Divine grace

Divine grace is the sovereign favour of God exercised in the bestowment of blessings upon those who have no merit in them. It is a Christian term for God's graciousness to humanity that he is under no need or obligation to exhibit. Most broadly, divine grace may also refer to God's gifts to humankind, including our life, creation, and salvation, which God gives to us freely. More narrowly but more commonly, grace describes the means by which humans are saved from original sin and granted salvation. This latter concept of grace is of central importance in the theology of Christianity, as well as one of the most contentious issues in Christian sectarianism.

Shared concepts of grace

::Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)

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:::That sav'd a wretch like me!

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::I once was lost, but now am found,

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:::Was blind, but now I see.

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Most Christians believe that people receive salvation through the grace of God.

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Most Christians of any of the major Western denominations agree that mankind is born in a state of sin. This is a consequence of original sin; a sinful nature is inherited; it is part of man's condition. Traditionally, original sin is explained as a result of the fall of man through the first sins of Adam and Eve in Eden. Some would now reject the story from Genesis as history. But even those who reject it still agree that men are born in sin. The original state of grace enjoyed by the once-good people God created has been lost, for them and for their descendants. We are born having forfeited any claim to salvation. (By contrast, Eastern Orthodoxy does not subscribe to this particular doctrine of original sin.)

Related Topics:
Western - Denomination - Sin - Original sin - Fall of man - Adam and Eve - Eden - Genesis - History - Eastern Orthodoxy

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God's grace responds to this otherwise hopeless situation. God, at His initiative, sent prophets and other teachers to reveal His existence to mankind. He gave the Torah, the Law of Moses, to the Jews, and made them his chosen people to provide a moral example to the rest of mankind.

Related Topics:
Torah - Law - Moses - Jew - Chosen people

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It was also through the Jews that God's grace sent his Son, Jesus Christ, who sought to make atonement for the sins of mankind through his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. God's grace is freely given, on behalf of the men He has called to salvation. God was not obliged to save anyone; men cannot make themselves good enough to earn their way into Heaven on their own initiative, or give rise to a duty on God's part to save them. It is only through the redemption bought by Christ's sacrifice that anyone is saved, and the path of salvation for men lies in participating in that redemption. Indeed, some denominations of Christianity paraphrase grace as "God's Rewards At Christ's Expense" to represent this.

Related Topics:
Son - Jesus - Christ - Atonement - Crucifixion - Resurrection - Sacrifice

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The apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesians (NT) makes this teaching clear, "For by Grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (ESV)"

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It is by God's Grace (unmeritted favour), therefore, that salvation is granted to man, on the condition that we put our faith (piðstiv: meaning belief i.e trust)in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour i.e. belief that Jesus is from God, Jesus is the Messiah (Messiðav: meaning annointed one. Also the hebrew word for Christ) and that his death on the cross has the power to take away our sins, thus making us blameless in the sight of God.

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Grace, then, is God's initiative and choice to make a path of salvation available for men. On this, almost all Christians agree, though they may disagree on the meaning of some terms, or on which parts of the narrative of grace to emphasize. But from here out, it gets more contentious.

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