📖 Biblical Definition
Common grace is the unmerited favor of God bestowed upon all humanity without distinction, restraining sin, maintaining order, and enabling the goods of civilization, culture, and natural life. It is distinguished from saving grace in that it does not regenerate the heart or produce saving faith. Jesus taught that God "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). Common grace is why unregenerate men can still perform acts of civic virtue, create art, govern justly, and show kindness. It restrains the full expression of human depravity so that life on earth remains possible. Without common grace, the wickedness of man would make civilization impossible.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Favor; good will; kindness; disposition to oblige another.
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GRACE, n. [L. gratia.] 1. Favor; good will; kindness; disposition to oblige another. 2. Appropriately, the free unmerited love and favor of God, the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him. 3. Favorable influence of God; divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin. Webster understood grace primarily in its theological register: unmerited divine favor.
📖 Key Scripture
• Matthew 5:45 — "He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
• Acts 14:17 — "He did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness."
• Psalm 145:9 — "The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made."
• Romans 2:4 — "God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Common grace is confused with universal salvation or denied altogether.
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Two errors assault the doctrine of common grace. The first is universalism, which conflates common grace with saving grace and concludes that because God is good to all, He will save all. This ignores the biblical distinction between God's providential kindness and His redemptive mercy. The second error comes from hyper-Calvinists who deny common grace altogether, claiming that God has no favor whatsoever toward the reprobate. This contradicts the plain teaching of Scripture that God gives good gifts to all and takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Common grace explains why the world is not as bad as it could be, while saving grace explains why any sinner is redeemed at all.
Usage
• "Common grace explains why an atheist can be a good neighbor: God restrains sin even in those He has not regenerated."
• "Do not confuse common grace with saving grace. Rain falls on the unjust, but only the elect receive new hearts."