What Is Grace?

## What Does the Bible Mean by Grace?

Grace cannot be reduced to simple kindness, leniency, receiving good things, getting another chance, or God overlooking sin. It is not a vague feeling of divine acceptance, permission to continue deliberately in sin, or something we earn through faithfulness.

Grace must remain centered on God's undeserved favor toward sinners through Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul summarizes this staggering reality in Ephesians 2:8–9:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.[[quote]]

We cannot isolate these verses from their context. Ephesians 2 describes a progression: human spiritual death, God's mercy and love, life in Christ, salvation by grace, and finally, good works as the result.

## Grace Begins With God

Salvation does not begin with humanity becoming worthy of God's attention. Grace begins with God. He did not wait for sinners to make themselves acceptable before Christ died for them.

Romans 5:8 declares:

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.[[quote]]

Grace moves toward the undeserving.

## Grace Is Undeserved

Christians speak of unmerited favor. If something is earned, it is payment. If something is grace, it is gift.

Paul writes in Romans 4:4:

Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.[[quote]]

Paul is distinguishing wages from grace. God does not owe salvation to us because we tried hard, became religious, performed good works, or suffered enough.

## Grace Does Not Mean Sin Is Unimportant

We must not present grace as God shrugging at evil. The cross demonstrates the exact opposite. Sin is serious enough that Christ died for it.

Romans 3:23–26 reveals that all have sinned, yet God justifies freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus. Grace does not eliminate God's holiness or justice. The Gospel reveals both God's righteousness and His mercy.

## Grace Is Costly, But Not to Us

Salvation is freely given to the sinner, but it came through the death of Jesus Christ. We do not purchase salvation. Christ bore the cost we could not bear.

We must never treat grace as “free” in a way that makes the cross sound cheap. Our focus must remain on Christ's work.

## Grace and Faith

How do grace and faith work together? Let us return to Ephesians 2:8–9.

Grace is God's provision. Faith receives what God gives.

Faith does not make grace deserved. Faith itself is not payment. We must not make faith into a human achievement that forces God to respond.

## Grace and Works

Ephesians 2:10 continues:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.[[quote]]

Good works do not produce salvation. Grace produces a life in which good works begin to appear. We are not saved by good works. We are saved unto good works.

## Grace Does Not Give Permission to Sin

Paul addresses a dangerous misunderstanding in Romans 6:1–2:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?[[quote]]

Grace is not a loophole that allows a believer to treat sin as harmless. Grace forgives, but grace also changes.

## Grace Teaches Us

Titus 2:11–12 explains that grace actively works in the believer's life:

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.[[quote]]

Grace does not only pardon. Grace teaches. Grace begins forming the believer into a different kind of person. This does not mean instant perfection—Christian growth remains ongoing—but grace is a teacher.

## Grace in Weakness

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God tells Paul:

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.[[quote]]

Paul had prayed for his burden to be removed. God's answer was not removal, but sufficient grace in weakness. We must not use this verse as a generic promise that God will remove all suffering. In fact, it teaches that grace often sustains us in the midst of it.

## Grace Is Not Earned by Suffering

At the same time, we must be explicit: pain does not purchase God's favor. Hardship does not place God in our debt.

Suffering may deepen our dependence upon God, but it does not earn salvation or grace.

## Grace and Repentance

Grace does not eliminate the need for repentance. In fact, it is the grace of God that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4).

Because God is gracious, sinners can honestly acknowledge their rebellion and turn to Him without fear of being destroyed.

## Personal Examination

What is my view of God's grace?

Do I treat grace as an excuse to continue in deliberate sin?

Am I secretly trying to earn God's favor through my own performance?

Have I rested my hope entirely upon the unmerited favor of God given through Jesus Christ?

## Conclusion

Grace is not leniency. It is not God lowering His standards. Grace is God saving those who could never save themselves.

It is His undeserved favor toward sinners, made possible entirely through the person and work of Jesus Christ.