How does grace overturn every attempt to earn God’s favor? (Grace)
Among the most beautiful attributes of God is His grace—the unmerited favor He extends to sinners who cannot and do not deserve it. Unlike mercy, which spares us from what we deserve, grace gives us what we could never earn. It is God’s initiative to bless the undeserving, rooted in His love and revealed fully in Jesus Christ. In this article, part of our series on the attributes of God, we consider how grace overturns every human attempt to earn God’s favor, transforming both how we understand salvation and how we live.
1. Grace as God’s Unmerited Favor
Grace in Scripture consistently points to God’s initiative. Paul declares in Ephesians 2:8–9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Grace excludes boasting because it leaves no room for human achievement.
The Bible emphasizes that grace is shown not just to the undeserving but to the ill-deserving. Romans 5:8 explains, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Grace does not wait for repentance or obedience to make us worthy but meets us in our rebellion. This is why grace so powerfully overturns human attempts to secure divine approval by law-keeping, ritual, or morality.
2. Grace in the Teaching of Paul
Paul’s letters highlight grace as central to the gospel. He repeatedly stresses that justification—being declared righteous before God—is by grace alone, not by the works of the law. In Romans 3:23–24 he writes, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
For Paul, grace is not merely a benevolent attitude but an active power that redeems, transforms, and sustains believers. It is God’s judicial answer to sin, providing pardon and righteousness apart from any repayment. This makes grace not only unmerited but entirely free, shattering the legalistic instinct of the human heart.
3. Grace and the Witness of the Church Fathers
The early church recognized that grace was at the core of the Christian faith. Augustine argued against the Pelagians that even faith itself is a gift of grace. No step toward God originates in human strength; rather, every movement of belief and obedience flows from divine initiative.
Augustine’s insights reflected Paul’s teaching that grace is not simply a tool to supplement human effort but the very foundation of salvation. To suggest otherwise, he insisted, was to deny the gospel itself. Grace leaves no room for self-congratulation; it highlights God’s glory alone.
4. Grace in the Reformation
During the Reformation, Martin Luther took up the mantle of Paul and Augustine. His famous doctrine of “alien righteousness” emphasized that believers are always simul iustus et peccator—at once justified and still sinners. Righteousness is not infused from within but credited to us from outside, from Christ Himself.
This understanding of grace shattered the notion that penance, indulgences, or good works could secure divine favor. Luther taught that even our sanctification is the work of grace, as the Spirit conforms us to Christ. Grace not only saves but sustains. In this way, the Reformation reclaimed grace as God’s definitive gift to His people, available by faith alone.
5. Grace as Forensic and Transformational
The Bible portrays grace in both forensic and transformative dimensions. Forensically, grace addresses the guilt of sin, declaring sinners forgiven and righteous through Christ’s atoning work (Romans 5:1). Transformationally, grace empowers believers to live new lives, freed from sin’s dominion (Romans 6:14).
Grace is never license to sin. Instead, it enables holiness. Paul writes in Titus 2:11–12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions.” Grace both justifies and sanctifies, covering our failures and equipping us for obedience.
6. Grace in Relation to Mercy and Love
Grace belongs in the same family as mercy and love, yet it is distinct. Mercy spares us from judgment; love motivates God’s actions; grace gives us blessings beyond measure. John 1:16–17 captures this: “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
Grace is also covenantal. Just as God showed grace to Abraham, David, and Israel, so too He shows it to the church. His faithfulness to His promises finds its climactic fulfillment in the person and work of Christ, who embodies grace and truth.
7. Grace and the Gospel
Grace is inseparable from the gospel. At its core, the good news is that sinners are reconciled to God not by striving but by receiving. Grace ensures that salvation is not a contract but a gift. It brings both assurance and humility—assurance because nothing can undo what God freely gives, and humility because no one can claim it was earned.
In this sense, grace also defines Christian mission. We proclaim not a path of merit but a gospel of gift. As Paul told the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Everything is of grace, from initial faith to final glory.
8. Grace and the Last Days
Grace does not end with initial salvation but carries believers into eternity. In 1 Peter 1:13, Christians are urged to “set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Grace, then, has an eschatological dimension: it points forward to the consummation when Christ returns.
On the day of judgment, those who trust in Christ will stand not on their own righteousness but on God’s grace. The final verdict of acquittal will rest entirely on the gift of God, ensuring that grace receives the last word in human history.
Conclusion
Grace overturns every attempt to earn God’s favor because it comes as pure, unmerited gift. It humbles human pride, elevates God’s glory, and secures salvation through the finished work of Christ. From Paul to Augustine to Luther, the church has recognized grace as the foundation of the gospel. To receive it is to acknowledge that nothing in us compels God’s love—and yet He gives it freely, abundantly, and eternally.
10 Bible Verses on God’s Grace
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions.” (Titus 2:11–12)
“From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:16–17)
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23–24)
“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (James 4:6)
“So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” (Romans 11:5–6)
“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” (Romans 6:14)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
“Set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:13)
