Grace: Understanding this Important Word

Ephesians 2:8 (CSB)

“For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.” 

Grace is an important word that seems to be misunderstood by a lot of people. If you took a survey of Christians and asked them to define grace, I think you’d get a wide variety of answers. Today, I want us to look at how the Bible talks about grace, so we can be sure that we are properly defining this important word, so we correctly understand what grace means.

But before we look at what the Bible says, I want to take a moment to address some common misunderstandings about grace. In a lot of ways, we need to redefine grace, because if we don’t start with a right understanding, we risk building everything else on a shaky foundation. So, let’s begin by addressing the two main misconceptions about grace that are widely held among Christians today:

The first is something called “Cheap Grace.” Some Christians incorrectly think that grace is a license to sin. These people wrongly think that we are saved by grace and, therefore, no repentance or transformation is required. German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the term “cheap grace,” and it is the perfect term for this concept.

The second misconception is even more widely held, and for lack of a better term, I will call it “One-Time Grace.” Some people view grace as the means of initial salvation. They think that we are saved by grace and that is the extent of the role of grace. They don’t necessarily think grace allows people to sin, but rather grace is something that is a one-time event. They see grace as only something we receive, instead of something that empowers us.

In both misconceptions, grace is presented as the thing that causes us to be saved. I think a lot of this misunderstanding is a result of improperly understanding one of the most widely quoted verses about grace: Ephesians 2:8, which says, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.”

From this verse, Calvinists teach that grace precedes faith. They think that God sovereignly regenerates a person before they can have faith, and that faith is a result of grace, not the condition for receiving it.

While grace is a gift we receive, we receive it through faith. We don’t receive grace first and then believe; we believe in Jesus, and through our faith, we receive the grace of God.

Wording this another way, grace is not something we receive before we believe. Grace is something God gives us through our faith in Jesus. While it’s an unearned gift, we are given grace through our faith. This is so important to understand, because the Bible says we gain access to grace by faith, not the other way around. Look at what Romans 5:2 says, “We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.”

While we’re saved by grace, it is faith that opens the door to that saving grace. Grace isn’t a force that drags us to God; it’s the gift He places in our hands when we trust in Jesus. Faith is our response to the gospel and grace is God’s response to our faith.

I think you can see the problems that arise if we don’t properly understand this. This is why people think that sin doesn’t matter or people can’t choose to be saved. If we understand that grace is received by faith, then we won’t come to those incorrect conclusions.

As we see in Romans 5:2, we obtain access to this grace through faith in Jesus. He is the only way to gain access to this grace. He is the door through which we must go. There is no other way to obtain access. Grace is the undeserved gift of God, made available to us through faith in Jesus, and accessed by trusting in Him.

But having access to this grace does us no good if we do not make use of it. As theologian Alexander MacLaren says in his commentary on this verse, “You have access into the grace; see that you go there.” If we have access to something, that means we can use it. If we have access to grace, that means grace is ours for the taking. That means grace is not a one-time gift.

Grace is better defined as the ongoing power of God at work in us. Grace is not like receiving a car you now own and park in the driveway. Grace doesn’t mean we’ve arrived. Grace is like the fuel that powers the car. If salvation is the car, given to us freely by faith, then grace is the gas. Grace is the fuel that empowers us to keep going.  

Look at what 2 Corinthians 12:9 says about grace: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.”

According to that verse, grace is the power of Christ at work in us. Look, too, at what Hebrews 4:16 says, “Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”

Grace is given to us in our time of need when we ask God for help. We can approach the throne of grace and ask for mercy and grace. Hebrews tells us to do this with “boldness,” but what does that really mean?

Putting this verse in context, we see that Hebrews is talking about Jesus being our high priest. Verse 15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin.” Therefore, we can approach the throne of grace to find grace. But there is something that MacLaren, in his commentary on Hebrews 4:16, points out, which I think is vital for us to understand. He says, “That is to say, not ‘thank God’ that [Jesus’] work makes God’s throne a throne of grace - that is not the teaching of the Scripture - but that He, as High Priest, and, therefore, as the revealer to us of God as He is, shows us in His life and death […] the very heart of God.”

