What is God’s Grace?
God’s grace is a common topic among Christians. Many of us say we’ve done or will do something “by God’s grace”.
We all agree with Ephesians 2:8 that we’re saved by grace through faith and that all this doesn’t come from us, but it’s a gift from God so that he alone gets the glory.
However, how would you define the grace of God if someone asked you to give him a definition of it? Or if someone asked you to explain what it means that you’re saved by God’s grace, what would you answer?
Reading the booklet The Grace of God by L. R. Shelton, I’ve found a great way to define God’s grace.
He defines it this way:
Grace is God’s favor to those who clearly deserve God’s wrath and punishment.
Then, he continues:
Grace cannot be bought or won by man, for if it were so, it would not be Grace. So when we say that something is by grace, we mean that he who receives it did not possess it, nor did he deserve it, but [God] gave it to him as something of pure charity, he did not even ask for it, nor did he desire it in the beginning.
The greatest sign of God’s grace
Reading this, I’ve come to understand that God’s grace is one of His attributes. It’s part of His character, and it finds its full manifestation in the surrender of his Son as payment for our sins.
We deserve punishment and wrath from God, but he decided to give us salvation through Jesus Christ.
That’s our God of grace and love. His grace is not cheap, but very expensive. Jesus Christ Himself on the cross can bear witness to the infinite cost of suffering God’s wrath on our behalf.
