What does “grace” really mean?
The Devotional Answer
Devotionally, the word grace is the single most comforting and liberating concept in Christianity. It means you can stop striving to earn God’s love and finally rest in the fact that it has been freely given to you.
Grace is God's eternal decision to be kind, merciful, and generous to you, not because you deserve it, but because He chooses to love you. Every good thing in your Christian life—your salvation, your strength to resist temptation, and your hope for the future—is entirely a gift of God's grace.
The Simple Answer
The simplest and most classic definition of grace is Unmerited Favor.
Unmerited: It means you have done nothing to earn it; in fact, based on your sin (Question 22), you deserve the opposite (judgment).
Favor: It means God's kind, active goodwill and benefit extended toward you.
The core truth of the Gospel is summed up in the necessity of grace: because we cannot save ourselves (Question 50), God provided the means for salvation as a free, unearned gift.
The Deeper Dive
The New Testament uses the word "grace" (charis in Greek) to describe two main operations of God's favor in the believer's life:
1. Saving Grace (Justification)
This is the grace that brings you into relationship with God. This is the act of salvation. It is fully sufficient and complete:
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast." — Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
Saving grace is a one-time transaction where God justifies you (declares you righteous) solely on the basis of Christ’s sacrifice, received by faith. It proves that salvation is a gift, not a wage.
2. Enabling Grace (Sanctification)
This is the grace that empowers you to live the Christian life (Question 43). After you are saved, grace continues to flow, giving you the spiritual power to resist sin, endure suffering, and serve others. This is why the Apostle Paul, who dealt with suffering (Question 49), was given this assurance:
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." — 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
Enabling grace means that when you feel weakest (Question 40), God's power is most available to sustain and strengthen you. This grace is constant and new every morning.
3. Grace vs. Mercy
It is helpful to distinguish between two terms:
Mercy: God not giving you the punishment you do deserve.
Grace: God giving you the blessing you do not deserve (like eternal life).
God's Assurance
God assures you that grace is the ultimate foundation of your relationship with Him, and it is available whenever you need it.
"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." — Hebrews 4:16 (NIV)
You are assured that the throne of God is not a place of condemnation but a source of grace, inviting you to come and receive help when life is difficult.
Your Takeaway Thought
Do not let yourself fall back into trying to earn God's love. Every morning, remind yourself that you stand before God only because of His grace.
Let this reality motivate you not to work for salvation, but to work from salvation, using God's enabling grace to live a life that honors the Giver.
