What Does the Bible Teach About Grace?

"What Does the Bible Teach About Grace?" was the topic of our discussion on May 16.  We noted that God has freely given us the grace of salvation, even though we are sinners and we deserve death for our wrongdoings.  Grace should be be accepted by faith and is not received by works; however, we should continuously try to walk in this grace that has been given to us.

The notes of our discussion are below.

May 16, 2011

What Does the Bible Teach About Grace?

Opening question: What is something you have received for free (gift, winning, etc.) recently and how did that make you feel?

When it is our birthday (or another holiday) and people shower us with gifts, we feel great; we are happy and joyful and enjoy the friendship and the presents we receive from our friends and relatives.  In the same way that our friends show their love and care toward us by the presents they give us, God has shown us His great love by the presents he has given us.

What does the Bible teach us about the grace of God?

1.         God has Given Us Freely the Grace of Salvation

What does the word “grace” means?

Dictionaries give different definitions, but in the context of salvation, it means something that cannot be earned and which is not deserved – it is a gift.

In our last lesson, we discussed sin and its consequences.  We talked about how we are all sinners, guilty of wrongdoings.  The just reward for our sins should be death, as we read in Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

However, our God is not only just, but also merciful.  He gives us this mercy, this forgiveness of our sins, through His grace, as a present, that we do not deserve, but which we can accept, if we want.

In Romans 11:6, we read: And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

How do we receive grace?

We cannot earn or get “grace” by our works.  It is beyond anything that we can say or do.  We receive “grace” when God gives it to us.

In Ephesians 2:8-10, we read:  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.  10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

2.         Grace Should be Accepted by Faith

In Romans 4:4-5, we read: 4 Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

While it is true that we cannot earn our salvation and the grace of God, we still should have faith and truly believe that God is and that he can give us this salvation and this grace.  The verses we just read say that faith justifies us, meaning that if we trust in God, he will consider our sins as erased, as if they have never happened and we can enjoy fellowship with Him.

How important is having faith in God?

Hebrews 11:6 makes it very clear the importance of faith in the God’s plan of salvation.  This verse says: 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

3.         We Should Continue to Keep our Faith

Having faith in God is not a one-time act – we trust in God at one point and then we stop believing in Him.  The Bible is clear that we should continue to trust in God and to act in accordance with His teachings every day of our life, throughout all our life.

In Galatians 5:4-5, Paul warns us against trying to “earn” our salvation and against “falling away” from grace.  This verse says: You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.

It is possible to fall away from grace.  It is possible to first have faith in God and then lose it.  While we should avoid this from happening in our life, it is also important to remember that we can regain this faith in God.  Many things can happen in our life, which may cause our faith to be shaken and unfortunately at times lost.  However, God is always waiting for us to return to Him and his gift of grace is always available to us.  But let us accept this grace now that we can, for we never know what may happen tomorrow.

In 1 John 1:8-10, we are reminded of the promise of God that He will forgive our sins, if we confess them to Him.  These verses say:  8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Conclusions

We cannot earn our salvation, but God gave give it to us, freely.  As long as we accept it by faith and continue to hold on to the grace of God throughout all our live, we can have fellowship with Jesus and God and we will be justified of our sins.

Campus Bible Talk 2011