Gospel Words: Grace
You can also watch two videos that deal with this topic: Part 1 and Part 2.
When we talk about the word grace, we may have several ideas come to mind. This is because the word is used in several different ways. Let’s look at some of the ways this word is used in the Bible. As we look at the word, we will look at various ways the Greek word for grace is translated as well as looking at connected ideas in the Old Testament.
I am not a Greek scholar, but according to Strong’s Concordance, grace is translated from the Greek word charis and variations of it. It gives us the definition: “grace, kindness.” Thayer’s Greek Lexicon gives us the following definitions:
- properly, that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness
- good-will, loving-kindness, favor
- what is due to grace
- the spiritual condition of one governed by the power of divine grace
- a token or proof of grace
- thanks (for benefits, services, favors)
Thayer goes into much more detail, but these are the basic definitions of the Greek word.
I want to start with the last one Thayer gives us. I grew up hearing about people “saying grace” before they eat and always thought that was a wrong use of the word. Actually, the word is used that way in the Bible.
Thanks or Thankfulness
Greek: charis
Luke 6:34 reads, “If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount,” in the NASB. The word credit here is translated thanks in some translations. It is the word for grace.
Romans 6:17 uses it in the phrase, “thanks be to God.” This is also true of Romans 7:25; 1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 8:16 and 2 Corinthians 9:15.
Greek: chariti
Romans 3:24 uses the chariti variation of charis when it says, “being justified as a gift by His grace.” In 1 Corinthians 10:30, it uses the same word when it says, “If I partake with thankfulness, why am I slandered concerning that for which I give thanks?” The word “thankfulness” here is actually translated as “grace” in the KJV.
Colossians 3:16 uses the word in this way as well where it reads “grace in your hearts” or “thankfulness in your hearts” depending on the translation.
Greek: charin
Luke 17:9 uses the word charin where it reads, “He does not thank the slave.” The word thank in this verse is the same as the word grace. Charin is used in many passages where the meaning is clearly grace, such as Romans 6:15 where it is used in the wording, “not under law but under grace.”
These other passages use charin in the sense of thankfulness:
- 1 Timothy 1:12 - I thank Christ Jesus
- 2 Timothy 1:3 - I thank God
- Hebrews 12:28 - Let us have gratitude (grace) – This one is translated as grace in a number of translations.
The connection between grace and thankfulness is that we are thankful for what has been given by grace. It is interesting to me that when the gift of grace is given, the response of thankfulness is referred to with the same Greek word. Speaking of gift, let us look at that usage next.
Gift
Greek: charin
In 1 Corinthians 16:3, Paul was writing about carrying the gift they were collecting in Corinth to the needy Christians in Jerusalem. He uses the word charin to talk about this gift. Even though it was a physical gift from one church to another, it was grace.
2 Corinthians 8:1 talks about the grace of God that has been given in the churches in Macedonia. This is translated sometimes as the grace that has been given to them, but it is talking about the gift they were sending. It is compared with the grace of the Lord in 2 Corinthians 8:9, speaking of what Jesus did for us as a gift. The word for grace there is the same word. It is used again in this way in 2 Corinthians 9:8.
Romans 12:6 says that we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. This clearly connects the idea of a gift with the idea of grace. Even gifts that are not salvation are still grace.
Greek: charitos
This Greek word is used in Acts 20:24 to speak of the “gospel of the grace of God.”
1 Peter 4:10 talks about the manifold grace of God in relation to the gifts God has given and this is not specifically the miraculous gifts. He talks in the context about practicing hospitality and serving with the strength which God supplies.
In relation to forgiveness
Ephesians 2:8 talks about being saved by the grace (chariti) of God and clarifies that it is a gift.
John 1:17 tells us that grace (charis) came through Christ. This means it could only be realized (fully fulfilled) in Christ and what Moses gave could not really bring grace. Law condemns but Jesus brought forgiveness through His sacrifice. Romans 3:24 uses the word in the same way.
Just because grace is a gift does not mean that it cannot be lost. Galatians 5:4 talks about those who seek justification through the Law as having fallen from grace (charitos) and being severed from Christ.
The concept of grace is in the Old Testament as well, even though we cannot look at Greek there to compare the words. Genesis 33:5 talks about “the children whom God has graciously given your servant.”
Do you have to do anything to get children? Of course. But they are still a gift. The idea that grace must be a gift that we do nothing at all to receive is not a biblical concept.
Psalm 44:3 says, “By their own sword they did not possess the land…But Your right hand…for You favored them.” They did fight, but it was still grace that gave it to them. Think of Jericho. Think of Gideon. God had them do something, but it was still His favour or grace that gave them the land and He made that very clear.
Favour
In the Old Testament, the concept of favour is pretty much equivalent to grace. In some translations, it will use the word grace instead of favour. The Greek words for grace are sometimes translated as favour in the New Testament as well.
