The Meaning of Grace

“As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2Co 6:1-2)

​Today is the last Sunday of 2024. As we reflect and wrap up the year, the word that most often comes to our minds might be grace.
 
A lot has happened to us this year. There's been joy and there's been sadness. There have been moments of excitement, and there have been times of struggle and frustration. But what we profess as Christians is that through it all, God has been with us in His grace. So, grace is the word that best describes who God is and what He has done for us.
 
“Grace” is one of the words used most often by Christians, but what I've noticed is that it's used so often and so broadly that the true meaning of grace tends to get diluted.
 
Many Christians talk about grace, but not many Christians seem to be able to explain what grace means in an accurate biblical sense. We say that everything is by the grace of God. That's true. But if everything is grace, then grace sounds like nothing special, nothing at all.
 
That's why we need to know what exactly grace is in the biblical sense, what it means to receive grace, the evidence of grace, and what God’s purpose is in giving us His grace. I think that's what really makes God's grace truly gracious.
 
What Is Grace?
So what does grace mean? First, “grace” is translated from two different words.
 
The Hebrew word translated as “grace” in the Old Testament is chesed. This word is used a total of 240 times in the Old Testament in a general and inclusive sense. It refers to God's favor, love, kindness, and mercy towards people.
 
The Greek word translated as “grace” in the New Testament is charis. It is used 155 times in total, and unlike the Old Testament where “grace” is used in a broader sense, in the New Testament it is used more specifically in relation to God's salvation.
 
The clearest examples of this are found in Ephesians 2 and Romans 3. Ephesians 2:8-9 says,
 
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)
 
Romans 3:23-25 says,
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood - to be received by faith…” (Rom 3:23-25)
 
These two passages best describe the gospel of Jesus Christ and the salvation that God offers us through Him. There are three words that these two passages have in common: grace, salvation or redemption, and faith.
 
These three words are the most important elements in describing God's salvation and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Salvation is to be forgiven and made righteous before God, and more importantly, to be reconciled with God.
 
As sinners, we do not deserve this salvation. The price of atoning for sins is so high that no one could ever pay it, and no one could ever stand fully righteous before God by their own works.
 
But God loved us, and out of His love, He sent His only Son as a sacrifice to justify us and reconcile us with Him. Jesus took all of our sins along with their consequences—the curse and the wrath of God—on Himself and died on the cross. That’s the price He paid with His blood to set us free from our sins.
 
Now we don't have to pay for our sins to be forgiven. We don't have to try to do anything to become righteous. The price has already been paid. We are now justified and stand righteous before God through faith in Jesus Christ alone. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is the grace of God that makes this possible.
 
This is the New Testament understanding of grace. Grace can be defined as the unconditional favor of God offered to those who do not deserve it.
 
What we deserved as sinners was judgement, condemnation, and death. But we didn't get what we deserved. Rather, we received what we didn't deserve: God's love, forgiveness of sins, and salvation.
 
The mercy of God allows us not to receive what we deserve. But the grace of God lets us receive what we don’t deserve. So, God's mercy is manifested in the delay of our punishment, but God's grace is revealed in our receiving the blessing of salvation in the Lord.
 
That's why I understand salvation as the intersection of God's grace and our faith. What God has done through Christ is to make a way for us to be made righteous by His suffering and death on the cross. It is grace and a gift because it is given to us without cost to us.
 
But, while this grace is for everyone, not everyone receives it. Only those who respond to God's grace through faith in Jesus can experience the joy of salvation.
 
This is the grace that God has granted us through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the “good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10) that the angel proclaimed to the shepherds on the day of Jesus' birth.
 
In the New Testament, grace, or charis, is embodied in the cross and proclaimed to us in the gospel, which is why in the New Testament, grace refers to the gospel.
 
To summarize, if the Old Testament speaks of God's grace or chesed in a more general sense, in the New Testament, grace, or charis, refers to the gospel of Jesus Christ in a more specific sense.
 
The Meaning of Receiving God’s Grace
Then, to say that we have received God’s grace must include both of these things. We experience grace in a broad, general sense as God's favor and kindness in our lives. But we also experience grace in a more specific sense as God's grace in delivering us from sin, justifying us, and making us His children through the atonement of Jesus Christ.
 
That's why grace is so much more than just how we feel. There are emotions we feel when we sing praise. There are things that God convicts us of and makes us realize when we hear a sermon. It seems to me that when we speak of “receiving grace” we often just refer to emotional uplift or certain enlightenment.
 
There's nothing wrong with that. God does give us grace when we come to Him in praise, word, and prayer, touching our hearts and enlightening us with His word.
 
