) Only the unearned, unmerited grace of God can save anyone. No one can have a claim of entitlement to God’s grace, and it is only by his generosity that salvation is even possible.

As opposed to the treasury of grace from which believers can make withdrawals, in Lutheranism salvation becomes a declaration of spiritual bankruptcy, in which penitents acknowledge the inadequacy of their own resources and trust only in God to save them. Accepting Augustine’s concern for legal justification as the base metaphor for salvation, the believers are not so much made righteous in Lutheranism as they are considered covered by Christ’s righteousness. Acknowledging that they have no power to make themselves righteous, the penalty for their sins is discharged because Jesus has already paid for it with his blood. His righteousness is credited to those who believe in and thus belong to him.

Calvin and Reformed theology[edit]

Calvin and Luther believed free will does not co-operate with God’s grace which, according to them, cannot be rejected (see monergism). The Lutheran Augsburg Confession says of baptism, «Lutherans teach that it is necessary to salvation and that by baptism the grace of God is offered and that children are to be baptized, who by baptism, being offered to God, are received into God’s favor.»^[54] The French reformer John Calvin expanded and further developed these Augustinian themes in his systematic Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536.

The logical structure of Calvinism is often expressed as an acronym. These five categories do not comprise Calvinism in its entirety. They simply encapsulate its central, definitive doctrines.^[55]

• Total depravity (also known as total inability, which is inexorably tied to a strong doctrine of original sin as having enslaved the human will completely)
• Unconditional election
• Limited Atonement (also known as definite atonement or particular redemption)
• Irresistible Grace
• Perseverance of the Saints (colloquially known as «once saved, always saved» or, as interpreted a distinct way among Reformed or Strict Baptists as well as non-Calvinist General Baptists, eternal security)

The notion that God has foreordained who will be saved is generally called predestination. The concept of predestination peculiar to Calvinism, «double-predestination», (in conjunction with limited atonement) is the most controversial expression of the doctrine. According to Reformed theology, the «good news» of the gospel of Christ is that God has freely granted the gift of salvation to those the Holy Spirit causes to believe; what he freely grants to some (the «elect» individuals), he withholds from others (the «reprobate» individuals).

Calvin sought to provide assurance to the faithful that God would actually save them. His teaching implied what came to be known as the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, the notion that God would actually save those who were his Elect. The actual status and ultimate state of any man’s soul were unknown except to God. When assurance of election was rigorously pressed as an experience to be sought, especially by the Puritans, this led to a legalism as rigid as the one Protestantism sought to reject, as men were eager to demonstrate that they were among the chosen by the conspicuous works-righteousness of their lives.

The relatively radical positions of Reformed theology provoked a strong reaction from both Roman Catholics and Lutherans.

Classical and Wesleyan Arminian theology[edit]

In the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch theologian Jacobus Arminius formulated Arminianism and departed from Calvin’s theology in particular on election and predestination.^[56] Arminianism affirms the compatibility between human free will and divine foreknowledge, but its incompatibility with theological determinism.^[57] Predestination in Arminianism is based on divine foreknowledge, unlike in Calvinism.^[58] Thus, the offer of salvation through grace does not act irresistibly in a purely cause-effect, deterministic method but rather in an influence-and-response fashion that can be both freely accepted and freely denied.^[59] In Arminianism, God takes initiative in the salvation process and his grace comes to all people, based on Jesus unlimited atonement. This is done through prevenient grace which acts on all people to convince them of the Gospel, draw them strongly towards salvation, and enable the possibility of sincere faith.^[60] As Roger Olson put it: «[Arminius]’ evangelical synergism reserves all the power, ability and efficacy in salvation to grace, but allows humans the God-granted ability to resist or not resist it. The only «contribution» humans make is nonresistance to grace.»^[61]

Later, John Wesley also rejected the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, and had the same Arminian understanding as expressed in Wesleyan theology. It remains the standard teaching of Methodist churches.^[62] Wesley also appealed to prevenient grace, stating that God makes the initial move in salvation, but human beings are free to respond or reject God’s graceful initiative.^[63] The doctrine of prevenient grace remains one of Methodism’s most important doctrines.^[62]

John Wesley distinguished three kinds of divine grace in the process of salvation: 1. «Prevenient grace» which is an enabling grace preceding regeneration («prevenient» means preceding). 2. «Justifying grace» which can bring regeneration but which is resistible. 3. «Sustaining grace» which helps a person to remain into regeneration, and to reach sanctification and final salvation.^[63] In particular Wesley taught that Christian believers are to participate in the means of grace and to continue to grow in the Christian life, assisted by God’s sustaining grace.^[64]

The Protestant Reformation and ecclesiology[edit]

Protestantism in all three major schools of theology – Lutheran, Calvinist, and Arminian – emphasize God’s initiative in the work of salvation, which is achieved by grace alone through faith alone, in either stream of thinking – although these terms are understood differently, according to the differences in systems.

