Joshua Hawk

Grace. Many of us are familiar with this word. We sing about it in church with songs like Amazing Grace and Your Grace is Enough but what is grace? Grace is arguably one of the most debated theological subjects of all time. Many denominations and doctrines have formed because of various interpretations of grace; however, very few actually understand what grace is. Allow me to prove my point.

Let’s play a game. Think of one Bible verse about God’s grace. Ready? Go!

Did you choose the following verse?

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV

If you did, you’re certainly not alone. This is a go-to verse for the majority of Christians. Now let’s put your Bible knowledge further to the test. Think of another verse about God’s grace. Three… Two… One… Go!

If I could guess, your wheels are beginning to turn. Feeling the pressure yet? Are you now wondering what I’m doing inside your head?

Time’s up. If you have chosen your second verse, I can probably guess which verse you chose.

“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”” 2 Corinthians 12:9a NKJV

Was I correct again? Don’t worry, this game is almost over! Now, I want you to think of one more verse about God’s grace. Go!

Did your gears just come to a complete stop? I’m willing to make the prediction that it will for many others in the third round.

The reason I put you through this mini exercise is because the Bible has a lot to say about grace. In fact, the word grace appears in the King James Version of the Bible 171 times! If grace is mentioned that many times in the Bible, why is it so many of us know so little about it? For one, Biblical illiteracy is the biggest reason why but two, many Christians believe they know everything there is to know about God’s grace from a couple of verses taken grossly out of context. Limited understanding of grace has given rise to terrible doctrines about God’s grace. In fact, Jude gave a strong warning about those who pervert the grace of God.

“Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:3-4 NLT

In my lifetime, I have come to know many Christians from different denominations holding different doctrinal positions. Sadly, there are many who have a poor understanding of God’s grace much like the people Jude described. Some go as far as using God’s grace as a license to sin. Now please do not take any offense to what I am about to say. I say this with a loving heart with the intent to correct but I firmly believe what Jude described were the origins of one of the largest doctrinal positions in modern times.

Those who embrace the false teachings of Antinomianism and eternal salvation love to quote John 10:28-30, Ephesians 2:8-9 and a handful of verses about adoption. They somehow come to the erroneous conclusion that righteousness and holiness are “works” and therefore aren’t required for salvation. Like many who do not understand the grace of God, they fail to look at the bigger picture.

When it comes to reading the Bible, I am a firm believer in context. It is very easy to misinterpret a single Bible verse taken out of context. For example, if I were to only quote Genesis 22:2 and preach a thirty minute sermon from that one verse, it would be easy for people to come to the false conclusion that God demands child sacrifice; however, if I were to read and preach the entire story, we would get a clearer picture and see God’s true intention was to test Abraham’s faith.

In the same sense, we too can inadvertently draw incorrect conclusions about God’s grace if we do not have the full context. Let’s read Ephesians 2:8-9 again but this time let’s also read verse 10.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV

If there’s one person other than Jesus who understood grace better than any other figure in the New Testament, it would be Paul. Many Christians and pastors today define grace as “God’s unmerited favor” but Paul understood there was more to grace than the forgiveness of sins and unmerited favor; he understood it as God’s power. Let us remember that God once told Paul, “My grace (My power) is sufficient for you and made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). With this knowledge, Paul wrote to the Ephesians that we were created in Christ Jesus for the purpose of doing good works. Christians with a cheap view of God’s grace often say “good works” aren’t required but Paul clearly teaches God created us to walk in them. I believe the Scriptures are infallible and inerrant so I do not believe Paul is contradicting himself. The problem is undoubtedly OUR misunderstanding. So what was Paul trying to teach the Ephesians?

From a historical standpoint, the Jews believed salvation was obtainable by strict adherence to the Mosaic Law but the Law had no power to save; only the power to prove that mankind was sinful and needed a Savior (Romans 3:20). Mankind was incapable of saving themselves so divine intervention was needed. God offers us salvation through His grace which was made available to us through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Paul further expounds on this truth in his letter to Titus,

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” Titus 2:11-12 NKJV

As we start to gain context, a beautiful picture begins to emerge. Paul wasn’t teaching the Ephesians that “works” were unnecessary nor God’s grace eliminates the need for personal holiness. Paul was teaching the Ephesians that salvation can never be earned by performing good deeds because merit-based salvation cultivates pride; however, good deeds are a byproduct of our salvation. In other words, God’s grace isn’t received by doing good works; God’s grace is received so we CAN do good works. Paul confirms this in his letter to the Romans when he teaches that grace helps us to be obedient to the faith.

“Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name.” Romans 1:5 NKJV

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:14 NKJV

None of us have the ability to live righteously on our own without God but God’s power is demonstrated in our human weakness. This is what the grace of God is really about! Grace empowers us to live righteously and to deny ungodliness that we otherwise couldn’t do on our own. Grace never eliminates God’s requirement of righteousness and holiness; it helps us to fulfill them. What an incredible gift from God!

Now that you have a better understanding of what God’s grace is, I pray you come to treasure His grace and never take it for granted. Without His grace we could never be saved. Thank you, Lord for this wonderful gift!

“Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:12b-13 NLT