I think what MacLaren is pointing out is a crucial thing to understand. Jesus’ death on the cross didn’t turn God’s throne into a throne of grace. Jesus shows us the proof that God’s throne is a throne of grace. Jesus reveals the heart of God to us. It’s not that Jesus is full of grace and the Father isn’t. God’s throne has always been a throne of grace. By sending us Jesus to die for our sins, that proved to the world that God loves us.

This point is important because it goes along with the next thing I want us to look at, which is the word “boldness.” This word, “boldness,” also needs to be reexamined. I think most people think this means confidence or assertiveness—like we are confident of our position in Christ so we can be assertive before the Father. I don’t think that’s quite what this word is saying.

If we do a word study on the word “boldly,” which is used in this verse, we see that the other times that Greek word “parrésia” is used, it’s translated as, “openly, plainly, publicly,” and it’s used in the context of speaking. For example, in John 16:29, it says, “His disciples said, ‘Look, now you’re speaking plainly and not using any figurative language.’” It has much more to do with being honest or transparent than what we might associate with boldness.

In MacLaren’s commentary, he also points this out. He says, “The word literally means, if we go to the etymology of it, ‘speaking everything.’ You can easily understand how naturally that becomes an expression for the unembarrassed, unrestrained full out-pouring of a heart. You cannot pour out your heart in the fullest confidence to a person you do not respect, but if you get with someone you entirely trust, how swiftly the words flow and how very easy it is to tell out the whole heart.”

So, to properly understand what Hebrews is telling us, that means we should approach— parrésia—the throne like this: Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace openly, speaking everything. In other words, we should approach the throne of God and not try to hide anything. We can go before God and tell Him everything. We are not bold because now God’s throne is a throne of grace. It’s always been a throne of grace.

As I said, Jesus’ death on the cross did not turn God’s throne into a throne of grace. The cross didn’t initiate grace: it revealed God’s grace to us. Romans 5:8 (ESV) says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The cross showed us God’s love. The cross was a demonstration of His grace. Jesus’ atoning sacrifice didn’t change God’s character, but rather, Jesus made a better way for us to access that grace. Jesus’ sacrifice was far better than the previous system of animal sacrifices, for unlike the former blood sacrifices that merely forgave sins, Jesus’ perfect sacrifice removed our sin from us, giving us full access to God’s throne of grace. As High Priest, Jesus torn down the curtain that separated us from God, not because God didn’t want us to come near Him, but because our sin kept us separated. Jesus didn’t change God’s heart toward us — He changed our condition so we can stand before a Holy God.

Faith in Jesus allows us access to God’s eternal grace. Jesus, our High Priest, opened the curtain so we could see what was always true. Now, if we believe in Jesus, and by faith, repent and receive His forgiveness, then we are free to speak plainly before God, hiding nothing, holding nothing back.

We are free to speak plainly because He knows everything anyway, so to try to do otherwise is a futile endeavor. Jesus knows what it means to be tempted. He knows the struggles and problems we face. Therefore, we can be honest. We can tell Him what we need — plainly, openly, and without pretense. To me, Hebrews is speaking more about being unpretentious rather than bold. It’s more about being humble enough to be honest about ourselves and what we need from Him than about being confident or assertive.

After all, look at what James 4:6 says, “But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says: God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

No where does Scripture tell us that God gives grace to the bold or confident. But many scriptures say that God exalts, helps, blesses and shows favor to the humble. In one sense, we are being bold by being very plain and honest about what we need from God, for we aren’t trying to make ourselves out to be something we are not. But we shouldn’t be proud about it. When we are honest before God, and rightfully humble ourselves before Him, then we find access to His throne of grace. There, we receive mercy and find grace to help us. Grace is given to us as a help.

Now, better understanding the word parrésia, therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with humility and openness, so that we may receive more mercy and find more grace to help us each time we are in need.

Now that we have access to this grace, how do we use it? Going back to my car analogy, if grace is like the gas that fuels the car, we need to understand that fuel is for movement. The gas gives power to the car, enabling it to go forward. In the same way, grace gives us the power to live the Christian life. Grace empowers change. Without grace, we cannot move forward in righteousness, just as a car without gas cannot function. And just like gas in a car, we cannot put gas in once and think it will last forever. We constantly need to refuel. In the same way, we constantly need more of God’s grace. Without grace, we would run out of power to move forward.

