Unearned Favor for Undeserving People*
But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. Romans 5:20 (NKJV)
Did you ever notice that Paul begins all his letters with a greeting that includes the word grace? Usually he adds the word peace and sometimes he adds the word mercy. Always, however, he highlights grace.
The word grace appears over 140 times in the New King James Version of the Bible (128 times in the NIV). The first time we read of God’s grace is Genesis 6:8—“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” That we can easily understand because Noah was God’s man in a wicked world.
Moses also “found grace” in God’s sight (Exodus 33:12 NKJV). In Exodus 33 God rewarded Moses’s faithful service and humble devotion by allowing him to view his glory in a way no other human being ever had (33:17–23). Moses, too, was a man of stellar faith.
So where does that leave the rest of us, who haven’t built any arks or parted any seas? That’s the whole point of grace. It has nothing to do with who we are or what we do. Grace is a gift—the unearned favor of God given to undeserving people like you and me.
When used in the New Testament, the Greek word translated grace refers to “the merciful kindness by which God” makes our heart receptive to the gospel, then “keeps, strengthens, increases [us] in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles [us] to the exercise of Christian virtues.”[i] In other words, every godly thought or action is the result of God’s grace.
The apostle John wrote, “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 ESV). As Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NLT). It’s all grace!
That’s the reason Paul begins each of his letters with the phrase “grace to you.” Every blessing we receive every day of our lives is a gift of grace. We are justified by grace (Romans 3:24). Spiritual gifts are products of grace (Romans 12:6). The ability to witness is a manifestation of grace (Romans 15:5). Even generosity is a result of grace (2 Corinthians 8:1–7).
No wonder hymn writer John Newton used the adjective amazing to describe God’s grace in the classic hymn “Amazing Grace.” Someday we’ll join the apostles, the hymn writers, and all our other fellow Christians in heaven. There we’ll sing praises to the One who enables us to receive and to extend grace. I don’t think ten thousand years will be enough time to express our gratitude to God for his grace, do you?
Pay attention to grace this week—the grace God extends to you and the grace you extend to others. Then thank him for his amazing grace.
DIG DEEPER
Grace is not listed as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) or the list of virtues given in 2 Peter 1:5–7. Why do you think it’s omitted?
Peter tells his readers to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Why do you think he pairs those two things?
The Greek word for grace, charis, is similar to the Hebrew word, checed, which is translated in a variety of ways: goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy. Compare Ephesians 2:8–9 with Deuteronomy 7:7–10 for an intriguing look at Old Testament grace.
Denise K. Loock
*Note: This devotion appears in a slightly different form in Open Your Hymnal: Devotions That Harmonize Scripture with Song. To find out more about the revised and expanded edition of this book, go to Open Your Hymnal.
[i] “G5485 – charis – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (nkjv).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 8 Jan, 2024. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5485/nkjv/tr/0-1/.