Grace (χάρις)

God's attitude whereby He gives a benefit without consideration of merit

When God the Son wrapped Himself in flesh and came unto His own, He revealed a grace (χάρις) that had not been known before in this world, for the grace and the truth came through Him (John 1:17). Before His incarnation, in the Old Testament, we find favor (חֵן). When Israel obeyed God, they prospered, and His favor was upon them (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). However, a different characteristic of God’s love is revealed to us by the grace that came through Jesus Christ, which is not simply defined as favor; rather, this grace is an attitude by which a benefit is given without consideration of merit. It is not, as is often defined, unmerited favor, for it does not consider one’s works or value to determine whether the advantage is provided. As Christ grew in His childhood, He was filled with wisdom and grace from both God and men (Luke 2:40). If grace were merely unmerited favor, then the grace from God would not be shown to Christ, for Christ was without sin and therefore merited all (Hebrews 4:15).

Grace does not overlook sin. A Christian who is sinning will be child-trained, which can involve sickness, being crippled, or even put to death because God will not permit His children to be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32). Therefore, when we are gracious towards others, we are not permitting or accepting a corrupt lifestyle, excusing them from the penalty of their bad works, or allowing those who are living a sinful life to fellowship with us. Rather, we are to put aside the old, corrupt ways. For even fornication, uncleanness, and covetousness are not to be named among the saints (Ephesians 5:3). Our freedom is not to be used for a cloak to do wrong (1 Peter 2:16). God did not call us to uncleanliness, but to holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7).

When we use the grace of God, the advantages of being in Christ are applied to us without considering whether we deserve to partake of them. These benefits give us freedom from the sin nature, rendering it ineffective (Romans 6:6), so that we are now able to produce righteousness (Romans 6:16). By utilizing the benefits given to us in Christ, the wicked desires from the flesh are overcome by the good desires from the Spirit, as we yield to Him and are led by Him (Galatians 5:16-17). When we recognize sin in our lives and verbally agree with God concerning our sins, He is faithful to forgive them and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). Therefore, being gracious is not overlooking sin but overcoming it. The advantage of being shown grace is supporting, encouraging, and exhorting others through fellowship to lay aside the old life and its sinful ways and take up the new way of living in Christ, which is in righteousness.