Classical Calvinism teaches that the sacraments are «signs and seals of the covenant of grace» and «effectual means of salvation», and Lutheranism teaches that new life, faith, and union with Christ are granted by the Holy Spirit working through the sacraments. However, for a large portion of the Protestant world, the sacraments largely lost the importance that Luther (and to a slightly lesser degree, Calvin) attributed to them. This happened under the influence of ideas of the Anabaptists which were ideas also seen in the Donatists in North Africa in 311 AD,^[65] and these ideas then spread to Calvinists through the Congregationalist and Baptist movements, and to Lutherans through Pietism (although much of Lutheranism recoiled against the Pietist movement after the mid-19th century).

Where the sacraments are de-emphasized, they become «ordinances», acts of worship which are required by Scripture, but whose effect is limited to the voluntary effect they have on the worshipper’s soul. This belief finds expression in the Baptist and Anabaptist practice of believer’s baptism, given not to infants as a mark of membership in a Christian community, but to adult believers after they have achieved the age of reason and have professed their faith. These ordinances are never considered works-righteousness. The ritual as interpreted in light of such ideas does not at all bring about salvation, nor does its performance bring about the forgiveness of sins; the forgiveness which the believer has received by faith is merely pictured, not effectively applied, by baptism; salvation and participation in Christ is memorialized («this do in remembrance of me» in the Lord’s Supper and baptism picturing a Christian’s rebirth as death to sin and alive in Christ), not imparted, by the Eucharist. The Church to the Baptists becomes an assembly of true believers in Christ Jesus who gather together for worship and fellowship and remembering what Christ did for them.

Churches of Christ[edit]

The Churches of Christ believe that the grace of God that saves is the plan of salvation, rather than salvation itself. This plan includes two parts, 1) the perfect life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, 2) the gospel/New Testament/the faith.

Concerning Ephesians 2:8 which states: «For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God», it is noted that the word «it» is a pronoun and refers back to a noun. As the word «saved» is a verb, «it» does not refer to «saved» but to grace, giving the definition of grace as «the gift of God». Furthermore, as the Book of James distinguishes between a dead faith (a faith without works) and a living faith (a faith accompanied by works of obedience), it is believed that God’s gift operates through an individual’s living faith resulting in that individual being saved.

1. Grace is contrasted with the Law of Moses (Romans 6:14; Hebrews 10:4; John 1:17) and the church of Christ believes that Paul’s contrast between work and faith is as described under the Efforts to resolve the tension section, a contrast between works of the Old Covenant and obedient faith under the New Covenant.
2. Grace saves (Ephesians 2:5); justifies (Romans 3:24; Titus 3:7).
3. Grace can not be added to (Galatians 5:4).
4. Grace teaches (Titus 2:11); can be preached (Ephesians 3:8).
5. Grace calls mankind (2 Timothy 1:9; Galatians 1:15).
6. Grace is brought by revelation (1 Peter 1:13).
7. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17)
8. Grace is sufficient for mankind (2 Corinthians 12:9)

The Galatians were removed from the calling of the gospel (Galatians 1:6,7; 2 Thessalonians 2:14) unto another gospel (another message) which verse 7 says is not a gospel at all but a perversion.

