SO… DID YOU GET GRACE RIGHT?
Coming Full Circle: So…What Is Grace?
Millions of Christians sing about God’s amazing grace every Sunday…
…but if you stopped them in the church parking lot and asked, “What is grace?” could they explain it?
Several weeks ago, I asked you to write your own definition of God’s grace—without Googling it, opening your Bible, or asking anyone else. Then I asked you to rate your confidence from 1 to 10, fold the paper, and tuck it away.
Well…
Today’s the day.
Go find that paper.
Read what you wrote.
Then ask yourself:
Would I answer that question differently today?
Before reading any farther, write your answer and rate your confidence again.
My prayer is that your answer isn’t just more accurate…
…but filled with awe.
Because in the simplest terms:
Grace is God giving me something I don’t deserve— Heaven.
I don’t deserve it.
I can’t earn it.
I can’t work hard enough for it.
It is a gift.
And a gift, though freely offered, must be received.
God offers salvation by His grace, and we receive that gift through faith.
As Ephesians 2:8 says:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith…”
Grace is the gift.
Faith is how we receive it.
Faith doesn’t make us worthy. It simply says, “I believe Jesus is who He says He is, and I am trusting Him for my salvation.”
Think about what that gift cost.
The eternal Son of God left heaven, took on human flesh, and willingly went to the cross so that guilty people like me could be forgiven.
I am unworthy… but Jesus came for me.
That is grace.
And grace doesn’t stop when we’re saved.
It strengthens us when we’re weak, comforts us when we hurt, carries us through suffering, and gives us peace when life feels uncertain.
Grace doesn’t simply save us. Grace walks with us until we arrive Home.
Along the way, we’ve also discovered the beautiful relationship between mercy and grace:
Mercy is God not giving me what I deserve.
Grace is God giving me what I don’t deserve.
At Calvary, they met perfectly.
Jesus received the punishment I deserved so I could receive the gift I could never earn.
And because salvation is a gift, there is no room for pride.
All the glory belongs to God.
Looking back, I realize I sang about grace for years before I truly understood it.
Now when I sing Amazing Grace or Wonderful Grace of Jesus, the words mean so much more.
I’m not just singing about grace.
I’m celebrating the greatest gift I have ever received.
So if I met you outside your church this Sunday and asked one final time:
“What is God’s grace?”
I hope you could answer with confidence:
“Grace is God giving me something I don’t deserve—eternal life with Him in heaven. I receive that gift through faith in Jesus.”
Simple enough for a child to understand…
yet profound enough to spend a lifetime marveling over.
That… is amazing grace.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
—Ephesians 2:8–9
May grace never again be just another theological word or another lyric in a familiar hymn.
May it humble us.
May it fill us with gratitude.
May it lead us to worship.
And may we never stop marveling that the God of heaven freely offers what we could never earn.
But our journey isn’t over yet… tomorrow, we come full circle with mercy—and what comes after that may change the way you see God’s purpose for your life.
