What Is Grace?

Introduction – What Is Grace?

What is grace? God’s creation is perfect, and it is crucial to understand that He makes no mistakes, including when He created you and me. In the context of our faith, the concept of grace is central.

The Apostle Paul, a prominent figure in early Christianity, had an exceptional appreciation for God’s grace. It played a significant role in his life and achievements, as he notes in 1 Corinthians 15:10.

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Paul’s profound understanding of grace was instrumental in his many accomplishments. To grasp this concept fully and convey it clearly, we will delve into Paul’s understanding of grace as revealed in the scriptures.

Grace is the fundamental factor that enables us to approach the presence of God. As Galatians 3:26-29 explains, through faith in Christ, we all become children of God. Baptism clothes us in Christ, transcending societal and gender distinctions.

Galatians 3:26-29 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Upon repentance and baptism, we are clothed in Christ. Although we remain sinners in our human nature, when God looks at us, He sees us through the lens of Christ—perfect and blameless, just as our clothing conceals our imperfections.

This perspective of grace is the key that allows us to draw near to a perfect and holy God. It’s not our deeds that grant us this privilege, but how He perceives us—as perfect in Christ.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

This assurance should constantly propel us toward God rather than push us away, as Hebrews 4:16 suggests. Grace is the bridge that connects us to God’s infinite love and forgiveness, making it an essential element of our faith. Join us as we delve into the Scriptures today and what the Bible teaches us about this vital, yet often misunderstood aspect of Christianity. If you would like to read more Bible studies, please visit our website today.

Point 1. Grace Is God’s undeserved love on us sinners.

Understanding the profound concept of grace is not just a theological exercise; it is the heart and soul of our faith. It is the unwavering reminder of God’s overwhelming and undeserved love for us, His creation, despite our imperfections and inherent sinful nature. This love, depicted vividly in the scriptures, forms the foundation upon which our faith is built.

Romans 5:6-11 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5:6-11, a passage of immense theological depth, paints a poignant picture of God’s boundless love. It describes how, at just the right time in human history, when we were utterly powerless and wholly ungodly, Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for us. The narrative takes us into the realm of divine love, where human expressions of love pale in comparison. The profound beauty of God’s love emerges when we realize that Christ’s sacrifice was not for the righteous, nor for the good, but for the ungodly who are undeserving. Here, in this act of selflessness, the extraordinary depths of God’s grace are unveiled.

The essence of grace can be distilled into a simple yet powerful acrostic: GRACE stands for “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” It succinctly encapsulates the heart of the matter—the inexhaustible richness of God’s love for us, His creation. We, who were undeserving of His mercy, found ourselves recipients of His grace. The core of this definition lies in the realization that God loved us enough to allow Christ to bear the weight of our sins when we could not do so ourselves. The result? The opportunity to access God’s abundant blessing and salvation!

Grace As Shown By Christ’s Sacrifice

Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The importance of Jesus’s blood in our salvation is a recurring theme in the scriptures. Hebrews 9:22 underscores this significance, stating that according to the law, nearly everything must be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. It is this shedding of blood that serves as the means of our salvation from the righteous anger of God. The gravity of this sacrifice cannot be overstated—it is the very essence of grace in action.

The shedding of Christ’s blood on the cross is the redemptive act that spares us from the punishment of our sins on judgment day, as Hebrews 9:28 reinforces. By His willing sacrifice, we find our path to reconciliation with God, an act of love beyond human comprehension.

Hebrews 9:28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

God’s Grace Helps Us Change Through Love

The cross, as highlighted in 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, represents God’s profound solution to the pervasive problem of sin. To those who lack an understanding of God’s boundless love, the message of the cross may seem foolish, even illogical. But to believers, it powerfully undoes worldly wisdom and human intellect. The cross stands as a symbol of love that transcends human understanding, where God’s infinite wisdom trumps the finite wisdom of the world.

1 Corinthians 1:18-25 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 

Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

To fully comprehend the significance of the cross and God’s grace, we must grasp the depth of His love for us. It is this understanding that is essential in comprehending why Christ, the sinless Savior, would take our punishment upon Himself. As 1 Corinthians 13:8 poignantly reminds us, love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails.

