What is Grace?
Grace is a multifaceted concept with rich meanings across different contexts, particularly in religious and secular domains
Theological Perspective of Grace
In Christian theology, grace is understood as the unmerited favor and love of God towards humanity. It is a central theme in the Bible and is often described as God’s benevolence bestowed upon the undeserving. This divine favor is not something that can be earned through human effort but is freely given by God.
Key Aspects of Grace in Christianity
- Unmerited Favor: Grace is often defined as “God’s favor toward the unworthy” or “God’s benevolence on the undeserving” . This means that grace is given without regard to merit or worthiness.
- Salvation and Forgiveness: Grace is crucial for salvation, as it is by grace that individuals are saved through faith, not by their works (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is also closely tied to the forgiveness of sins, where God’s grace allows for repentance and cleansing from unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) .
- Empowerment for Righteous Living: Grace is not only about forgiveness but also about empowering believers to live righteous lives. It provides the strength to overcome weaknesses and live in accordance with God’s will (2 Corinthians 12:9) .
- God’s Love and Compassion: Grace reflects God’s immense love and compassion, showing His willingness to reach out to humanity despite their imperfections and failures .
Secular Understanding of Grace
In a secular context, grace can refer to several qualities and behaviors:
- Elegance and Beauty: Grace often denotes elegance or beauty in movement or appearance. For example, someone might be described as moving with grace .
- Politeness and Consideration: Grace can also signify a polite and considerate manner. It encompasses social graces, which are the skills needed to interact politely and thoughtfully with others .
- Favor and Goodwill: In broader terms, grace can mean favor or goodwill shown by one person to another. It implies kindness and a willingness to forgive or make concessions .
Hinduism
In Hinduism, grace, often referred to as kripa, is seen as a divine blessing that aids in spiritual progress and self-realization. It is considered essential for transcending the cycle of karma and achieving liberation (moksha).
- Divine Favor: Grace is seen as the divine influence that helps devotees overcome the limitations of their karma and progress spiritually. It is often experienced as blessings or favorable circumstances in life.
- Role of Devotion and Surrender: The Bhagavad Gita emphasizes the importance of surrendering to God with devotion. Lord Krishna advises that by surrendering to Him, one can attain supreme peace and eternal abode through His grace.
- Effort and Grace: While grace is crucial, it is believed that self-effort and righteous actions are necessary to attract divine grace. Spiritual practices, prayers, and pilgrimages are means to seek and receive God’s grace.
Buddhism
Buddhism does not emphasize the concept of grace in the same way as theistic religions. However, certain schools of Buddhism, particularly Pure Land Buddhism, incorporate a notion similar to grace.
- Pure Land Buddhism: In Pure Land Buddhism, grace is associated with the vows of Amitabha Buddha, who promises to help devotees achieve rebirth in the Pure Land through their faith and recitation of his name. This can be seen as a form of divine aid or grace.
- Self-Effort and Enlightenment: Generally, Buddhism emphasizes personal effort and the practice of the Eightfold Path to achieve enlightenment. The concept of grace is not central, as enlightenment is seen as the result of one’s own efforts and understanding.
Islam
In Islam, grace (faḍl) is a fundamental concept that underscores the mercy and benevolence of Allah. It is integral to the faith and is seen as essential for salvation.
- Divine Mercy and Grace: The Quran frequently mentions Allah’s grace and mercy. It is by Allah’s grace that believers are guided, forgiven, and ultimately granted paradise.
- Faith and Good Deeds: While grace is crucial, it is believed that faith and good deeds are necessary to receive Allah’s grace. The balance between hope in Allah’s grace and fear of His judgment encourages Muslims to live righteously.
- Hadith on Grace: Prophet Muhammad emphasized that no one can enter paradise solely by their deeds but by the grace of Allah. This highlights the importance of divine grace in achieving salvation.
A Course in Miracles defines Grace as “acceptance of the love of God within a world of seeming hate and fear”. It allows us to see beyond the illusions of the world to the truth of God’s love.
Grace is described as “an aspect of the love of God which is most like the state prevailing in the unity of truth”. It represents a state beyond learning, where we directly experience God’s love.
Grace is our natural state as Sons of God. When we are not in a state of grace, we are out of our natural environment and do not function well.
Grace cannot be learned, but we can prepare ourselves to receive it through forgiveness and letting go of judgments.
Grace provides a temporary experience of Heaven or unity with God while still in this world). It gives us a taste of our true reality beyond the illusions of separation.
By grace, we are released from fear, guilt, and the burdens of the ego. It restores our memory of God and our true identity.
Grace is freely given by God – we do not earn it or contribute to it. It is a gift that saves and sanctifies us.
Accepting grace involves claiming it and acknowledging God’s presence and love. It establishes a two-way communication with God.
The Holy Spirit uses grace to translate our specialness from sin into salvation. It becomes the means to heal the separation.
Living in grace allows us to see with forgiving eyes and bless others, recognizing our oneness.
ACIM presents grace as God’s love freely given to us, which awakens us to our true reality beyond the illusions of this world when we are willing to receive it through forgiveness and letting go of judgments.
Two key ACIM workbook lessons that deal with grace are:
Lesson 169: “By grace I live. By grace I am released.”
In this lesson Grace is defined as “acceptance of the love of God within a world of seeming hate and fear.”
Grace cannot be learned, but we can prepare ourselves to receive it through forgiveness and letting go of judgments.
Grace provides a temporary experience of Heaven or unity with God while still in this world.
The lesson includes a prayer: “By grace I live. By grace I am released. By grace I give. By grace I will release.”
Grace becomes inevitable when we prepare ourselves to willingly receive it.
Lesson 168: “Your grace is given me. I claim it now.”
This lesson acknowledges that God’s grace is already given to us and the we can actively claim or accept that grace.
These lessons present grace as a divine gift that allows us to experience God’s love and unity, even while still perceiving ourselves in the world. They emphasize that while we cannot earn or learn grace, we can prepare ourselves to receive it through forgiveness and willingness to accept God’s love.