But the problem I see is that the grace we speak of often only stays in the realm of such emotional uplift and enlightenment. We might go to a certain conference or retreat and say that we have received grace, but if it doesn't lead to any changes in our lives and if we quickly go back to our old ways of life, I can’t help but wonder if it was really the grace of God.
 
If it really is God's grace, then we make it sound cheap. That's why I'm concerned that we use the word “grace” so easily and so broadly. As I said earlier, if everything is grace, then grace can actually mean nothing.
 
Characteristics of Those who Receive God’s Grace
So what are the characteristics of a person who has received grace according to the Bible? We find three characteristics in the Bible.
 
1) Fruit
The first characteristic is that they produce fruit worthy of the grace they have received. The apostle Paul says in Colossians 1:6,
 
“In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world - just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.” (Col 1:6)
 
The apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Colossae, which he had never visited. But he could tell that the members of the church, whom he had never seen in person, had received God's grace.
 
So, what did Paul see that confirmed to him that they had received God's grace? He had heard from Epaphras that they were bearing fruit worthy of the grace they had received.
 
This, then, is what we should confess together when we say that we have received grace. Our confession of grace will be a true confession if it includes how God’s grace has worked in our lives to produce fruit conforming to the image of Jesus.
 
2) Suffering
The second characteristic of those who receive God’s grace lies in their willingness to share in Jesus’ sufferings. Paul said in Philippians 1:29,
 
“It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him” (Php 1:29)
 
Here, the Greek word translated as “grant” is charizomai, whose root word is charis, which means grace.
 
So, in this verse Paul reveals that the reason God has given us His grace is not only for us to believe in Jesus, but also to share in His sufferings.
 
Jesus Christ suffered so that by His wounds we might be healed, and by His death we might have life. The work of salvation is already fully accomplished and will not be repeated.
 
But the good news of salvation has not yet been preached to the whole world. In this sense, there’s still suffering, because the proclamation of the gospel often involves sacrifice, insult, and hardship.
 
That was the reason the apostle Paul suffered. Most of the things he suffered were things he would not have suffered if he had not believed in Jesus and preached the gospel. He sacrificed his time, his finances, and even his life to preach the gospel. He suffered all kinds of shame, insults, and hardships along the way, but he didn't care.
 
This is the same today. Even now, many Christians give their time and finances to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many missionaries give up their secure lives and head to the mission field, where they face discomfort and danger. Because the gospel still needs to be preached, the suffering of Jesus Christ still remains.
 
Then, as recipients of God’s grace, our proper response is not to be indifferent to this remaining suffering of Christ. God did not give us grace so that we alone could receive and enjoy it. Just as God's purpose in blessing Abraham was that he might be a channel of blessing to all nations, God's purpose in giving His grace and salvation to us first is so that we might be a channel of that grace.
 
Therefore, to neglect the preaching of the gospel is to receive God's grace in vain; His grace will be true grace when it is revealed in our actual participation in the sufferings of Jesus Christ, whatever form it may take.
 
3) Becoming a Servant
Finally, those who receive God's grace become servants of God.
 
Paul said in Ephesians 3:7, “I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power.” (Eph 3:7)
 
He also said in Ephesians chapter 4 verses 7 and 12, “To each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it… to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Eph 4:7,12)
 
Now is the time for us to work. There are so many places for us to work as Christians in the church and in the world. The Lord is still looking for faithful servants. Jesus says in John 4:35 and Luke 10:2,
 
“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (Jn 4:35)
 
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Lk 10:2)
 
I want us to remember that the reason God has given us His grace is so that we may become His faithful servants in His harvest. Therefore, as those who have received grace, we should seek to work where God has placed us, in our homes, workplaces, and the church. God's grace is evidenced in our voluntary loyalty, commitment, and labor.
 
So, these are the things that should be witnessed together in our lives when we say that we have received God’s grace. We should bear fruit by grace. We should share in the sufferings of Jesus Christ by grace. And we should serve as God's servants wherever we are by His grace.
 
I want us to look back on our lives now. I want to see how close we are to the biblical meaning of grace when we refer to grace. And if we are not yet bearing fruit worthy of God’s grace, I want us to desire it more earnestly so that we may all live out God’s grace that He has freely offered us through Jesus Christ.
 
The Purpose of Grace: Good Works
The Bible tells us that God has a purpose for giving us grace. Let me read some passages for you.
 