The Church of Christ believes that grace provides the following plan, which, if followed, results in salvation:

• One must hear the gospel/word (Romans 10:17).
• Believe the gospel (Mark 16:15–16).
• Repent of their past sins (Acts 2:38).
• Confess their faith in Christ before men (Matthew 10:32; Romans 10:9–10).
• Be immersed in water into Christ for the remission of those sins (1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:3–18; John 3:3,5; 1 John 5:6,8; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; etc.)
• Live faithfully even to the point of death (Revelation 2:10; Romans 11:17–22; James 5:19–20).^{[citation needed]}

See also[edit]

• Prevenient grace
• Salvation (Christianity)
• Sacrament
• Charism
• Merit

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

Sources[edit]

• Cracknell, Kenneth; White, Susan J. (2005). An introduction to world Methodism. New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Forlines, F. Leroy (2001). The Quest for Truth: Answering Life’s Inescapable Questions. Randall House Publications.
• Olson, Roger E. (2009). Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
• Picirilli, Robert (2002). Grace, Faith, Free Will: Contrasting Views of Salvation. Nashville: Randall House.
• Shelton, Brian (2015). «Prevenient Grace: Two Helpful Distinctions». Seedbed. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
• Stanglin, Keith D.; McCall, Thomas H. (2012). Jacob Arminius: Theologian of Grace. New York: OUP USA.
• UMC (2018). «The Wesleyan Means of Grace». The United Methodist Church. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
• Wiley, H. Orton (1940). Christian theology (3 volumes). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

Further reading[edit]

Orthodox[edit]

• Bishop Kallistos (Ware), The Inner Kingdom: The Collected Works (St. Vladimir’s Seminary, 2000) ISBN 0-88141-209-0
• The Way of a Pilgrim and A Pilgrim Continues on His Way, Olga Savin, trans. (Shambhala, 2001) ISBN 1-57062-807-6

Roman Catholic[edit]

• Deharbe, Joseph (1912). «Chap. I. Grace in General» . A Complete Catechism of the Catholic Religion. Translated by Rev. John Fander. Schwartz, Kirwin & Fauss.
• Catholic Teaching on Sin & Grace (Center for Learning, 1997), ISBN 1-56077-521-1
• George Hayward Joyce, The Catholic Doctrine of Grace (Newman, 1950), ASIN B0007E488Y
• Pohle, Joseph (1909). «Grace» . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
• Stephen J. Duffy, The Graced Horizon: Nature and Grace in Modern Catholic Thought (HPAC, 1992), ISBN 0-8146-5705-2

Protestant[edit]

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, Fuller and Booth, trans. (Touchstone, 1995).
• John Calvin, «Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2 Chapter 4»
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). «Grace» . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 309–310.
• Randy Maddox, Responsible Grace (Kingswood, 1994) ISBN 0-687-00334-2
• Alister McGrath, Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification (Cambridge, 1998) ISBN 0-521-62481-9
• Glen Pettigrove, «Forgiveness and Grace», in Forgiveness and Love (Oxford University Press, 2012) 124–150.
• R. C. Sproul, Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology (Baker Book House, 1999) ISBN 0-8010-1121-3
• Ulasien, Paul, The Power of a Grace Perspective Archived 2013-12-15 at the Wayback Machine (Infinity, 2011) ISBN 0-7414-6729-1, ASIN B00719WMBS
• Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace? (Zondervan, 1997) ISBN 0-310-24565-6
• Paul F. M. Zahl, Grace in Practice: A Theology of Everyday Life (Eerdmans, 2007) ISBN 978-0-8028-2897-2

The word grace comes from the Latin word gratia, as in sola gratia (grace alone). The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as a special favor or privilege, a “disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency.” Grace may also refer to a short prayer before meals, courteous goodwill, moving with elegance or finesse, title (your grace), favor (e.g., staying in someone’s good grace), or even an honor (e.g., she graced me with her presence.)

But grace is most used to refer to God’s favor. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s first definition of grace is “unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.” And the classic Christian definition of grace is simply God’s unmerited favor.

Though both definitions are correct, they don’t render justice to the rich meaning of the word as used in the Sacred Scriptures. For further understanding of biblical grace, let’s look at the original Hebrew and Greek words.

Grace in Hebrew

The Hebrew word for grace is chen, which means favor or grace. It appears 69 times in the Old Testament with its first appearance in Genesis 6:8, which says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

Chen also means beauty, charm, or loveliness. It is sometimes describe something pleasant (Proverbs 5:19), precious (Proverbs 1:9), or delightful (Psalm 45:2). Hence, chen can also mean a precious gift of favor that gives delight. It is not motivated by merit or work but solely by the giver’s goodwill.

Chen shares meaning with two other Hebrew words: chanan and chanah.

Chanan means gracious, inclined towards, or favorable. It is showing favor or pity on someone. Chanan appears 78 times in the Old Testament, and often appears as gracious, mercy, merciful, favor, and supplication. While chanah means to decline, bend down, or encamp/pitch a tent.

