What Is Grace?

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?" (Romans 6:1-3)


The Grace of God is a gift, given to a fallen race through the Redeeming Blood of Jesus Christ. Yet, it is a concept that has been largely misunderstood by many believers. Scripture must always be taken as a whole to understand any theological concept, not distorted through interpretation or the picking and choosing of particular verses to prove one's own opinions. Unfortunately God's Grace has been reduced to a mere good luck charm, a slogan whereby believers may continue in ungodly living, in the hope that, through His Grace, God will simply 'look the other way.' My aim with this devotional, is to provide a biblical understanding of Grace - what it is, and what it means to the believer - knowledge of this is fundamental to anyone who is serious about their faith.

I have chosen Romans chapter 6 as the basis Scripture for this devotional, simply because it deals with this problem exactly, believers who were under the mistaken impression that once we are saved, Grace automatically covers-over any sin we may commit. I have heard many friends, all professing the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their lives, who are of this opinion and quote Scripture at me in order to convince me of this distorted view of Grace. At this point, I will be honest with you - I was once one of those people. I came to Christ, and although He very quickly began working on many of my ungodly attributes, there were others than continued to remain through my choosing. Things I did not really want to give-up. Remember, God will not force His Righteousness upon anyone, He desires that our hearts yearn for what He has to offer. For a number of years, I continued in patterns of sinfulness and disobedience, focusing on that little prayer of salvation and God's Love and Mercy, expecting His Grace to simply absolve the fact I was not living in accordance with Him. Inwardly, I knew there was something wrong - I had no inner reassurance that I was 'right' with God. Eventually, I was humbled, completely broken through my own decisions, and came to the realization that there was something wrong in my theology. I searched the Scriptures hungrily, and with the help of the Spirit, came to a true understanding of His Grace, its role in Salvation.

We know that it is a gift given freely by God, through His Love and Mercy towards us (Ephesians 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:16), that it cannot be bought by any work or deed (Romans 11:6; Galatians 2:21; Ephesians 2:8-9) and it is through Grace that we are made acceptable in His Sight (Ephesians 1:6). But does that mean that through the initial act of Salvation we are made permanently guilt-free before God? The answer is no. Romans 3:23-24 is one passage that if often used to defend the concept of the 'Grace Cover-All: "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Sure. That's true. But what of the very next verse? It says that this Grace declares our "righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God." It is clear that God's Grace has been taken out of context by some. At the point of Salvation, His Grace is sufficient to 'clear our records', so to speak. The Blood washes it all away.

But what of the Sins we commit after this point? Let us not try and claim that Christians never sin, we are inherently sinful creatures and we do stumble along the way. But with repentance (turning-away), His Grace remains to pick us up off our butts and continue in His Will. We are told to "grow in Grace" (2 Peter 3:18), not to rest on our laurels and expect forgiveness. Paul likens the Christian walk as to a 'Race' - "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain" (1 Corinthians 9:24). We are told throughout the New Testament that we must keep walking in Him - "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13). Grace does not allow for a Christian to live a habitually sinful life. To walk in Christ, to follow Him, to be a true believer, is to allow God to work through us and transform us into images of His Righteousness. If we do not allow this to occur, and instead rely on His gift to do all the work, then Paul tells us that we have received His Grace in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1). In other words, we have accepted His gift and come under influence of it, yet fail to respond to it. It is failing to live by that Grace which we profess to have received, we have heard but done nothing - it is the difference between being born-again alive in Christ and being born-again as a stillborn. The Grace that truly justifies us must be a Grace that also sanctifies us, or we have received that Grace in vain.

The Christian life will be marked by a personal relationship with our Creator, not mere head knowledge. His work will be seen through us - This is Grace. God freely offers His Grace to save, but those who receive it in vain do not get the intended response. The 'intended response' in this being Salvation. His Grace never leaves us, it always there for us to accept - to receive Him with joy and be a branch that beareth much fruit, lest it be cut-off and burned in the fire (John 15).

"By the Grace of God I am what I am: and his Grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the Grace of God which was with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Barukh atah Adonai Elohaynu Melekh haOlam (Blessed be the L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe)

In Christ’s Love and Service,

Rebecca Mihail, OIC Minister from the Australian Outback