What Does the Bible Teach About Grace?

What Does the Bible Teach About Grace?

Uncover what grace teaches us about God the Father and Jesus Christ. We are the recipients of God’s grace, but does it come with obligations? Gain a deeper appreciation for our Heavenly Father’s love, mercy, kindness and compassion.

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What does the Bible actually say about grace? It is mentioned more than 150 times in the Bible, beginning in Genesis where Noah found grace in the eyes of God, all the way through to the last verse in the Bible. Discover how, without God’s law, there would be no need for grace, and how, without Jesus Christ, the grace of forgiveness would not be possible.

This guide explores:

  • How does grace reconcile us to God?
  • Does God place conditions on His gift of salvation?
  • The meaning of “you are not under law, but under grace.”

By understanding fully what the Bible teaches about grace, you will see how God gives us His generous goodness and favor freely. In return, He desires a close relationship, as a parent does with their child.

Table of Contents

A open Bible emitting rays of light.

Introduction

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...

Grace: A Biblical Overview

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.
A young man looking out over a lake.

God’s Grace at Work

2 minutes
Grace is truly a great gift from God. What are some of the things that happen through grace?

A King Fallen and Restored: A Story of God’s 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.
A person behind cell bars of a prison door.

How Grace Reconciles Us to God

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.
A woman reading while sitting on a red bench.

Living Faith and God’s Grace

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.
A man standing by a lake at sunset.

Moving Forward by God’s Grace

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...
A woman looking a trees with the sunlight shining through.

Can Those God Has Forgiven Reject His Grace?

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...
A person walking on wood beams through the woods.

Does God Place Conditions on His Gift of Salvation?

6 minutes
Eternal life is God’s gift of grace, not something any of us deserve or can in any way earn.
Burst of powerful light in the galaxy.

Grace in Action: Jesus Christ’s Example

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...
An open Bible laying on a table.

“For the Law Was Given Through Moses, but Grace and Truth Came Through Jesus Christ”

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...

Rescued Through God’s Grace: Mary’s Story

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...

A Parable Showing the Magnitude of God’s Grace

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...
Ten Commandments on stone tables.

Grace and Law: What Does the Bible Say?

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.
An open Bible and notebook laying on a table.

God’s Law Reflects His Mind and Character

1 minute
God’s law is a reflection of God’s mind, nature and character.

The Apostle Paul: An Example of God’s Grace in Action

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...
A Bible opened to the book of Romans

“You Are Not Under Law, but Under Grace”

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...
An open Bible laying on a rock.

Faith Puts the Law on “Firmer Footing”

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...
Silhouette of man sitting on a rock.

Grace, Faith and Law

4 minutes
Paul taught that salvation is a gift from God by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).
A young woman sitting on a rock.

Repentance, Forgiveness, Power and Understanding Through Grace

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)...
A rocky path with sunrays at the end.

Grace and Law: Why Are They Inseparable?

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...

Jesus’ Identity: Who Gave the Law?

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...
A Greco-Roman statue.

What Did “Grace” Mean in the First-Century World?

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?
A winding country path.

How “Grace” Was Understood in the Time and Culture of the Apostles

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...
A woman sitting on a rock looking out over water.

The “Three Graces”: a First-Century Perspective on Grace in Action

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...
A photo illustration of man writing in a scroll.

Paul’s Greeting of “Grace and Peace”

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...
A man with his head in his hands as if he was praying.

How Can You Grow in Grace?

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...
A young man standing on a hill overlooking a village.

Are You a Friend of God?

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...
A woman sitting on the ground watch the setting sun.

“Free Grace”—Is It Biblical

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...
A man looking out over a vista of hills with the sun in his eyes.

The Apostle Paul on Struggling With Sin Yet Still Under Grace

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...
A man walking up a grassy hill with the bright sun in the background.

Forgive as You Are Forgiven

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...