Hello! It’s John and please allow me to say: Welcome & Thank You for Your Interest in The Meaning of Grace in the Bible to grow your relationship with God!
I am a Licensed and Ordained Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a man transformed by the Love, Power, Promises, and Word of God…It’s my mission to share insights into The Way, The Truth, and The Life, so that you may also enjoy the Fruits of the Spirit — Let’s Grow!!!
To understand the meaning of Grace, you must first understand its origins. So, it must have begun something like this:
God looked down from heaven and thought, “I have wiped out the world in Noah’s day and started over… Then I wiped out Sodom and Gomorrah and all of this was because of man’s propensity to sin.
They will never be able to keep my laws to avoid punishment for sin, so we need a way to extend my favor to them without violating the universal laws of justice.
We need a plan for saving mankind that is our gift to them… Not something they must earn, because we know they cannot earn it, but something we offer them that will allow them to spend eternity with us…”
Grace in the context of the Bible is a profound and central theme. The word ‘grace’ comes from the Greek word ‘charis’, which means favor or kindness given without merit. This concept highlights God’s unmerited favor toward humanity—a favor that we haven’t earned and don’t deserve; a favor truly gifted to us by God the Father, won for us by Jesus Christ, and delivered to us by God, the Holy Spirit. (The very Plan of Salvation through the Grace of God.)
Grace is an unearned favor from God. It’s a recurring theme throughout the Old and New Testaments and forms the backbone of Christian theology.
Ephesians 2:8-9 highlights that it’s by grace we are saved through faith and not from ourselves. It’s a gift from God, not something we’ve worked for. This dovetails nicely with Titus 2:11, which says that the grace of God has appeared, offering salvation to all people. These scriptures lay the foundation of understanding grace as an unmerited kindness that leads to salvation.
Sin is the natural attribute of mankind. Sinlessness is the supernatural attribute of God. So a sacrifice to balance the scales for the weight of mankind’s sin would take a supernatural offering and remedy. The problem was there was no perfect natural man.
Romans 3:23-24 explains that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Have you ever met a perfect person? Yeah. Me neither.
Thus enters God’s Grace.
The first chapter of the book of John in the New Testament, reveals that God became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ. He did so to offer the grace of salvation to every person through Jesus becoming the propitiation for sin…
- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- He was with God in the beginning.
- Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
John 1:14
14. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John makes it crystal clear that God became flesh. This was accomplished by God, The Holy Spirit, coming upon the virgin Mary and impregnating her, through immaculate conception, with the human Son of God, Jesus (Luke 1:34-38).
God limited his deity and became a man to redeem fallen humanity unto himself (Philippians 2:6-8)… He was tempted in every way a man may be tempted, yet remained without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He did this solely because we could never accomplish a sinless life… no, natural human can.
This was the Work of God, to bring us the Gift of Salvation and the undeserved right (grace) to spend eternity with Him.
It was Jesus who accomplished the propitiation of all sin for all time by his perfect life, his blood sacrifice, and his death—this was the culmination of God’s Grace, and the foundation for His Plan of Salvation and the redemption of fallen man.
The wages of sin is death, and Jesus paid that price, and the Holy Spirit rose him from the dead (Romans 8:11).
An important aspect of grace is that it’s a free gift. Romans 6:23 perfectly reveals this: ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ This scripture emphasizes that despite our actions deserving of death, God freely offers eternal life through Jesus and belief in his sacrifice.
Ephesians 2:8 says it’s by grace we’ve been saved, through faith, not by works. No amount of good deeds can earn this gift; it’s entirely God’s doing.
Receiving God’s grace involves repentance and faith. According to 1 John 1:9, confessing our sins means God is Faithful & Just to forgive and purify us. Acts 20:21 adds another layer, underscoring the importance of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. This dual act is how one accepts this divine favor or grace.
Additionally, Grace is incredibly transformative. 2 Corinthians 5:17 describes us becoming a new creation in Christ. It means that the old self—bound by the chains of sin—is gone, and a new life begins, driven by God’s grace. This transformation is not just a change in behavior, but a change in the soul that drives our behavior. It is the complete renewal of one’s being—from the inside out.
Practical Implications of God’s Grace
Grace isn’t just a theological concept—it has real-life implications that affect how we live daily. When we understand and accept God’s grace, it permeates our thoughts, actions, and relationships.
Starting with daily living, grace changes everything. Knowing that we are saved by grace frees us from the burden of trying to earn God’s favor through our actions. He who the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36).
This sense of freedom transforms how we approach life, giving us peace and joy. Colossians 3:12-14 speaks to this, urging us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. These virtues are an outpouring of the understanding of God’s grace.
The New Testament is packed with examples of how to apply grace in daily life. Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) provide practical examples of living gracefully. Whether turning the other cheek or loving our enemies, these actions reflect a life transformed by grace.
Living a life reflective of God’s grace means adopting the fruits of the Spirit as described in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the qualities shown by someone who understands and lives by grace.
Grace profoundly affects our relationships too. Whether with family, friends, or strangers, embodying grace means showing forgiveness, compassion, and patience. This doesn’t mean ignoring wrongdoing but responding with a heart transformed by God’s grace. Colossians 3:13 advises us to bear with each other and forgive one another as the Lord forgave us.
Embracing God’s grace means letting it guide us in how we live, interact with others, and face daily challenges. This transformative power changes us internally but also impacts those around us, creating a ripple effect of grace in a world that so badly needs it.
The Need for God’s Grace and Path to Salvation
The human condition is one of imperfection and sin, and that’s why God’s grace is indispensable. Our sinful nature is a universal problem requiring a divine solution. We are natural beings, but sin requires a supernatural remedy.
God’s grace is the answer to this problem. Romans 6:23 highlights the gravity of sin: ‘For the wages of sin is death,’ but it doesn’t stop there. The verse continues, ‘but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ This is where the need for grace becomes crystal clear.
Achieving God’s grace involves a heartfelt journey of confession, faith, and repentance. 1 John 1:9 lays this out plainly: ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.’ This confession is the first step in experiencing God’s grace.
Repentance goes hand in hand with faith. Acts 3:19 encourages us to ‘repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.’ This act of repentance is about turning away from sin and toward God, opening the door for His grace to enter our lives.
God’s grace is essential for eternal life. Without it, we remain separated from God. Romans 10:9 assures us, ‘If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.’ This is the core of the Gospel message—salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
May the Lord Keep You & Yours, Always,
John
Founder of Truths of Faith
Hi John,
Great article filled with Scripture about grace! Truly, grace is “unmerited favor.” I often think of it as “getting something I don’t deserve.” That something of course is God’s forgiveness and His righteousness. Also, I received God’s mercy, which is not getting what I do deserve, which is death.
The grace of God is very deep, but yet His message is very simple. You have a great story and ministry.
Blessings on you, brother!
– Scott
Thank You, Scott, for your kind words. God IS good, though, without a deeper knowledge of scripture, it is hard sometimes to understand that he is working all things to the good in our darkest hours… I had a friend who could barely speak English, but he had three words that were his answer to every question, complaint, or situation, “Just trust God!”
And, really, everything boils down to those simple, but profound, three words.
Thanks a ton!
John
Thank You, Scott, for your kind words. God IS good, though, without a deeper knowledge of scripture, it is hard sometimes to understand that he is working all things to the good in our darkest hours… I had a friend who could barely speak English, but he had three words that were his answer to every question, complaint, or situation, “Just trust God!”
And, really, everything boils down to those simple, but profound, three words.
Thanks a ton!
John