Unlike other human attributes, such as wisdom, intelligence, and philosophy, which often fall short in truly transforming lives, this love remains steadfast. Wisdom does not guarantee that people will always actually do what is right; intelligence does not ensure that individuals will treat others with kindness rather than self-righteousness. Philosophical ponderings can lead to endless arguments, as they often lack a solid foundation of consistent truth. Miraculous signs, whether true or false, do not inherently change people, as history has shown. Many people witnessed Jesus’s miracles and experienced them firsthand, yet not all chose to follow Him. The only force capable of motivating people to live selflessly and to genuinely transform is this selfless love found at the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As expressed in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, it is Christ’s love that compels us to change. This transformative love, when embraced, changes the very core of our existence. When we accept this love and understand that Jesus died for us, we can stop living for ourselves but truly live for God. This profound transformation goes beyond mere acknowledgment; it allows us to view the world and our fellow humans from a different perspective. It makes us new creations in Christ, reconciled to God, and entrusted with the message of reconciliation.

In conclusion, grace, as exemplified by God’s undeserved love and Christ’s sacrificial act, stands as the cornerstone of our faith. It is the key to comprehending the transformative power of the cross. It is a love that defies human logic, wisdom, and understanding. In a world where human attributes often fall short, this grace, this selfless love, remains the unshakable force that compels us to become more like Christ, to love one another, and to reconcile with our Creator.

Point 2. Christ’s love demands a response!

The essence of grace, which we’ve explored in the previous section, is a profound concept that lies at the core of our faith. It’s not just an abstract concept; it’s a reminder and sign of God’s boundless and undeserved love for us, His creations, even in the face of our flaws and sinful nature. But this grace is not a passive gift; it demands a response from us, a response rooted in love, transformation, and gratitude.

Grace Makes Us Say “No” to Sin

Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It 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—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

In response to God’s immense grace, we say “No” to sin in our personal lives. Why? It’s not only because of what we’ve been forgiven of but also due to the incredible cost paid for that forgiveness. Think of it this way: if you were drowning in massive debt due to overspending, indiscipline, and poor decisions, and a generous individual paid off all your debts, would you immediately run out and overspend again?

Consider the sacrifice the kind individual made to bail you out of debt. Now imagine learning that the money used to clear your debts was originally meant for a life-saving operation to remove a cancerous growth threatening his own life. God’s love leads us to purify ourselves from sin, to cherish the precious gift of grace. Just as the kind man saved you from financial ruin, God’s grace rescues us from spiritual devastation.

Avoiding the Abuse of Grace

Romans 6:1-4 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Romans 6:1-4 warns us against going on sinning with the misconception that grace will cover it all. We’ve died to sin and have been baptized into Christ’s death, symbolizing our old selves being buried. Grace isn’t a license for immorality, a common distortion of its true purpose. This misconception has persisted throughout history, as Jude 4 reveals.

Jude 4 For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord

Even in the first century church, there were individuals who have misunderstood the message of the gospel and missed the point. Jesus came to call sinners out of their sinful lives and patterns. Even today, many false churches and false “Christians” teach grace is a license to sin. This is nothing new.

Grace is far from cheap; it came at the highest cost, the life of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 10:26 stresses the peril of deliberately persisting in sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, as it leaves no sacrifice for sins.

Hebrews 10:26 If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left

Grace Is A Call to Labor for God and His Kingdom

Grace isn’t just a pardon; it’s a call to action. As 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 demonstrates, the grace of God is not without effect. It impels us to labor fervently for God and His Kingdom, just as the Apostle Paul worked diligently for the church.

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

We often work hard to clear our debts, whether financial or otherwise. However, the debt we should truly focus on is the debt of love owed to Jesus for taking the punishment of our sins. Romans 13:8 echoes this sentiment, asserting that no debt should remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another.

Romans 13:8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

Saved to Serve

Remember, we work hard not to be saved, but because we are saved. Jesus bore our sins to the extent that He became sin, a sin offering on our behalf. The love of God should motivate us to live and speak for Him, to carry the message of grace and salvation to others. Grace is not passive; it calls us to a life of love, service, and devotion.

In conclusion, understanding grace is not merely an intellectual exercise; it’s an invitation to a transformed life filled with gratitude and service. Grace, while freely given, is not without cost. It demands that we live differently, cherishing the gift we’ve received, and sharing it with others.