Grace Defined
The word “grace” has been described as “the last best word” because it seems to be the only theological term that hasn’t been spoiled.[1] Words like gracious, grateful, and gratuity hint at its meaning along with expressions like saying grace, grace period, and grace notes.
I’ve heard many definitions of grace. The simplest Biblical definition is the unmerited favor of God. This minimal definition, though, doesn’t begin to capture the full meaning and impact of grace. Grace in its most powerful form is the supernatural thing by which a follower of Jesus Christ receives eternal salvation/life. This “saving grace” is mind-blowing stuff and is captured beautifully in the following Bible verse.
God saved you by His grace when you believed [in Jesus’ sacrifice]. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.[2]
Saving grace has nothing to do with how good a person is and everything to do with the ultimate expression of God’s perfect love for us.
Grace has other supernatural properties as well, like illogically working best through our weakness,[3] being the source of a Christian’s strength,[4] and acting as the conduit through which God works through believers in Christ.[5]
There are also other more common forms of grace, as we touched on earlier. The Bible shows how God expresses grace when He gives sunlight and rain to both the evil and the good,[6] vision to both the poor and the oppressor,[7] and food for everyone to enjoy.[8] He is good to everyone, even kind to the unthankful and wicked.[9] People also express this grace when they extend love, service, forgiveness, kindness, and sacrifice to those who can’t earn it or don’t deserve it. We are capable of such grace because we are made in God’s image.[10] These common forms of grace are often referred to unsurprisingly as “common grace.”
Some people have gone as far as to describe grace as shocking and scandalous[11] given how incredibly counter it is to human nature and our notions of what God should be like. Grace leads a person to forgive others despite unspeakable crimes.[12] It leads one person to keep forgiving another for repeating the same offense countless times.[13] It leads us to love our enemies, to pray for them, and do good to them.[14] And above all, it’s what led God to send his Son to earth in human form to live a sinless life filled with suffering and persecution, and die horribly and unjustly at our hands so that we might have eternal life.[15]
The last statement is pretty amazing. The Bible describes a God who loves us so deeply that, even though we repeatedly choose to turn our backs on him, He would sacrifice His only Son to have a relationship with us. I don’t know of any faith that describes such a personal God, one who reaches down to mankind rather than requiring us to reach up via our own efforts—a God who endures deep humiliation in order to save us.
The Bible is a love story, one describing a father’s (God’s) incredible love for his children (His creation), and it’s filled with examples of God’s grace toward us—all of us. Throughout history, God has expressed His love for people who would be considered scoundrels by society and used them in His service. God took an adulterer and murderer (King David) and molded him into someone whom many consider to be the greatest king in Old Testament times. He also took a murderer and torturer (the apostle Paul) and changed him into the greatest missionary of all time. Paul himself wrote:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.[16]
Jesus was all about grace. He had a reputation for hanging out with people society judged as sinners and outcasts: lepers, prostitutes, foreigners, and tax collectors. He told grace stories like the one describing a father’s outrageous love and forgiveness for his son who took an early withdrawal of his inheritance and blew it on partying and prostitutes.[17] He acted gracefully, like when he deftly prevented a mob from stoning a woman caught in adultery.[18] And He talked about how a celebration breaks out in heaven whenever a single sinner repents.[19]
While I saw and was moved by examples of grace in the world and the Bible over the years, I didn’t come to understand its realness, power, impact, or beauty until I experienced it on a deep, personal level through my divorce. I’ll be writing about this and more in future blog posts.
FOOTNOTES: [1] Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace? Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997, Page 12. [2] Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV). See also Titus 2:11. [3] 2 Corinthians 12:9. [4] Hebrews 13:9. [5] 1 Corinthians 15:10. [6] See Matthew 5:45. [7] See Proverbs 29:13. [8] See Acts 14:16-17. [9] Psalm 145:9 and Luke 6:35. [10] Genesis 1:27. [11] Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace? Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997. [12] See Acts 7:60. [13] See Matthew 18:22. [14] See Matthew 5:44-47 and Luke 6:27-31. [15] See John 3:16 and Philippians 2:5-8. [16] 1 Timothy 1:15-16. [17] Luke 15:11-32. [18] John 8:1-11. [19] Luke 15:3-7.