Grace Without the Disclaimer

What Is Grace?

The term grace is often one of the most misunderstood concepts in our faith. It is also a concept that many believers want to tame. We try to bring “balance” to grace. We preach it while attaching a disclaimer to it.

With this write-up, we hope to bring more clarity and learn together what exactly grace is. We also hope to talk about the supposed limitations of grace.

The Greek word for grace is χάρις (Charis), meaning grace, favor, kindness, goodwill, or gift. The Hebrew word is חֵן (Chen), meaning grace, favor, acceptance, or goodwill. The concept behind the word “grace” is very similar to how we use it today.

If Mr. A gives grace to Mr. B, this means:

• Mr. A is showing favor and kindness to Mr. B.
• Mr. A is in a position to extend something to Mr. B that Mr. B cannot demand as an entitlement.
• Mr. A is not obligated to show that favor or kindness to Mr. B. Otherwise, it would be a payment or something owed.

So, in the Christian faith, when we say we are saved by grace, what we mean is that God saves us because of His own character. It has nothing to do with what we did or will do.

Grace Is the Character of God

Grace in itself is an abstract concept, but it is embodied in God. In other words, we can say God is gracious, but that graciousness must be expressed in different ways.

John 3:16 (KJV):

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

As we can see in the verse above, the word grace is not mentioned. But grace is all over that verse. The verse has two subjects—really one: God the Father and God the Son.

• God loves the world.

This is self-explanatory because we are His creation. It is possible for Him to love the world and leave it as it is. He doesn't have to love the world. We do NOTHING for Him.

Acts 17:24–25 (NIV) tells us that God is not served by human hands as though He needed anything from us. Instead, He is the One who gives us life, breath, and everything else.

This is grace.

• But to express that love, He GAVE His Son.

That love, which in itself is an expression of His grace (Gracious Character), is expressed through His giving.

This is grace again.

In theory, God could have loved us and told us to live as monks in order to be saved. It would still have been a good deal. Instead, HE GAVE. He gave us the easiest route.

• All we have to do is believe.

This is the ultimate cheat code.

Grace Is Not New

Although the Apostle Paul develops and explains the doctrine of grace extensively in his writings, the grace of God is seen throughout Scripture—from Genesis to Revelation.

That grace is expressed through different attributes of God's character.

One of the challenges to understanding the grace of God is interpreting Old Testament events and reconciling what we read there with who God says He is.

Grace is NOT a New Testament phenomenon. Grace is the character of God.

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV):

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

The Jesus revealed to us in the New Testament does not reveal a different God from the God we encounter in the Old Testament. This creates a strange tension when we read certain Old Testament passages.

Would a gracious God have an entire town—with young and old people—destroyed?The disconnect may lie in our interpretation and in the language and cultural barriers between us, the modern readers, and the writers of these ancient texts.

God is gracious.

We are saved by God's grace—meaning we don't deserve it—by receiving His love toward us, expressed through His giving of His Son. All of this is a reflection of who He is.

In the next part of this topic, we will examine John 1:17 (NIV):

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

And we will ask an important question:

Is Truth the Balance to Grace?