What Makes God's Grace So Amazing?

Throughout the Bible we see that grace is one of the things that defines God’s character. Consider what the psalmist wrote.

“But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15).

This is not the only reference – there are many that refer to God’s nature of grace. So, what does this word actually mean? Here is a complete definition of God’s grace:

- Grace is God’s unmerited favor.

- Grace is goodwill freely spread by God especially for the benefit of the one who receives it, regardless of the cost he (God) has to pay to give it.

- Grace is merciful, compassionate, or kind behavior coming from a more powerful person toward another.

If you were to combine these three definitions into one sentence, here is how I would define God’s grace. Grace is God’s favor that he gives of his own freewill, at his expense, to those who don’t deserve it. When you think of grace in this light, there is something else I want you to understand. Grace flows downhill. One of the beautiful aspects of God’s grace is that it flows downhill from God who gives it to us who are the one who receives it.

Remember God is gracious and he is the more powerful one. We are the recipients and when we receive his grace, it is flowing down to us who don’t deserve it. A key aspect of grace is that it is never deserved and can never be earned. The moment you feel that you deserve grace or you can earn grace, then at that point it stops being grace. In fact, if you think you are worthy of it, that shuts the flow of God’s grace into your life.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/GaudiLab

We often think of grace as a New Testament concept, but grace was present throughout all of the Bible. In the Old Testament there were two Hebrew words used to define grace.

chesed – pronounced hesed, which means grace, mercy, steadfast love, compassion.  

chen – pronounced hein, which means grace, graciousness, kindness.

In the Old Testament, a common way of describing grace was “to find favor in their eyes.” Here is an example:

“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8).

When you get to the New Testament the word for grace in the Greek is charis which means grace, favor, graciousness, or goodwill. With this background I want to turn now to help you understand why God’s grace is really so amazing.

What Makes God’s Grace So Amazing?

I don’t know if you realize this or not, but everything in your Christian life is dependent on God’s grace. I like to describe God’s grace as his swiss army knife. If you are not familiar with this tool, it is a little device that you carry around with you, usually in your pocket. It has the ability to assist you in a wide variety of situations. The average swiss army knife can perform 33 different functions. The largest one in the world can perform 141 different functions.

This is exactly how God’s grace operates in your life. It jumps in to help and assist you across many different places in your life.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Debby Hudson

As you read your Bible, you will notice there are many different applications of God’s grace in your life. Way more than I can fit into one article. For this reason, I just want to highlight four of them and then you can go find the rest of them as you are doing your personal study. By the way, when you find one, reach out to me and let me know so I can share in your discovery of God’s amazing grace.

For now, here are the four applications:

1. Saving Grace

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

If there was a classic understanding of grace this would be it. We are all saved by grace. This is the perfect example of God’s grace flowing downhill to those who don’t deserve it. What many people may not be aware of is that while saving grace was given because of the cross, it didn’t start there. It actually began in eternity past. 

“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9).

Before God ever created the world, saving grace was always his plan of redemption for us.

2. Justifying Grace

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).

It is wonderful enough that grace saves you, but grace also justifies you. Please don’t take this word justify lightly. Let me list for you what it means to be justified.

- You are vindicated.

- You are acquitted

- You are set free

- You are cleared of any transgression

- Your guilt has been removed

- You are declared righteous

- You have been brought into right relationship with God

Regardless of how you feel right now, if you have been justified, this is what you are in Christ. This is reason to rejoice. What I want you to focus on is how you are justified. It is freely by God’s grace flowing downhill through Christ to you and me who don’t deserve it.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Bart LaRue

“Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

There is a grace that God has applied to your life that allows you to serve and give back to the body of Christ. We don’t often think of it in this manner, but serving is a grace of God. In this case Paul was given the grace to preach and Peter is encouraging us to use whatever gift we have been given to serve others. Whatever capacity you serve in within the body of Christ, please recognize that you do so because of God’s grace.

4. Gifting Grace

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us” (Romans 12:6).

The word for gift here is actually charisma which mean graces or gifts of grace. This word is applied here in Romans, but is also applied to the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12.

What this means is that if you function in a gift, it is not of your own doing. It is a result of God’s grace flowing downhill to you of his own freewill, allowing you to operate in the gift he has given you. That’s why if you are gifted you should never glorify the gift in you. Glorify the grace given to you that allows you to flow in the gift. Remember you did not earn it. It was freely given.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Biserka Stojanovic

As I said before, there are so many applications of grace that I could give you and I encourage you to explore the scriptures to find them. I would like to leave you with two final verses about grace.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The reality of God’s grace is that is it all sufficient. Whatever you lack, the difference is made up by grace. Not because you deserve it but because God is willing to freely give it. With that in mind there is one thing you should always do. Run to the throne of grace. Here is the other Scripture I want to leave with you.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Let me sum this up for you. Everything you need, God has made provision by his grace to help you. As I stated earlier, everything in your Christian life is dependent on God’s grace. God’s swiss army knife of grace is ready to step in, regardless of the circumstances, to assist you in your time of need. You must, however, run to the throne of grace.

Whatever your situation is today, God has a fountain full of grace that he is ready to let flow downhill to you. Not because you have earned it or even deserve it, but because he wants to freely give it. When you humble yourself and come before his throne, you will receive mercy and find grace. Embrace the grace of God today because everything you need is found in it. God’s grace is really that amazing.

More from this author
The 6 Incredible Contrasts of the Cross
4 Reasons the Resurrection Really Matters
The Other Side of Your Obedience

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Pamela D McAdams