Question 1

What is grace in the Bible?

Accepted Answer

Grace (Greek: charis) is God's unmerited, freely given favor toward people who do not deserve it. Ephesians 2:8-9 is the definitive statement: salvation is "by grace...through faith...not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works." Grace is unearnable by definition, the moment it is deserved, it is no longer grace (Romans 11:6). Grace covers the full scope of the Christian life: it saves (Ephesians 2:8), sustains (2 Corinthians 12:9), empowers for good works (1 Corinthians 15:10), and grows throughout the believer's life (2 Peter 3:18).

Question 2

What is the difference between grace and mercy?

Accepted Answer

Mercy and grace are closely related but distinct. Mercy is God not giving us what we deserve (punishment for sin). Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve (forgiveness, righteousness, eternal life, blessing). Mercy is the withholding of judgment; grace is the bestowal of favor. Hebrews 4:16 beautifully links them: at the throne of grace, we "obtain mercy and find grace", both are available and both are needed. We need mercy to escape condemnation and grace to receive blessing.

Question 3

Does grace mean I can live however I want?

Accepted Answer

Romans 6:1-2 addresses this directly: "Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid." Paul's answer is emphatic, grace does not give license for sin, it gives power to overcome it (Romans 6:14). Titus 2:11-12 explains that grace itself "teaches us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly." Grace is not permission to sin; it is the power and motivation to live as God designed. Living in grace produces holiness, not carelessness.

Question 4

What does "sufficient grace" mean in the Bible?

Accepted Answer

2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for thee", uses the word arkei in Greek, meaning "it is enough, it is adequate, it is sufficient for the need." God told Paul this when denying his request for healing, meaning: My grace meets your need more adequately than the healing you are asking for would. Sufficient grace means that whatever the circumstance, whatever the deficit, whatever the weakness, God's grace is the exact right amount and kind to meet the need, leaving nothing uncovered.

Question 5

What is growing in grace?

Accepted Answer

2 Peter 3:18 commands believers to "grow in grace", meaning the Christian life involves an ever-deepening experience of and reliance on God's unmerited favor. Growing in grace means increasingly recognizing your own insufficiency and God's complete sufficiency, receiving more of what God gives rather than striving in self-effort, allowing grace to overflow into generosity and service (2 Corinthians 9:8), and moving from merely knowing about grace to living from it in every situation.

Grace — Page 7