What is grace?
Most Christians say grace before meals. I must regretfully admit that for many years about all grace meant to me was prayers before meals. Hopefully, having read even the first few pages of Grace plus Nothing, grace already means a lot more to you than that. The grace of God is essentially the gift of righteousness (right standing before God) and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Not only are these gifts, but they are also unmerited gifts. We will speak much more concerning the gift of the Holy Spirit later, but for now we must understand that Paul tied grace to the gift of righteousness. Those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17). This understanding is foundational to Christianity. Furthermore grace alone has the power to free you from sin: For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace (Romans 6:14). Remember that the Lord imprisoned the entire world under the pe
Read ABOUT THE AUTHOR by clicking HERE Understanding the meaning of the words “grace” and “faith” is the key to New Testament theology. Grace is not mercy. Mercy is mercy. Grace is not a license to sin. Many understand that grace is unmerited favor, and that is true. Grace, however, is much more than unmerited favor. Grace comes from the Lord and is simply the God-given desire and the power to do God’s will. A good explanation of grace is found in the epistle to the Philippians: “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (2:13). Grace and faith are both necessary for salvation as God grants repentance to the sinner who humbles himself before Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). God resists the proud; it is to the humble that He gives grace. Faith (the kind that comes from God) is the knowledge of God’s will for you, and grace is the God-given desire and power to do His will. F
Grace in mentioned 170 times in the Bible. Consider some of the ways it can be defined: • Grace is God’s unmerited favor. That is, grace is God doing good for us that we do not deserve. In the Bible, grace and mercy are like two heads of the same coin. Mercy is God withholding judgment or evil that I deserve; grace is God giving me blessing or good that I do not deserve. Because of God’s mercy, I do not receive the judgment of God against my sins; because of God’s grace, I receive eternal life and a promise of heaven though I do not deserve them. Both mercy and grace come to me though the Lord Jesus Christ. • Grace can also be defined as God’s sufficiency or God’s fullness in the life of the believer. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). That is, the grace of God in Paul enabled him and empowered him in his weakness. Another verse states, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always
Grace is perhaps the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. Both Protestant and Catholics often do not comprehend the full significance of this wonderful reality. Protestants usually define grace as “God’s unmerited favor towards us in Christ”. Though not incorrect, this definition is incomplete, for grace also includes the divine gifts which flow from this favor, such as our new life in Christ, God’s indwelling Presence and the ability to bear spiritual fruit. Sacred Scripture says that grace is Jesus’ Incarnation (2 Corinthians 8:9), by which He took on our poor human nature in order to fill us with the “riches” of grace (Ephesians 1:6). Grace is more than mere divine favor, it is sufficient power in our weakness (2 Co 12:8), it strengthens us (Hebrews 13:9; 2 Timothy 2:1), enables us to stand firm (Romans 5:2; 1 Peter 5:12), and helps us in time of need (He 4:16). The Bible also states that grace is manifold (1 Pt 4:10), that God lavishes “grace upon grace” on us in Jesus Chris
