In the Bible, grace is God’s unmerited favor toward humanity. It is not merely a passive attribute, but an active, dynamic force that brings salvation to sinful man. The Bible tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Grace is the riches of God’s kindness displayed in the giving of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Merciful Grace
Although humanity instinctively tries to earn God’s acceptance through good deeds and religious rituals, grace is the only pathway to a right relationship with God. We are fallen creatures who cannot save ourselves (Romans 3:23). The Bible clearly states that we are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Without grace, we are hopelessly lost; with it, we are eternally secure.
The purpose of grace is twofold. First, grace is the means of our justification. We are declared righteous before God not by the law, but by His gift (Titus 3:7).
Second, grace is the motivation for godly living. It teaches us that “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). Grace is not a license to sin, but the power to overcome it.
The law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1:17). The law reveals man’s sin and condemns him (Romans 3:20), but grace reveals God’s love and saves him. The law demands righteousness, while grace provides it. Paul writes, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14).
The practice of grace is threefold. It is to be received with humility, knowing we deserve nothing but received everything. It is to be extended to others, forgiving “one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32). And it is to be stewardship, using our spiritual gifts to serve one another as “good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
Some may ask, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” Paul answers definitively, “Certainly not!” (Romans 6:1-2). True grace transforms the heart. If a person claims grace but continues in willful, unrepentant sin, they have not truly experienced the saving grace of God. Grace does not give us freedom to sin; it gives us the freedom not to sin.
The source of all grace is God the Father. James tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17). It is God who initiates, sustains, and completes His work in us. We simply receive what He has offered.