What is Grace and What Does it Mean?

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What is grace?

Grace is Jesus Christ in redeeming action. Seeking and saving lost and condemned mankind, God’s grace is our only hope for this world and the next.

To receive the gift of grace and mercy in your life, we invite you to watch the video above.

  •  It is God’s gift to us.
  • It is Jesus paying the price for my sins on the cross.
  • It is being raised from the dead even as Christ was raised.  

Today we will be discussing:

  1. What is grace and what does it mean?
  2. What is grace in the Bible?
  3. What is Mercy?
  4. How does God’s grace work?
  5. Who is the the God of grace and mercy?
  6. What does grace by forgiveness mean?
  7. How can I find grace in my life?
  8. Who is the Holy Spirit and how does He give grace?
  9. How can I show grace and mercy to others?
  10. How to be happy and live a grace filled life
  11. What are the Fruits of the Spirit?
  12. What does a grace filled person look like?

Bible verses about grace

God demonstrates His love toward us by saving us and giving us a place in heaven. That is grace. Free and undeserved.  Why does God do it? His great love.

God will accomplish his purposes, beginning with the salvation of individuals. We are indeed blessed by a merciful God and the grace that He offers us.  

It was through grace that God sent his son, Jesus, to die on the cross and pay the price for our sins. It is by grace that we are saved through faith (and that not of ourselves but also a gift of grace) in His death and resurrection.

What is Mercy?

Mercy is forgiving the sinner and withholding the punishment that is justly deserved. Grace is heaping undeserved blessings upon the sinner. In salvation, God does not show one without the other. In Christ, the believer experiences both mercy and grace.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 4:4

In His mercy He took the punishment for our sin.  By His grace He extended it to undeserving us. And the blessings of His grace continue to flow through all eternity.  

Yes, yes, to the question, Is God really that merciful?  His love is so great that He extends mercy to all of us. He even paid the price for our sins. He is merciful to you and to me. Trust Him. 

How does God’s grace work?

  • God is ready to give us an overabundance of gifts just because He loves us. We overlook so many gifts that He intends for us to have. 
  • The magnitude of God precludes our finite minds from understanding the height, width, and depth of Who He is or the power that is His.
  • I can only imagine the enormity of love and grace that He gives to us because He loves each of us with a love that forgives us and grants us eternity with Him in a glorious New World to come.
  • Grace is a gift that most of us do not know how to receive.  We have learned the work and earn concept of gain through earthly programming, but the concept of free gifts is difficult to comprehend.  It is by grace that we receive forgiveness and a new life from God. And this opens a door of immeasurable blessings that are ours through God’s grace.

Jesus the Christ offers us these gifts. Hebrews 4:16 says,

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

The idea of approaching a throne, a symbol of power and might, may cause us to tremble. To approach it “with confidence” is beyond our comprehension.  But the offer is to receive a gift – that of mercy and grace. How great is our God.

Who is the the God of mercy?

The God of grace and mercy is also the God of Power. The omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Almighty God invites us – you and me – to receive grace, mercy and hope for today. 

And we can trust in His Power. Jesus Christ rose from the dead (power over death) and sits at the right hand of God. The right hand of God is meant to denote strength and ability throughout the scriptures. 

Do you need mercy, grace, and help? I need these gifts every day. To think that in His great mercy, this powerful God saw fit to offer me grace, to save me and help to take me through life – this brings an awesome joy and purpose to my life. Truly the God of Power is indeed love.  

When Scripture uses the image of God’s right hand, it is meant to be a picture of the pinnacle of strength and ability of a mighty God. In passages that specifies God’s right hand, strength is a key focus. He created the world, He calms the sea, He raises the dead, He is indeed God.

What does grace by forgiveness mean?

Can it be that we can be graced by the presence of the Almighty God in our personal lives?  Yes, through the mercy of God in providing for us so we do not get the punishment we deserve, yet through the grace extended we get what we do not deserve – forgiveness, joy, purpose, and an eternity with Jesus. He enters our lives and shepherds us through the best and worst of times, even death and grief.

We are also graced with His Presence here on earth. When we receive Jesus Christ, who died, was buried and rose again to live forever, the Holy Spirit of God lives with us. We are graced by the very presence of God.

How can I live my best life?

Ask God to forgive you of your sins and invite Jesus Christ to come into your life as your Lord and Savior. The God of Grace is omnipresent, that is, He is all things and in all things. He is closer than a brother. When He comes into our lives as our Lord and Savior, He promises never to leave us. From then on through all eternity, this powerful God is my Savior and Friend. He will love me and give me hope and the gift of His Presence..

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous?! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is God in us.

Christ in you, the Hope of Glory. 

Colossians 1:27.

The Spirit teaches us, guides us, seals our eternal fate, and gives us strength and security for each day.  It is here in His presence that we abide and know that God dwells within us. 

Is that not grace? That the Holy God of all eternity forgives us, indwells us, strengthens us, sustains us, and assures us daily of His presence and of His great love for us.

In the light of that miracle, Henri Nouwen noted:

The HolySpirit, whom Jesus promised to his followers, is the great gift of God. Without the Spirit of Jesus we can do nothing, but in and through his Spirit we can live free, joyful, and courageous lives. We cannot create peace and joy, but the Spirit of Christ can fill us with a peace and joy that is not of this world. 

