When my husband recently asked me, “What is grace?” I realized that despite growing up in church, I didn’t have a clear answer.
Week after week, our congregation recites 2 Corinthians 13:14 as a closing benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
And countless times, we’ve sung John Newton’s classic “Amazing Grace,” declaring, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.”
Newton wrote those words while reflecting on his past and the mercy he received in spite of it. Once involved in the slave trade, he survived a near-fatal storm that became a turning point in his life. His hymn captures a powerful truth: grace is undeserved favor, extended in love despite human shortcomings.
So what does the Bible say about grace? Let’s take a closer look at its meaning and explore how it is revealed throughout Scripture.
What Is Grace According to the Bible?
Grace is Undeserved Favor
Grace is God’s unmerited favor toward sinners. His free and sovereign gift is not based on anything in us, but flows entirely from His character and purpose. It’s the way God chooses to save and bless us in Christ, apart from our worth or performance.
As Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Grace is not earned, achieved, or deserved. It is received. Even the faith through which we receive it is a gift, leaving no room for boasting.
Because grace is unmerited, it meets us in our weakness, sinfulness, and folly. Scripture is clear that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. If God’s favor depended on our merit, none of us would experience it.
Grace is God’s Kindness
Kindness is one expression of God’s grace, but biblically, grace is more than general kindness. It is God’s undeserved favor given freely according to His will.
Scripture shows God as kind and loving toward all humanity, which is called His common grace. Though it’s important to remember His saving and covenantal favor is never earned by human goodness.
Even Noah, who was not without sin or inherently deserving of God’s favor, received God’s grace in a time of widespread sin.
As Genesis 6:8 says, “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Though the world was filled with wickedness, Noah and his family were spared. God was kind to them in that He chose to let them know what He intended to do. This shows that God’s grace sets His favor on people, even in the midst of judgment.
Grace is God’s Free Gift
Scripture teaches that all people have sinned, yet God freely offers not only forgiveness but also a new standing before Him.
Romans 3:23–25 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”
Grace, then, is more than God forgiving sin—it is His undeserved favor by which He both pardons our sin and declares us righteous.
Through the cross, God makes a way for our restoration. Hebrews 9:28 tells us that Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, securing redemption for us. Because of His sacrifice, we are justified freely by grace.
Our response is not to earn this grace, but to receive it. We are called to repent and trust in Jesus Christ, placing our faith in His life, sacrificial death, and resurrection. Through faith, we receive both the forgiveness of sins and the gift of being counted righteous before God.
Grace as God’s Power at Work
Grace is not only forgiveness; it is also God’s power working within us. It is not merely a general force that makes good things happen, but God Himself at work, enabling us to grow and obey.
We may try our best and put in effort, but grace is what makes true spiritual growth possible. And without it, we’d quit or fail.
Paul expresses this in 1 Corinthians 15:10: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
When God actively works in us, we can do what we could never accomplish on our own.
Examples of Grace in the Bible
The verses featured above show that God is gracious in both who He is and what He does. The following passages build on this by offering further examples from Scripture.
Grace in the Old Testament
A clear picture of grace is found in 1 Samuel 1 through Hannah, whose name means grace.
After years of barrenness and deep frustration, Hannah cried out to God in fervent prayer, and He answered by giving her a son, Samuel. Her story shows that God responds to our cries and His grace relieves deep suffering.
Psalms also describe God’s character as gracious. In Psalm 86:15, David declares, “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Similarly, Psalm 116:5 says, “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.”
Grace Fulfilled in the New Testament
God’s grace is fully revealed in Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 2:8, Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
Again, grace, and the salvation it brings, is not earned by works but received through faith.
John 1:14 declares that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, “full of grace and truth.”
In Jesus, grace is not only taught but embodied and accomplished. When we repent and place our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and our Savior, we receive forgiveness, are justified, and begin to experience His grace at work in our lives. This same grace not only saves us but continues to sustain and transform us.
Grace Is Not an Excuse to Sin
We should not do wrong just because we know God will extend His grace to us. Scripture teaches that grace is not permission to continue in sin.
In Romans 6:15–16, Paul asks, “What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
He explains that we become slaves to whatever we obey: either sin, which leads to death, or obedience, which leads to righteousness.
Earlier, Paul raises a similar question in Romans 6:1–2, asking whether we should continue to sin so that grace may increase. His answer here is also emphatic: “By no means!” Even though God is gracious, continued sin carries consequences, and persistent iniquity leads to spiritual death (v. 23).
An even sterner warning is found in 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, where Paul reminds believers that those who continue practicing sin will not inherit the kingdom of God. Sin, the very thing that led to the crucifixion of Christ, is what we are called to turn away from, not embrace.
We must walk away from sin to grow in our relationship with God and fully receive and live in His grace.
May God’s Grace Be With Us
Grace is God’s undeserved kindness, His free gift of forgiveness and righteousness, and His power at work within us. He forgives and blesses us, even when we do not deserve it, because of His mercy and love.
At the same time, grace calls us to a transformed life. It does not excuse sin but empowers us to live in righteousness. As we grow in understanding, we begin to see more clearly how deeply God’s grace is at work in our lives, both to save us and change us.
What we understand about grace is true, but there is still so much more to discover about this generous gift. Take time to reflect on the ways God has been gracious to you.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God be with you now and forevermore.
More Resources to Help You Grow in Grace
Looking for more biblical insight and practical encouragement? These related articles and books will help you better understand and live out God’s grace in your daily life.
- The Attributes of God: Understanding His Divine Nature through Scripture
- What Forgiveness in the Bible is (and is Not)
- The Fruit of the Spirit: Paul’s Framework for Christian Living
Love Life Again
In Love Life Again, popular Proverbs 31 speaker and author Tracie Miles challenges us to stop waiting for circumstances to feel perfect and enjoy the life we’ve been given.
Your God Knows
Your God Knows by Lisa Whittle is a powerful six-session Bible study on the book of Nahum that reminds us that God is ever-present, always working, and forever faithful, no matter how weary or abandoned we may feel. The sovereign God understands our pain—and will one day make all things new.
