The Grace of God

James Packer, in his book entitled “Knowing God,” states that Christianity is the religion of grace. He presents God’s grace as God’s freely manifested love for guilty sinners, regardless of their merits and even in defiance of their demerits. It is God who shows kindness to beings who deserve only severity and who have no reason to hope for anything else.

In other words, grace is God’s sovereign, free, and unmerited love for sinners.
It is not based on any quality in the creature, but solely on the character of God himself: his goodness, his faithfulness, and his decision to save.

I- Simple Definition of God's Grace

Among the most remarkable biblical verses on grace are passages from both the Old and New Testaments that describe grace as God’s free gift and unmerited love, bestowed by Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life. These verses emphasize that God’s grace is abundant, that it enables us to receive forgiveness, gives us strength in weakness, and is the source of justification and peace. God’s grace is present throughout the Bible.

Here are a few examples:

In the Old Testament:

Isaiah 30:18 “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!”
Isaiah 25:8 “he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.”
Psalms 103 “The :8 Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.”
Nehemiah 9:31 “But in your great mercy you did not put an end to them or abandon them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.”

In the New Testament:

Romans 3:24 “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. “
2 Corinthians 12:9 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
1 Peter 4:10 “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. “
James 4:6 “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”“
Acts 4:11 “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 “⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. “

…And so many others.

According to Christian theology, God’s grace is simply defined as God’s free and unmerited favor toward sinful humanity, through which He grants salvation, forgiveness of sin, and the strength to live according to His will.

In other words, grace is God’s benevolent action toward sinful humanity, not because of what we do, but in spite of who we are.

II- Origin of the Word Grace

The word grace comes from:

the Hebrew word ḥen: favor, benevolence,
and the Greek word charis: gratuitous favor, gift.

We must remember the three essential points:

God is the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”),
Salvation is by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9),
And the whole Christian life depends on grace (Titus 2:11-14 “11 “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people who are his very own, eager to do what is good.”).

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

III- Different Forms of Grace

The theology of grace is complex!

Throughout the history of Christianity, theologians have continually debated the various forms that grace takes in the Christian faith.

In this regard, the exchanges between the Catholic, Orthodox, Reformed Protestant, and Methodist traditions offer a comprehensive yet nuanced understanding of grace. Despite their differences, all recognize the same root: God’s unconditional love.

I mentioned earlier that the doctrine of grace is very complex. The different traditions (Calvinist, Arminian, Catholic, Wesleyan, etc.) use the same words—”saving grace,” “justifying grace,” “sanctifying grace”—but with different theological nuances. This is often a source of confusion, even among theologians. In my own reflection, I limit myself to comparing only two conceptions of grace: that of the Calvinists and that of the Arminians/Wesleyans.

In the remainder of this essay, I do not intend to offer an in-depth analysis of the various forms of God’s grace debated within the different Christian traditions. Such a task far exceeds my expertise and knowledge of Scripture.

There are several forms of grace, and I will present seven. My aim is to provide a general overview, without entering into the oldest and most intense theological debates, which also far exceed my skill in this area.

Each form of grace will be accompanied by biblical references to illustrate its meaning.

III-1 Common Grace

In theological debate, some theologians argue that it is more accurate to say that the “dead” spirit renders man incapable of fully resisting sin in his own strength. According to them, the spirit is “dead” to refer to a person separated from God, not yet transformed by faith or divine grace. This does not mean that he is incapable of resisting evil or doing good. This idea comes from the concept of “Common Grace.“.

Common grace is a Christian theological concept that is part of Reformed doctrine, particularly Calvinism. Unlike saving grace, which is reserved for the elect for salvation, common grace is granted by God to all humanity, regardless of their election. It is characterized by the following three points:

1)- It is universal : It is granted to all human beings, believers or not.

Psalms 145:9 “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”.

Matthew 5:45 “that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”.

Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”.

Acts 14:16-17 “¹⁶In the past, he let all nations go their own way. ¹⁷Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”.

In addition to His compassion, kindness, and goodness, God shows patience toward all, elect and not (Nahum 1:3).

2)- It is the restraint of sin: Although common grace is not saving, it limits sin in the life of each individual and in society.

Genesis 20:6 “Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her.”.

Nabal’s wife Abigail understood this grace in 1 Samuel 25:26 as she implored David not to seek revenge: “And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal.“.

Common grace includes not only God’s restraint of evil, but also His sovereign release of it for His own purposes. When God hardens an individual’s heart, He releases His hold on that heart, thereby delivering it over to the sin within (Exodus 4:21; Joshua 11:20; Isaiah 63:17; Psalm 81:11-12).

In the New Testament, Paul speaks of God’s liberation from constraint, who gave the pagan world over to its own depraved mind, to do unworthy things (Romans 1:28 “Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.“).

3)- It allows for “social justice for the unbeliever” : God exerts such an influence that even an unsaved person is able to perform good deeds towards his neighbor, without his spirit being regenerated .

Romans 2:14-15 “¹⁴(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)”.

Providential Common Grace

It is manifested by God’s goodness to all His creation, for example rain, food, joy, moral conscience as well as scientific and artistic progress.

The concept of common grace allows us to understand: