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Bible Studies Core Christian Beliefs
Grace
The word at the centre of the Christian vocabulary, and the hardest one to actually believe about yourself.
The word at the centre of the Christian vocabulary, and the hardest one to believe about yourself.
What you’ll explore
- 01 What grace means
- 02 Why it cannot be earned by definition
- 03 Grace and the law
- 04 “My grace is sufficient for you”
- 05 Grace toward other people
- 06 Grace is not permission to stop caring
- 07 Receiving it when you do not feel worth it
What grace means
Read Ephesians 2:4-9; Titus 3:4-7
Favour given, not owed — that is the whole of it. Paul is careful about the mechanics: by grace, through faith, not from yourselves, the gift of God. Titus adds "not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy".
Why it cannot be earned by definition
Read Romans 4:4-5; Romans 11:6
Paul’s logic is almost mathematical: to the one who works, wages are not a gift but what is due. And if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would not be grace. The two categories cannot be mixed without destroying one of them.
Grace and the law
Read Romans 3:20-22; Galatians 3:23-26
The law shows the problem rather than solving it — through it comes knowledge of sin. Paul calls it a guardian until Christ came. Christians have differed for centuries over how the law functions for believers now; that it cannot justify anybody is the shared ground.
“My grace is sufficient for you”
Paul asked three times for the thorn to be removed. The answer was no, with a reason: power is made perfect in weakness. Grace here is not the removal of the trouble but strength inside it, which is a harder and better promise.
Grace toward other people
Read Matthew 18:23-35; Colossians 3:13
The servant forgiven an unpayable debt throttles a man over a small one, and Jesus’ point is the obvious one. Paul’s standard is "as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive". Received grace that does not travel outward has probably not been understood.
Grace is not permission to stop caring
Read Romans 6:1-4; Titus 2:11-12
Paul raises the objection himself — shall we go on sinning that grace may abound? — and answers by no means. Titus says grace trains us to renounce ungodliness. Every generation has to answer this charge, and the New Testament answers it directly rather than avoiding it.
Receiving it when you do not feel worth it
Read Luke 15:17-24; 1 Timothy 1:15-16
The younger son rehearses a speech about being unworthy and is interrupted by a robe and a ring. Paul calls himself the foremost of sinners and says that is precisely why he was shown mercy — as an example. Feeling unworthy is not an obstacle to grace; it is roughly the target audience.
Questions to sit with
- Where are you still trying to pay for something already given?
- Who are you withholding from that God has not withheld from you?
- Is grace a doctrine you affirm or something you have received?
Every passage in this study
Go deeper
Where this connects
This study sits inside a larger story. Read the passages above in their own books, and follow the thread back through Scripture as a whole.