What is favor? What does it mean if someone asks, “Can you do me a favour?” It means, “Can you do something good for me that you don’t owe me?” That is the same idea as grace.
In Acts 24:27 it talks about Festus wanting to do the Jews a favour. This is the Greek word charita which is used in Jude 1:4 to talk about turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness.
In Luke 1:30 the angel tells Mary, “You have found favor with God.” The word “favor” here is the Greek word charin, translated “grace” in many places.
1 Peter 2:19-20 uses the word “favor” (Greek: charis) in the NASB to talk about how God views those who endure suffering for doing good. He says that favor or grace is the result of our behaviour in this case.
Who receives grace?
In Exodus 33:19 God states, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious.” Nobody deserves a favour. That is what makes it a favour or grace. God gets to choose to whom He is gracious. But God wants to show favour or be gracious to all.
Exodus 34:6 tells us that God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth. This is His character in general, not only to a select few. Jonah ran away because this was God’s character (Jonah 4:2) and he knew it applied to the Ninevites as much as to Israelites. But just because God has this character does not mean that He sets no conditions for bestowing grace. In the case of Nineveh, He would have destroyed them if they did not repent. Repentance was a condition for grace. 2 Chronicles 30:9 says that God would be gracious “if you return to Him.”
In Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:13, he makes the observation, “We have not sought the favor of the Lord by turning from our iniquity.” He recognized that the only way to receive God’s favour or grace is through repentance.
Repentance will never come without humility and neither will grace. James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5 both tell us that God resists the proud but gives grace (charin) to the humble.
Repentance must be based on faith. This is something we see all through the Bible, that God’s grace comes to those who believe in Him. But what about Acts 18:27, which tells us that people believe through grace (charitos)? Some say that this means belief is something that must be given directly as an act of the Holy Spirit and if God does not choose to do this to you specifically, you cannot believe.
Belief is certainly by the grace of God. We would not know what to believe or have strong conviction of its truth without God revealing the word and confirming it with signs. Having the Bible is a wonderful grace (gift) that we do not deserve. Paul talked about his work as an apostle as being grace.
Romans 1:5 says they received grace (charin) and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith.
1 Corinthians 15:10 reads, “By grace (chariti) I am what I am.” Some misuse this to talk about however we are, it is by the grace of God, but if you read verse 9, you will see that he is specifically talking about being an apostle. Verse 11 says that it was by the work of the apostles’ preaching that the Corinthians believed. Did they believe by the grace of God? Yes. The work the apostles were doing was the grace of God.
We see this idea in Galatians 2:9 (charin), Ephesians 3:2 (charitos), and Ephesians 3:8 (charis). God sending out apostles and prophets and delivering His word in written form as well, is all part of His grace.
There are those to whom God will not be gracious. Psalm 59:5: “Do not be gracious to any who are treacherous in iniquity.” Isaiah 27:11: “They are not a people of discernment…will not be gracious to them.” There are expectations God has from us in order to be gracious to us. This is not something God will force on us. Isaiah 30:18 says, “The Lord longs to be gracious to you…waits to have compassion.” This makes no sense if God is the one who makes people believe and repent. He is waiting on them to make that decision.
Must we do anything to receive God’s grace?
There are some passages that are sometimes used to say that grace must be a gift that we do absolutely nothing to receive. Romans 4:16 reads:
“For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”
They say that it has to be by faith, not Law in order to be in accordance with grace. They believe the contrast between the Law and faith is between obedience and faith alone. This is not what Paul is talking about. He is making the case that it is not based on the Law of Moses, because that was not given to all (only the Jews) but God is gracious to all. This does not take away the ability for God to make requirements and when we meet those requirements by faith, we still do not deserve His forgiveness.
Romans 11:5-6:
In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
On the basis of works is different from there being requirements that must be met–even things we must do. If someone says that you must say you are sorry to be forgiven, do you deserve to be forgiven when you say you are sorry? Not at all. Forgiveness is never something that can be earned, only given.
Romans 6:1 asks the question, “Shall we continue in sin that grace may increase?” The point of the gift is to deliver us from sin, not enable us to sin. Titus 2:11-14 also says that God’s grace teaches us to leave sin.
Conclusion
If we do not listen to what grace teaches us, we will not remain in it. 2 Corinthians 6:1 tells us not to receive the grace of God in vain. It is possible to receive the grace of God and then fall from it and it does us no good in the end. It was all in vain. But that is up to us. God’s gift is freely given, but it still has requirements. They are requirements we can all meet and God wants to be gracious to all. But He will only be gracious to those who seek Him in humility, faith, repentance, and baptism. Only in Christ, the One we confess as Lord and the Son of God do we find grace. We can only continue in the grace of God if we continue to put sin to death in our lives. May the grace of God be with you all.