How do we refuel and receive more grace? Galatians 3:22 says, “But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.” I love how the Easy English Bible translates this verse. It says, “But the Bible says that sin has power over everyone. People can not get free. This means that we can only receive what God has promised when we trust Jesus Christ. God gives his promise to those who believe.” The promise Galatians is taking about is everything included in God’s covenant He made with Abraham, and the covenant or promise He makes with all of us who believe in Jesus. It includes forgiveness, righteousness, blessings, and grace. Faith is the way we receive those promises. Faith is the way we receive more of God’s grace.

We need to access this grace so that we can follow God and obey His Word. It’s through His grace that He changes us to be more like Him. This is the role the Holy Spirit plays. The Holy Spirit, through grace, empowers us to live according to God’s word. Galatians 5:22-25 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

This is not something that is done automatically in the life of the believer. We must participate with the Holy Spirit. We must cooperate with Him. We must keep in step with the Spirit so He can grow this fruit in our lives.

Look at what Romans 6:12-14 says, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey its desires. And do not offer any parts of it to sin as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God, and all the parts of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under the law but under grace.”

We are not under law, which is powerless to help us, we are under grace, which is God’s power to set us free. God’s grace does not give us permission to break God’s laws and sin, it is the fuel that enables us to resist sin and follow God’s laws.

Look at what the next verse, verse 15, says, “What then? Should we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Absolutely not!” Grace is no reason to sin or think we are free to sin. Grace is not a free pass to sin, but rather God’s power to overcome sin, transforming a believer’s life.

Jude 1:24 backs this up by saying, “Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy.” How does God protect us from stumbling? It’s by His grace. He empowers us by the Holy Spirit, through His grace, to stand.

Grace gives us the ability not to sin, for grace changes how we live.

Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Therefore, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.”

This verse doesn’t specifically mention grace, but that is what this verse is talking about. It’s God’s grace working within us that empowers us both to will and to work according to His will. Again, we must work this out, though; it’s not done automatically for us. We must access this powerful grace. This verse tells us that grace requires a response on our part; we must actively offer ourselves to God and reject sin.

Grace doesn’t work apart from our will; grace transforms our will to align with God’s. We must take action to work out our salvation, cooperating with the grace of God. We have all this grace at our ready; we simply need to access it and use it.

As we end this sermon, let’s end where we began: with a clear definition. Grace is available to all through the work of Christ, but it is only received by faith. It is not a license to sin, nor a one-time event. It is fuel. It is power. It is the Holy Spirit at work in you.

If you’ve been sitting back, sitting in your “parked car” thinking that grace is just something that covers your sin, I hope you see now that grace is so much more than that. Grace is the fuel that powers your car. Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commands.” Grace is how we keep His commands.

We’ve been given access to God’s grace through our faith. But we must access it. We must take advantage of it in order to fuel our obedience to God’s Word. His grace is sufficient for us. That means it’s strong enough to keep us following Him. His grace will give us the strength to resist sin and follow the way of righteousness.

But since grace is not a one-time event, we must go to Him daily to receive more of it. We do that by reading His word and through prayer. We do that by humbling ourselves before Him, confessing our sins, repenting, and asking Him for help. He will be faithful, not only to forgive our sins, but to fill us with more grace each day so we can follow Him.

Remember what Jesus said: if we love Him, we will keep His commands. Grace is how we keep them.

So, let me ask you: have you been sitting in the driver’s seat with the engine off, just waiting, thinking grace is only there to clean up your mess? If so, today is the day to start driving. Grace isn’t just forgiveness. Grace is power to get you moving in obedience. Jesus didn’t die just so you could be forgiven. He died and rose again so you could live a new life with and for Him.

So, draw near to Him and access His grace. Whether for the first time or the thousandth time, draw near. Let the grace of God fill you, fuel you, and move you forward. Because grace isn’t how we begin, it’s how we keep going. And by God’s grace, it’s how we finish strong.

Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You that You loved the world so much that You sent Jesus, Your Son, to earth to die on the cross for our sins. Thank You for showing us how much You love us. We praise You and thank You that Your throne is a throne of grace. Please help us, by Your Holy Spirit, to access this grace so we can follow Your ways and live for You. We love You, and we pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.