The Meaning of Grace

As Charles Spurgeon said over a century ago, there are “many who are as altogether strangers to the doctrine of grace.” To dispel such misunderstanding, let us look closely at the meaning of the English word grace as well as the Greek and Latin words behind it. May I prepare our minds by saying that what follows is definitive. This is not opinion, rather fact concerning the meaning of this term. No misreading of Scripture or faulty interpretation of a text can negate the meaning of these terms.

The Oxford English Dictionary tells us that grace comes from the Latin gratia, which means “favor, goodwill.” It goes on to say that grace is “an exceptional favour granted by some one in authority . . . Favour, favourable or benignant [i.e., kind] regard or its manifestation (now only on the part of a superior); favour or goodwill, in contradistinction to right or obligation, as the ground of a concession.” Finally, it adds that “in scriptural and theological language” grace is “the free and unmerited favour of God as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowing of blessings.” Webster agrees: “Unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification.”

So, thus far, we see that the essential concept in grace is that it is a kindness or favor granted by one to another that is not only free, but also not grounded in any way in the receiver. Let that soak in for a moment. The very foundation of grace is that it is freely bestowed by God and has nothing to do with the recipient. To add anything to grace, which is what all religion tries to do, is to deny the etymology of the word. To say that works must be added to grace is to deny the very word itself.

Even deeper is the Greek word charis. In Classical Greek it meant “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight” and from there several meanings developed: grace, favor, thankfulness, gratitude, delight, kindness, etc. Originally, then, the word didn’t carry the idea of some­thing “unmerited” because Greek philosophy (which is at the root of our western culture) believed in human merit and self‑sufficiency. Even then, however, the Greeks thought they needed “a little help,” so they prayed to their gods for favors and gifts.

It was, therefore, in the New Testament that charis was transformed. While some of the meanings from the Classical Greek are found, the New Testament usage is unique because New Testament grace is coupled with the person and work of Jesus Christ. If you remove Christ, and therefore grace, all you have left is another religion. You have ten practical commandments, many ethical principles for living, but all you have is mere religion.

One example of this is found in John 1:17: “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” Does that say grace and truth came by religion or works? No, for the ultimate manifestation of God’s grace is Jesus Christ. Throughout the New Testament, in fact, grace is coupled with Christ, for He is the ultimate manifestation of the grace of God.

So, based on our word study and our present text, we offer this Biblical, theological, and etymological definition of grace: Grace is the unmerited favor of God toward man manifested primarily through the person and work of Jesus Christ, apart from any merit or works of man.

May we boldly say that if anyone defines grace differently than that, let them be accursed (Gal. 1:8-9). Anyone who does not preach that doctrine of grace is a false teacher. Many verses of Scripture substantiate that definition. Especially pointed is Romans 11:5-6: “Even so, then, at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no more of works; otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace . . .” (emphasis added). To speak of grace plus works is in essence to redefine grace as something other than grace.

There are some beautiful pictures of God’s grace in the Old Testament. My favorite, in fact, is the story of how King David showed kindness to Mephibosheth, the crippled son of his friend Jonathan (II Sam. 4 and 9). But even that cannot compare with the New Testament usage of grace because that usage involves Christ. When we see the word grace in the New Testament, we need to realize that it is immediately identified with Christ, rooted in His Divine person and finished work. If we add anything to that, we have negated it and even blasphemed it. We shall build on this as we continue.