Titus 2:11 and 14 says, “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people… Jesus Christ gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” (Ti 2:11,14)
 
After explaining God’s grace that’s freely given to us as a gift in Ephesians 2:8-9, the apostle Paul said in verse 10, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10)
 
Lastly, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:8, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2Co 9:8, ESV)
 
All three passages say that God's purpose in giving us His grace is to enable us to do the good works He has prepared for us. So if we say we've received grace but then neglect to do the good works God has entrusted to us, it means that we haven't really received grace. We can only truly make God's grace gracious by living out the purpose for which God has given us grace.
 
Words of Exhortation on Grace
Now, I'd like to wrap up by reading a few words of exhortation on grace. This is the verse that always comes to my mind when I think of grace. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:1,
 
“As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.” (2Co 6:1)
 
Here, the Greek word translated as “vain” is kenos, which basically means empty and void. So for us to receive God's grace in vain means that we make God’s grace into something like an empty promise.
 
To receive God's grace in vain means that we recognize it and then fail to live a life worthy of it. Grace without fruit, grace without sacrifice and suffering, grace without laboring, grace without participation in God’s good works, is all empty. It's cheap grace, which can’t truly save us.
 
No matter what touches our hearts, no matter what enlightenment God gives us through His word, if we do not live according to the purpose for which He has given us grace, it means that we receive it in vain.
 
So, I want to encourage you in the name of the Lord not to receive His grace in vain. Please don’t make His grace empty, meaningless, and cheap. We can’t do that if we really consider what God sacrificed to give us His grace. He sacrificed the most valuable thing He had in order to give us the grace of salvation. We should not treat that costly grace as cheap.
 
The apostle Paul did not receive God's grace in vain. He confessed, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1Co 15:10)
 
He confessed that God’s grace was not without effect. It means that he had allowed God’s grace to change his life. He didn’t only receive God’s grace but made every effort to live by it. It cost him a lot of hardship and sacrifice, but he kept choosing to live by God’s grace no matter the cost. God’s grace and Paul’s effort to live it out made him who he was so that he was able to profess that he was what he was by the grace of God.
 
I want this to be our confession as well. Do you truly want to confess that everything in your life is by the grace of God? Do you want to live a life that shows that what you have become is by the grace of God?
 
If so, we must not receive God's grace in vain. We must not turn it into something like an empty daydream by recognizing it but not applying it in our lives. We shouldn’t make His grace ineffective. Rather, we should do our best to allow God’s grace to change and transform every aspect of our lives according to His will and His purpose for us.
 
We must remember the purpose for which God has given us His grace and strive to live it out. The sacrifice, the effort, the struggle will make us true people of His grace.
 
In Acts 13:43, the apostle Paul told those who had heard the gospel from him and received God’s grace, “continue in the grace of God.” (Ac 13:43)
 
I want to close today’s sermon with this final exhortation. Please strive to stand firm in God's grace always. We have received God’s grace freely, but standing in that grace requires constant sacrifice and commitment.
 
Just as we must fight hard to keep our salvation that’s freely given to us, we must also fight hard to make sure that we don’t receive God’s grace in vain. This cannot be done without paying a price. It requires us to remain in the Lord.
 
2025 is just around the corner. As we close the old year and prepare for the new year to come, I want us to reflect once again on God's grace to us.
 
I bless all of you gathered here today in the name of the Lord, that you will be strong and courageous in the grace of God, growing up to the fullness of Jesus Christ, and that you will abundantly bear fruit worthy of God's grace next year.
 
Let’s pray.
 
[Prayer]
Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for speaking to us and teaching us Your will through Your word today.
 
Lord, we want to take this time to remember the things You have done in our lives in Your grace. Please open our hearts and minds to know who You are so that we may realize Your grace and respond by lifting up our lives to You.
 
We don’t want to receive Your grace in vain. We don’t want to make Your priceless gift meaningless and ineffective. Help us not to receive Your grace only the way we want to receive it or to treat Your costly grace cheaply, but let us remember the purpose for which you have given us grace so that we may live lives worthy of that purpose.
 
Please turn Your face toward us and give us Your grace, so that we may bear the fruits of grace, share in the sufferings of Jesus Christ by preaching the gospel, and be filled with Your grace as Your servants, faithfully doing the good work You have entrusted to us.
 
May Your grace be seen and witnessed through our lives, not only in our words, but in our actions. Guide us and use us, and may You be glorified through us.
 
We thank You for all that You’ve given us by Your grace. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
 
[Reflection Questions]
1) When have you experienced God's grace most deeply, and how has it changed your life since then?
 
2) According to the Bible, receiving God's grace is demonstrated by bearing fruit worthy of His grace, sharing in Jesus' suffering, and becoming His faithful servants by doing the good works God has entrusted to us. Do you have these kinds of evidence of grace in your life?
 
3) What specific fruit do you want to bear by God's grace in your life in the coming year?