How can I show grace and mercy to others?

So many people are under great stress.  Financial stress, relational stress, and physical stress from illness and injury. Life can be overwhelming. We can extend grace to them (our free gift) by just listening and encouraging them. By allowing them to tell their story while we listen without judging.  When we judge, a wall is thrown up. Without the wall, we may have the opportunity to respond with some helpful words and leave the door open for further contact.

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” – Ephesians 4:29

  1. Be compassionate
  2. Show mercy – God shows us mercy and forgives us right where we are in our lives. We can show mercy to others when they have offended or hurt us by mercifully extending the olive leaf of grace. 
  3. Develop a graceful persona by –
  • Forgiving – this type of true forgiveness means we do not bring up the offense again – that we give them what they do not deserve by forgiving them. This is grace in action. Let it go – respond with grace. Difficult but so rewarding.
  • Being kind.  The saying is “In this world where you can be anything, choose to be kind” is so powerful.  It is a choice we make in our response.  A kind word, a smile, a second chance, all reflect God’s grace through us. Assist someone who is struggling. Run an errand. Do not keep record of the deeds.
  • Coming along beside someone. Sometimes just our presence is needed – there are no words of wisdom for the situation – only our presence in a quiet and loving manner. This may be the most difficult because we want to “fix it.”  However, in the presence of two, enter the Spirit of God, and the threesome is strong and mighty in love and grace. 
  • Asking for forgiveness. Be the first to ask to be forgiven.  Apologize when you know you have offended or hurt someone by actions or words. The response is up to the other person. You have humbled yourself and asked for the grace of being forgiven.
  • Having a gentle word.  How the world longs for a gentle word.  Kind and encouraging. Loving and uplifting. If we are to  have a gentle word to give, we need to spend quiet time with our Lord Jesus. We are not by nature kind – but in His presence, we become more like Him. And the world needs a lot of Him. Share His love. We are the larger beneficiary of that action. A kind word heals and gives joy. Surely, I can afford to give a free gift.
  • Being thankful.  A person of any age who is selfish and unthankful is indeed an ingrate and among the most unattractive of people. Give thanks for the good things in your life. Show you gratitude. Be verbal in praise and thanks. Teach thankfulness by example. Be gracious and grateful.
  • Forming the persona of a graceful person.  It must come from the inside to be sterling on the outside. Only God can make a truly grace-filled person.  It is imperative that we have a grace relationship with Jesus before that gracefulness is able to emanate as genuine to others.

How to be happy and live a grace filled life

We are not called to live an empty life of rules and fears. We are called to live a life filled with the gifts of the Spirit.

God promises us an abundant life. A grace-filled life is offered to us. Grace is the unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor that God has for us. The gifts are already available. 

What are the Fruits of the Spirit?

The fruits of the spirit are just that.  Fruits of the Holy Spirit.  When we are in fellowship and walk daily and talk with Jesus, those fruits spring up in our lives and make our life beautiful and productive. 

  1. Love
  2. Joy
  3. Peace
  4. Patience
  5. Kindness
  6. Gentleness
  7. Goodness
  8. Faithfulness
  9. Self Control

A grace-filled person is a changed person, being molded to be more like Jesus every day. Bible Study and prayer time are the needed nourishment, helping the fruits to produce.  

The fruits in a grace-filled life are attractive to all.  It is a mindset of Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control – these cannot be produced without God in you. These are not fruit of man, but of God.  

 People trying to have these attributes without Jesus will come across as cheap imitations.

Yes, it is possible to live a Grace-Filled Life, even in today’s world of hostility and aggressive behavior. You cannot do it alone but rather in tandem with Jesus.

What does a grace filled person look like?

  • The grace-filled person imitates the life of Jesus, seeking time with God in prayer, engaging with people and sharing the truths of Christ, always purveying the presence of something/someone positive and shareable. 
  • Giving of time; sharing our worldly goods with those in need; feeding the hungry, offering forgiveness to those who wrong you; loving your neighbor; and even loving those who are hard to love: these are the characteristics of a grace- filled life.
  • Grace-filled-living is humility. Not thinking higher of oneself than we should. Not touting our own horn but rather letting others give any recognition that may come our way. Always giving God the credit and the glory because without Him, we are nothing. 

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Philippians 2:3

  • The grace-filled person is a person of joy. A deep abiding peace from knowing that you belong to Jesus and that whatever life throws your way, you believe that God will see you through. 

This joy makes the grace-filled person attractive to others, sought out for service, as well as for fun occasions.  The grace-filled person reflects the Savior in his world to those with whom he interacts. That person never walks alone: She knows the presence of God within her.  

To find out how you can receive the gift of grace an mercy, we invite you to watch the video below.

We invite you to watch the “Great News” video on this page and find out more about God’s love for you and how you can receive forgiveness and eternal life – today!

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The Prayer of Salvation

Jesus, I don't know You, and I don't know what Your plan is for me. But thank you for coming to die in my place. I'm sorry for anything I've ever done wrong in my life. I don't understand how You could ever forgive me, but if You really would, I would like to accept your free gift of grace and complete forgiveness. Please come into my life and take control, and help me trust You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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