What is Grace in the Bible?

The word grace comes from the Latin word gratia, as in sola gratia (grace alone). The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as a special favor or privilege, a “disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency.” Grace may also refer to a short prayer before meals, courteous goodwill, moving with elegance or finesse, title (your grace), favor (e.g., staying in someone’s good grace), or even an honor (e.g., she graced me with her presence.)

But grace is most used to refer to God’s favor. The Merriam-Webster dictionary’s first definition of grace is “unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification.” And the classic Christian definition of grace is simply God’s unmerited favor.

Though both definitions are correct, they don’t render justice to the rich meaning of the word as used in the Sacred Scriptures. For further understanding of biblical grace, let’s look at the original Hebrew and Greek words.

Grace in Hebrew

The Hebrew word for grace is chen, which means favor or grace. It appears 69 times in the Old Testament with its first appearance in Genesis 6:8, which says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

Chen also means beauty, charm, or loveliness. It is sometimes describe something pleasant (Proverbs 5:19), precious (Proverbs 1:9), or delightful (Psalm 45:2). Hence, chen can also mean a precious gift of favor that gives delight. It is not motivated by merit or work but solely by the giver’s goodwill.

Chen shares meaning with two other Hebrew words: chanan and chanah.

Chanan means gracious, inclined towards, or favorable. It is showing favor or pity on someone. Chanan appears 78 times in the Old Testament, and often appears as gracious, mercy, merciful, favor, and supplication. While chanah means to decline, bend down, or encamp/pitch a tent.

These two words add to the meaning of grace in the Old Testament. They paints a picture of a person bending down towards someone inferior in pity and bestowing him with kindness or a gift of favor.

We can also get an additional depth to the meaning of chen by examining the Aleph Beth (the Hebrew alphabet). Chen comprises two Hebrew letters: Cheth and Nun. Cheth is the picture of a fence, and it means a private place of refuge or protected sanctuary to separate from the outside. And nun is the picture of a fish or a seed, which means activity and life. Therefore, chen literally means giving life, then separating and protecting it from the outside

Grace in Greek

The Greek word for grace in the New Testament is charis, and it means kindness, favor, loveliness, goodwill, or gratitude. It appears 156 times in the New Testament, with its first appearance in Luke 1:30, which says, “And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

Charis comes from the root word xar, which means favorably disposed, leaning towards, or freely extending oneself. So properly, charis also means freely inclining or extending oneself towards another to show him favor because of one’s favorable disposition towards the other.

The NT also uses charis to express pleasure and delight. It is closely related to chairo, which means to rejoice, and chara, which means joy. Charis is also translated as thanks occasionally. For instance, 2 Cor 9:15 says, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” Wherever grace goes, thanksgiving and joy always follow!

Putting it together

Grace in the Bible means freely extending oneself to show favor or kindness to another. It is when a person inclines himself towards someone inferior to bestow him with blessing, protection, and delightful gifts.

And this precious gift always provokes joy and gratitude in the receiver because it is undeserved. Grace is solely based on the goodwill and pleasure of the person giving it, not the recipient’s merit or work.

When the Bible speaks about grace, it is overwhelmingly about the grace of God (Acts 11:23; 13:43; 14:26; 20:24; Rom 5:15; 1 Cor 1:4; 3:10; 15:10; 2 Cor 1:12; 6:1; 8:1; 9:14; Gal. 2:21; Col 1:6; Titus 2:11; Heb 2:9; Heb 12:15; 1Pet 5:12).

Being gracious is His nature (Exodus 34:6), and His grace is always towards undeserving rebellious sinners. In his classic Knowing God, J.I. Packer says, “The grace of God is love freely shown towards guilty sinners, contrary to their merit and indeed in defiance of their demerit. It is God showing goodness to persons who deserve only severity and had no reason to expect anything but severity.”

God’s amazing grace in Christ

God displays His grace chiefly in Christ Jesus. After our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God, sin and death entered the world (Rom 5:19). As a result, all of us sinned and rebelled against God (Rom 3:23). And the consequence of sin is death (Rom 6:23) and eternal ruin away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might (2 Thes 1:9).

God could not overlook our sins because He is just and holy. We committed high treason against him when we willingly turned our backs on our Creator, went our own way, and did as we pleased (Isa 53:6, Rom 3:10-18). We fully deserve to suffer under His wrath.

But God extended grace and sent His only Son to save the world (John 3:16 Romans 8:32). The Son of God humiliated Himself to become a man so He could bear the full wrath of God in our stead (1 Pet 2:24).

“Though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Through Christ, God gives us the gracious gift of righteousness and eternal life (Romans 3:24; 6:23). Everyone who believes in the Son of God will receive pardon for sins, peace with God, and eternal life (Rom 5:1; 5:9; 8:1; 10:13). In Christ, rebellious sinners receive a new life, separate from the world, and are holy unto the Lord (2 Cor 5:17, Phil 3:20, Jn 15:15-19). And nothing will ever separate us from God again (Jn 10:28, Rom 8:38-39).

We do not deserve such blessings from God. We are the lowest of his creatures, lower even than angels whom He did not spare (2 Pet 2:4). Our frame is dust, and our days are like a vapor; who are we that God should be mindful of us?

Grace is indeed “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expenses.” And it is amazing!

Two types of grace

Reformed theologians speak of God’s grace in two distinct categories: common grace and special grace.

Common grace is God’s favor and kindness to humanity in general. It is when God gives us good gifts regardless of our belief in Christ. Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” And Matthew 5:45 says, “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Some examples of God’s common grace to man include good health, children, quality of life, restrain of sin, etc.

Special grace or saving grace, in contrast, is God’s goodwill and favor given only to His elect. Theologians call it special grace because it is not available to everyone, only those who know and believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Herman Bavinck described special grace as “his voluntary, unrestrained, unmerited favor toward guilty sinners, granting them justification and life instead of the penalty of death, which they deserved.”

The privilege of special grace includes election (John 6:65; 17:9), justification (Romans 5:1), sanctification (Phil 1:6), adoption (John 1:12, 1 John 3:1), and glorification (Romans 8:30).

Attributes of biblical grace

Grace comes from God

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” – Ps 84:11

Christ manifests God’s grace

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.” – Titus 2:11

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

“For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” – John 1:16-17

God always gives grace

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Heb 4:16

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” 2 Cor 9:8

“Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” – Rom 5:20

Grace alone saves

“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.” Eph 2:8-9

“And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” – Rom 3:24

“But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:11

Grace frees us from sin

“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:14

Grace empowers 

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Cor 12:9

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” – 2 Tim 2:1

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” – 1 Cor 15:10

God’s grace is rich and glorious

“To the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” – Eph 1:6

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” – Eph 1:7

“So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” – Eph 2:7

God’s grace is manifold

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:” – 1 Pet 4:10

“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” – Eph 4:7

  Grace and peace to you!