What Does the Bible Teach About Grace?

“Grace” is a word not often used these days, except in a religious sense. But what does it really mean? What does it teach us about God the Father and Jesus Christ? What did the word mean when the biblical writers used it? We are the recipients of God’s grace, but does it come with obligations on our part? Few things could be more important to our relationship with God than a true biblical understanding of grace! Be sure to read this eye-opening study guide to discover the real biblical meaning of grace!

Table of Contents

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A open Bible emitting rays of light.
4 minutes
The word grace appears often in the Bible, from its first book to its last. But what does it mean? Does your understanding of grace agree with the...
20 minutes
To understand the meaning of grace, we need to understand the Hebrew and Greek words used for grace in the Bible and what they reveal to us.
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A young man looking out over a lake.
2 minutes
Grace is truly a great gift from God. What are some of the things that happen through grace?
6 minutes
The Bible is hard on its heroes. While it records their great deeds, it also records their flaws and often their worst sins.
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A person behind cell bars of a prison door.
19 minutes
God’s Word tells us that our sins have separated us from God. So what is the solution to this estrangement? God has provided a way through His grace.
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A woman reading while sitting on a red bench.
3 minutes
We must have faith that Christ really lived and died for us and that He will change us now and ultimately at the resurrection.
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A man standing by a lake at sunset.
3 minutes
Many people struggle with unresolved guilt and feelings of shame over past mistakes and sins. How should our faith in God’s grace and forgiveness...
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A woman looking a trees with the sunlight shining through.
6 minutes
Some people believe that when a person commits his or her life to Jesus Christ, accepting Him as personal Savior, then eternal salvation is totally...
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A person walking on wood beams through the woods.
6 minutes
Eternal life is God’s gift of grace, not something any of us deserve or can in any way earn.
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Burst of powerful light in the galaxy.
25 minutes
The best way to understand grace may be to see it in action. In the life of Jesus Christ we have a perfect example of grace to follow and show in our...
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An open Bible laying on a table.
3 minutes
John never stated or implied that no form of grace came through Moses. John understood that everything good has come by God’s grace—including the law...
5 minutes
Sometimes we must be rescued and delivered from desperate situations before we can move forward on the path toward God’s spiritual salvation. We...
6 minutes
As we see repeatedly in the surrounding chapter, Jesus exemplified God’s grace again and again in what He did while on earth. And the Gospels are...
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Ten Commandments on stone tables.
14 minutes
Many people have the impression that grace and law are fundamentally opposed. But is this what the Bible teaches? Let’s examine what it really says.
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An open Bible and notebook laying on a table.
1 minute
God’s law is a reflection of God’s mind, nature and character.
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A Bible opened to the book of Romans
6 minutes
Many people point to Romans 6:14, which says, “You are not under law, but under grace,” to argue that Christians, being under grace, no longer need to...
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An open Bible laying on a rock.
2 minutes
A comment by Paul that many lift out of context and misinterpret is Romans 3:28: “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from...
6 minutes
The word grace had deep meaning for the apostle Paul. His letters form the bulk of what we today call the New Testament, and in those letters he used...
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Silhouette of man sitting on a rock.
4 minutes
Paul taught that salvation is a gift from God by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).
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A young woman sitting on a rock.
6 minutes
The Bible describes sin as the deadly enemy of all mankind (Romans 6:23). Our corrupted human nature has a powerful compulsion to sin (Romans 8:7)...
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A rocky path with sunrays at the end.
3 minutes
The word grace is regularly used by some religious people as if it replaces all need to obey God’s law. That conclusion is not only inaccurate, it is...
6 minutes
Many people think Jesus of Nazareth came to do away with the law, replacing law with grace—but did He? Few things could be more important to you than...
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A Greco-Roman statue.
11 minutes
The Greek word commonly translated “grace” had a specific meaning in the first-century Roman Empire in which the apostles taught. What does it reveal?
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A winding country path.
7 minutes
The Greek word charis, commonly translated “grace” in our Bibles, had a specific meaning in the time and culture in which the New Testament was...
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A woman sitting on a rock looking out over water.
4 minutes
The concept of grace was depicted visually in a motif common in the Greco-Roman world in which the New Testament was written. Aspects of grace were...
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A photo illustration of man writing in a scroll.
6 minutes
Today our written communications with other people are so hurried, so instant (think texting, email or social media), that we rarely if ever deeply...
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A man with his head in his hands as if he was praying.
20 minutes
In light of what the Bible shows us about grace, what does this mean for us? Does receiving God’s grace come with obligations? How can we grow in...
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A young man standing on a hill overlooking a village.
3 minutes
In the hours before His death by crucifixion, Jesus made a remarkable statement to His disciples: “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant...
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A woman sitting on the ground watch the setting sun.
5 minutes
As we have seen in this study guide, grace is a free gift from God and a reflection of His loving nature and character. But we have also seen that the...
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A man looking out over a vista of hills with the sun in his eyes.
4 minutes
How does grace interact with the law of God? How do we reconcile grace and law? Two major gifts of grace are the unmerited mercy God grants us by His...
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A man walking up a grassy hill with the bright sun in the background.
4 minutes
People often think of God’s grace in terms of His mercy—His showing of compassion and particularly His forgiveness of sins through the sacrifice of...