The free, unmerited, sovereign favor of God toward sinners — grounded solely in his own goodness and the work of Christ, never in human merit or worthiness. Grace is distinct from mercy (withholding deserved punishment) in that it gives undeserved blessing. The entire architecture of salvation is grace: election is grace (Ephesians 1:4–6), calling is grace (Romans 8:30), justification is grace (Romans 3:24), perseverance is grace (Philippians 1:6), and glorification is grace (Romans 8:30). Paul's summary is definitive: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8–9). Grace does not merely assist salvation — it accomplishes it.
GRACE, n. Favor; good will; kindness; disposition to oblige another; as a grant made as an act of grace. In theology, the free unmerited love and favor of God; the spring and source of all the benefits men receive from him. In this sense, it is opposed to works and merit, as the ground of justification: "By grace are ye saved, through faith." Grace includes in its meaning every spiritual benefit — pardon, regeneration, sanctification, perseverance — and is the foundation of Christian hope.
Grace has been corrupted in two directions. The first is legalism — adding human performance as a partial basis of acceptance with God, turning grace into a reward for effort rather than a free gift. The second — and more common in contemporary evangelicalism — is antinomianism: treating grace as permission to sin, a license to ignore God's commands since "we're not under law." Paul anticipates this precisely: "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!" (Romans 6:1–2). True grace does not make obedience optional — it makes obedience possible and delightful. A "grace" that produces no transformation is not grace at all; it is sentimentality dressed in theological language.
Ephesians 2:8–9 — "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
John 1:17 — "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:20 — "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more."
2 Corinthians 12:9 — "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"
Titus 2:11–12 — "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions."
H2580 — חֵן (chen): "grace, favor" — used of Noah finding favor in God's eyes; the condescending favor of a superior to an inferior
H2617 — חֶסֶד (chesed): "steadfast love, covenant loyalty, lovingkindness" — grace expressed within covenant relationship
G5485 — χάρις (charis): "grace, favor, gift" — the central NT term for God's free unmerited favor in salvation
"The grace of God is not a second chance — it is a complete rescue. Not an assist but an accomplishment."
"Paul says grace trains us to renounce ungodliness — the same grace that saves us also sanctifies us. It never licenses sin."
"'Amazing grace, how sweet the sound' — amazing because it is precisely undeserved. If we deserved it, it would be a wage, not a gift."