Grace: How God Interacts With Us

God's dealings with us are motivated by His love—His care, His concern and even His correction—so we can receive His gift of eternal life as members of His family.

The apostle John summarizes God's motivation and character in three simple words: "God is love" (1 John 4:8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
See All..., 16). His dealings with us are motivated by His love—His care, His concern and even His correction—so we can receive His gift of eternal life as members of His family.

Several of the apostles summarize God's attitude and approach of loving care and concern for us with the term grace . Paul, Peter and John use the word quite often. What do they mean by it, and how can it help us better understand our Creator?

Grace is the word most frequently used in modern BibleThe books (Greek, "biblia" ) that are acknowledged as canonical (authoritative) by the early Christian Church. It includes both the books of the ancient Hebrew prophets and those of the apostolic witnesses to Jesus Christ. translations for the original Greek word charis . There is no simple English-language equivalent. Charis means "that which causes joy, pleasure, gratification, favor [and] acceptance, for a kindness granted or desired . . . [and] a favor done without expectation of return; the absolutely free expression of the loving kindness of God to men in the bounty and benevolence of the Giver" (Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary : New TestamentThe 27 authoritative books of the apostolic writings: the four Gospels of Christ, Acts (a history), 21 apostolic letters and the book of Revelation., 1993, p. 1469). It comes from the Greek verb chairo, which means "to rejoice" (same source).

Charis is also translated as "favor," "thanks" and "pleasure." A simple way to define grace would be to think of it as God's unearned, undeserved favor toward us—motivated by His love and concern for us, especially those of us who accept His invitation to enter into a relationship with Him. It encompasses all of the wonderful gifts God so graciously offers us.

Paul typically starts his letters to the churches with the phrase "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." In doing so he wanted to impress upon his audience God's favor toward those who accept His calling.

How does God express His love for us through grace?

Through grace God reveals Himself and helps us come to know Him and Jesus Christ His Son (John 1:14-16 [14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
[15] John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
[16] And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

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God calls us through His grace (Galatians 1:15But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
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Through grace God pronounces us "justified"— righteous and free of sin-as a result of Jesus Christ's sacrifice (Romans 3:24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
See All...; Titus 3:7That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
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God offers us salvation—His gift of eternal life—through grace (Romans 5:15-18 [15] But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
[16] And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
[17] For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
[18] Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

See All...; Titus 2:11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
See All...; 3:5; Acts 15:11But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
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Through grace God allows us to enjoy a relationship with Him (Romans 5:1-2 [1] Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
[2] By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

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God saves us through His grace (Ephesians 2:5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
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Because of God's grace, God offered Jesus Christ, and Jesus offered Himself, as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
See All...; Hebrews 2:9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
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Through grace God gives us mercy and "help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
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Through grace God gives us not only what we need but enough for us to share with others (2 Corinthians 8:1-4 [1] Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;
[2] How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
[3] For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;
[4] Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

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God forgives us through His grace (Ephesians 1:7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
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Through grace Jesus Christ came in the flesh in the role of a servant so we could have a Savior and receive eternal life (2 Corinthians 8:9For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
See All...; compare Philippians 2:5-11).

God gives us consolation and hope through grace (2 Thessalonians 2:16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
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Through grace God grants spiritual gifts to His people for the benefit of those in His Church (Ephesians 4:7-16 [7] But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
[8] Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
[9] (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
[10] He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
[11] And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
[12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
[13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
[14] That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
[15] But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
[16] From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

See All...; 1 Peter 4:10As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
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God's grace—His dealings with humanity motivated by love—are part of the true gospel (Acts 20:24But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
See All...). The gospel—the good newsThe good news of God's everlasting kingdom to be established on earth after Christ's return and how we may be a part of that kingdom. This message was central to the teaching of Jesus Christ and the apostles. The term is used about 100 times in the New Testament .—is the message of God's plan to offer eternal life in the Kingdom of God to all who have ever lived and will yet live. This is made possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in taking on Himself the penalty for our sins.

The gospel includes the wonderful news that God will intervene in human affairs to save us from ourselves and send Jesus to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. (To better understand the truth about the Kingdom of God, be sure to read the booklet The GospelThe good news of God's everlasting kingdom to be established on earth after Christ's return and how we may be a part of that kingdom. This message was central to the teaching of Jesus Christ and the apostles. The term is used about 100 times in the New Testament . of the Kingdom .)