These two words add to the meaning of grace in the Old Testament. They paints a picture of a person bending down towards someone inferior in pity and bestowing him with kindness or a gift of favor.

We can also get an additional depth to the meaning of chen by examining the Aleph Beth (the Hebrew alphabet). Chen comprises two Hebrew letters: Cheth and Nun. Cheth is the picture of a fence, and it means a private place of refuge or protected sanctuary to separate from the outside. And nun is the picture of a fish or a seed, which means activity and life. Therefore, chen literally means giving life, then separating and protecting it from the outside

Grace in Greek

The Greek word for grace in the New Testament is charis, and it means kindness, favor, loveliness, goodwill, or gratitude. It appears 156 times in the New Testament, with its first appearance in Luke 1:30, which says, “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

Charis comes from the root word xar, which means favorably disposed, leaning towards, or freely extending oneself. So properly, charis also means freely inclining or extending oneself towards another to show him favor because of one’s favorable disposition towards the other.

The NT also uses charis to express pleasure and delight. It is closely related to chairo, which means to rejoice, and chara, which means joy. Charis is also translated as thanks occasionally. For instance, 2 Cor 9:15 says, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” Wherever grace goes, thanksgiving and joy always follow!

Putting it together

Grace in the Bible means freely extending oneself to show favor or kindness to another. It is when a person inclines himself towards someone inferior to bestow him with blessing, protection, and delightful gifts.

And this precious gift always provokes joy and gratitude in the receiver because it is undeserved. Grace is solely based on the goodwill and pleasure of the person giving it, not the recipient’s merit or work.

When the Bible speaks about grace, it is overwhelmingly about the grace of God (Acts 11:23; 13:43; 14:26; 20:24; Rom 5:15; 1 Cor 1:4; 3:10; 15:10; 2 Cor 1:12; 6:1; 8:1; 9:14; Gal. 2:21; Col 1:6; Titus 2:11; Heb 2:9; Heb 12:15; 1Pet 5:12).

Being gracious is His nature (Exodus 34:6), and His grace is always towards undeserving rebellious sinners. In his classic Knowing God, J.I. Packer says, “The grace of God is love freely shown towards guilty sinners, contrary to their merit and indeed in defiance of their demerit. It is God showing goodness to persons who deserve only severity and had no reason to expect anything but severity.”

God’s amazing grace in Christ

God displays His grace chiefly in Christ Jesus. After our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God, sin and death entered the world (Rom 5:19). As a result, all of us sinned and rebelled against God (Rom 3:23). And the consequence of sin is death (Rom 6:23) and eternal ruin away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might (2 Thes 1:9).

God could not overlook our sins because He is just and holy. We committed high treason against him when we willingly turned our backs on our Creator, went our own way, and did as we pleased (Isa 53:6, Rom 3:10-18). We fully deserve to suffer under His wrath.

But God extended grace and sent His only Son to save the world (John 3:16 Romans 8:32). The Son of God humiliated Himself to become a man so He could bear the full wrath of God in our stead (1 Pet 2:24).

“Though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Through Christ, God gives us the gracious gift of righteousness and eternal life (Romans 3:24; 6:23). Everyone who believes in the Son of God will receive pardon for sins, peace with God, and eternal life (Rom 5:1; 5:9; 8:1; 10:13). In Christ, rebellious sinners receive a new life, separate from the world, and are holy unto the Lord (2 Cor 5:17, Phil 3:20, Jn 15:15-19). And nothing will ever separate us from God again (Jn 10:28, Rom 8:38-39).

We do not deserve such blessings from God. We are the lowest of his creatures, lower even than angels whom He did not spare (2 Pet 2:4). Our frame is dust, and our days are like a vapor; who are we that God should be mindful of us?

Grace is indeed “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expenses.” And it is amazing!

Two types of grace

Reformed theologians speak of God’s grace in two distinct categories: common grace and special grace.

Common grace is God’s favor and kindness to humanity in general. It is when God gives us good gifts regardless of our belief in Christ. Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” And Matthew 5:45 says, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Some examples of God’s common grace to man include good health, children, quality of life, restrain of sin, etc.

Special grace or saving grace, in contrast, is God’s goodwill and favor given only to His elect. Theologians call it special grace because it is not available to everyone, only those who know and believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Herman Bavinck described special grace as “his voluntary, unrestrained, unmerited favor toward guilty sinners, granting them justification and life instead of the penalty of death, which they deserved.”

