What is grace? · Neighbor Radio

Grace is God’s love and favor given as a gift, not earned. Christians teach that people are saved by grace through faith, not by good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Martin Luther made this the center of the Reformation. Judaism speaks of God’s chesed (steadfast love) and Islam of God’s rahma (mercy), opening nearly every chapter of the Qur’an with God’s mercy.

1 · MindWhat people believe, and how they know

Grace is known by revelation (what Christians believe God has shown), through scripture, and by experience, when someone forgives you more than you deserved. Reason on its own tends to keep score.

What each tradition or community says

We're Christians, so we list what Christians believe first. Every other section is checked by someone from that faith or community.

Christian

Luther taught that we are made right with God by grace alone, through faith alone. Good works flow from that gift; they don’t buy it.

Other Christians

Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians all affirm grace, but describe how grace and human response work together differently.

Judaism

God describes himself as merciful, gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness (Exodus 34:6). Covenant love (chesed) is central.

Islam

Every chapter of the Qur’an but one begins “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” God’s mercy is described as encompassing all things (Qur’an 7:156, summarized).

2 · HeartWhat it feels like

Grace feels like being handed a paid receipt for a bill you were dreading. Many people raised in strict religion carry a constant sense of falling short. Grace says the scoreboard was never the point.

Grace isn’t permission to stop caring. People who feel loved tend to love better, not worse.

Luther spent years trying to be good enough for God and nearly wore himself out. Then he read Romans and realized God wasn’t keeping score. I’d like to think he took a long nap after that.Neighbor Radio

3 · HandsHow to be a good neighbor

Jesus’ story of the prodigal son shows a father running to welcome a son who wasted everything, before the son could finish his apology (Luke 15:11-24). That’s grace in story form.

This weekLet someone off the hook this week without making them earn it.

SourcesWhere it is in the scriptures

Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament)

Exodus 34:6 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture

New Testament

Ephesians 2:8-9 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture
Luke 15:11-24 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture

Qur’an

Qur'an 7:156

Bible passages are quoted from the World English Bible. Other sacred texts are summarized, with references so you can find them.

Plain wordsWhat do these words mean?

Grace: A gift you didn’t earn. Christians use it for God’s love and forgiveness, given freely, not as a reward.
Qur’an: The holy book of Islam. Muslims believe God revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.
Revelation: Something people believe God has shown or told them. Also the last book of the Bible.
Catholic: The largest Christian church in the world, led by the Pope in Rome.
Orthodox: For Christians: the Eastern Orthodox churches (Greek, Russian, Ethiopian and others). For Jews: the most traditional branch of Judaism. The word means “right belief.”
Protestant: Christian churches that came from the Reformation in the 1500s, like Lutheran, Baptist, Methodist and many others.
Covenant: A sacred promise between God and people, like the promises the Bible describes with Abraham and Moses.

All the words →

Four questions to take with you

From Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan, about the stranger who stopped to help. We call it the Samaritan Test.

Did they see? Or look right past?
Did they stop? Even when it was inconvenient?
Did it cost them? Time, money, comfort, reputation?
Did they treat the person like a person? Not like a label?

Try it on: the person you’re still keeping score with. What would it cost to tear up the scorecard?

Quick questions

What does saved by grace mean?

That God’s acceptance is a gift you receive in trust, not a reward you earn by being good enough.

Why is grace so important to Christians?

Martin Luther’s rediscovery of grace in Paul’s letters started the Reformation in 1517 and remains the center of Lutheran teaching.

Sources and research

How this answer was made

Written in plain words by the Neighbor Radio team. Each faith's and community's section is checked by someone from that faith or community. Until then, this page says so. Spot something wrong? Tell us. We read every note and fix mistakes.