What Is Grace?
The Greek word charis, translated "grace," means gift, favour, or pleasure. In Scripture it describes God's unearned favour toward those who deserve the opposite. The classic acronym GRACE — God's Riches At Christ's Expense — captures something of its meaning. Grace is not God overlooking sin; it is God satisfying justice through Christ so that He can lavish favour on the undeserving.
Grace and Sin
Romans 5:20 makes a staggering claim: "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." Paul anticipates the misuse of this truth and rebukes it: "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!" (Romans 6:1-2). Grace is not a licence to sin; it is the power to not sin. Titus 2:11-12 says grace "trains us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives."
Saving Grace
Salvation is entirely of grace. "For by grace you have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8). There is no boasting, no spiritual achievement, no religious merit involved. Even the faith by which we receive grace is described as "not your own doing; it is the gift of God." Grace begins, sustains, and completes salvation from first to last.
Grace for Daily Life
Paul discovered the sufficiency of grace in weakness when he three times asked God to remove his "thorn in the flesh." God's answer: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Grace is not just for the moment of salvation — it is the daily resource for Christian living. Hebrews 4:16 invites us to "draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Growing in Grace
2 Peter 3:18 commands us to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Grace is not static — our understanding of it deepens, and our experience of it broadens as we walk with God. The means of grace include the Word, prayer, the Lord's Supper, fellowship, and trials that strip away self-reliance and throw us onto God alone.