The privilege of special grace includes election (John 6:65; 17:9), justification (Romans 5:1), sanctification (Phil 1:6), adoption (John 1:12, 1 John 3:1), and glorification (Romans 8:30).

Attributes of biblical grace

Grace comes from God

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” – Ps 84:11

Christ manifests God’s grace

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.” – Titus 2:11

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” – John 1:16-17

God always gives grace

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Heb 4:16

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 2 Cor 9:8

“Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” – Rom 5:20

Grace alone saves

“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.” Eph 2:8-9

“And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” – Rom 3:24

“But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:11

Grace frees us from sin

“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:14

Grace empowers 

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Cor 12:9

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” – 2 Tim 2:1

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” – 1 Cor 15:10

God’s grace is rich and glorious

“To the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” – Eph 1:6

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” – Eph 1:7

“So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” – Eph 2:7

God’s grace is manifold

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:” – 1 Pet 4:10

“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” – Eph 4:7

  Grace and peace to you!

The word “grace” is mentioned about 150 times in the New Testament. Paul used this word more than any other New Testament author, for it shows some 100 times in his letters. Luke, his assistant used the word about 25 times in his gospel and the book of Acts. Thus, the word grace used by these two writers constituted five sixths of all the New Testament references.

Giving joy

Mainly, the word “grace” means “that which gives joy or pleasure,” giving the meaning of beauty or loveliness (Psalms 45:2; Proverbs 1:9; 3:22). We see this in the New Testament, when Jesus spoke in Nazareth. For His hearers “wondered at the gracious words (the words of grace) which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luke 4:22). Likewise, Paul counseled the believers at Colossae that their speech should “be alway with grace” (Colossians 4:6).

Pleasant feeling

Also, “grace” gives the meaning of a beautiful or pleasant feeling expressed toward a person, such as sympathy, gentleness, or kindness. Joseph found “favor,” literally, “grace,” in the sight of Pharaoh (Acts 7:10, 46). And we read that when Jesus was a boy “the grace of God was upon him” (Luke 2:40).  Also, when the disciples spoke the truth they had “favor,” literally, “grace,” with all the people (Acts 2:47).

Thankfulness

And grace was used of thankfulness, as an expression of good will. “Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?” (Luke 17:9). “Grace” is often used in this sense in the expression “thanks be to God,” which means literally, “grace be to God” (1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 8:16). Certainly, God the Creator deserves the praise of His created beings.

Gift of love

In Addition, grace means a gift, a favor or a help, as an expression of good will. The Jews came to Festus and asked for a “favor,” literally, “grace,” for Paul (Acts 25:3). And the apostle Paul wrote of the gift that the churches had collected for the poor at Jerusalem as, literally, “the grace” (1 Corinthians 16:3; 2 Corinthians 8:4, 6, 7, 19).

The distinctive meaning tied to the term “grace” in the NT, and especially in the writings of Paul, is that of the infinite saving love of Father toward sinners as seen in His Son. Noticeably, since all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), such favor and loving-kindness on God’s part are absolutely unwarranted by sinful humans.

Sadly, people have lived in enmity against God (Romans 1:21, 30, 32), corrupted His truth (v. 18, 25), worshiped his creation (v. 23), marred His image in their own bodies (v. 24–27), blasphemed His name (Romans 2:24), and shunned His patience (v. 4). Finally, they killed His Son (Acts 7:52). Yet, God has continued to deal lovingly with them. And it is this loving kindness that leads people to repentance (Romans 2:4).

God’s grace

God’s grace fills a person (John 1:14; Romans 12:3, 6), is all-sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9; Romans 5:20), rules (Romans 5:21), instructs (Titus 2:11, 12), and establishes the heart (Hebrews 13:9). In some references “grace” is almost equal to “gospel” (Colossians 1:6) and to the acts of God (Acts 11:23; 1 Peter 5:12). God’s grace is His saving power. For Christ gave His life to make it possible for people to be restored to the image of God. And it is the power of His grace that attracts them to the obedience to the truth.

Thus, the grace of God that is revealed in the New Testament shows favor toward sinner that doesn’t merit His approval. It is His unlimited love toward sinful men and women. And the good news of this transforming grace is “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). Thus, it is not merely God’s compassion and desire to forgive, but it is also His vigorous, converting power to the sinner (2 Corinthians 3:18).

In His service,
BibleAsk Team