If you spend enough time around Christians when discussing difficult issues, you will undoubtedly hear someone state, “We need to show grace.” This statement appears in meetings and conversations all the time, whether it’s deacons deciding to assist someone in financial need or couples talking about raising teenagers.
Even the apostle Paul appeals to grace when instructing the Corinthians to give to the Jerusalem church. His pleas for generosity reach their rhetorical climax with the words: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that, being rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty even you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9, my translation). The Apostle Paul, it appears, would say: “We need to show grace.”
Grace is a term we often use but rarely define. There’s an assumption we all have a shared understanding of what it means. What exactly does it mean to show grace? What makes grace gracious?
The Layers of Grace: A Helpful Taxonomy
New Testament scholar John Barclay has been mining this and related questions for the past decade. In his book, “Paul and the Gift,” he surveys the writings of ancient Jewish authors and major Christian theologians to understand what makes grace gracious.
It is easy to assume that we all have a shared understanding when someone references grace in a conversation. But Barclay shows this assumption to be misguided. His survey demonstrates just how varied people’s conceptions of grace can be. In fact, he finds that there are six different possible characteristics that we could have in mind when we think about grace’s quintessence. They are:
- Superabundance: Grace is really gracious when it is lavish. To “show grace” is to go beyond what is necessary or required, often to astounding degrees.
- Singularity: Grace is really gracious when the giver shows grace and grace alone. To “show grace” means to be nothing but generous, without any form of judgment or severity.
- Priority: Grace is really gracious when it comes before any type of request or action on the part of the recipient. To “show grace” is to act spontaneously, without any sense of obligation.
- Incongruity: Grace is really gracious when it is given without regard to the worthiness of the recipient (be it moral, familial, logical, etc). To “show grace” is to take no account of past or potential successes and failures.
- Efficacy: Grace is really gracious when it accomplishes a goal. Thus gifts which have a more limited effect are considered not as gracious as those which “show grace” by bringing about a new situation.
- Non-circularity: Grace is really gracious when there are no expectations placed upon the recipient. Many in the West assume that for a gift to be truly gracious it must have no strings attached. Expectations (spoken or not) diminish the graciousness of a gift.
Barclay’s taxonomy helps us think through what it might mean “to show grace.” When we think about the essence of grace, we are not limited to one of these qualities. But herein lies the crucial question: Which of the six should we choose? Thankfully, the Bible and our Confession provide us with a sure guide.
Grace in the Bible: A Confessional Answer
The Bible’s descriptions of grace are expansive – from the gift of creation and God’s voluntary condescension in making covenant with humanity (Genesis 1; Psalm 104:14–15; Acts 17:24–27; Westminster Confession of Faith 7.1), to the common gifts that God showers upon sinners and all creation (Psalm 145:8–9, Matthew 5:45). Yet, nothing compares to the grace God has shown in Jesus Christ. It is indescribable (2 Corinthians 9:15) because it far surpasses the reign of sin in scope, depth, and impact (Romans 5:17, 20; John 3:16; 1 John 3:1–2). We should not hesitate to say then that God’s grace is superabundant.
God’s grace also comes to us prior to any action or initiative on our behalf (Romans 8:29–30; Ephesians 1:3–6; Romans 9:11–13, WCF 10.1–2) so that even our faith is a gift of God (Philippians 1:29; WCF 3.5). Predestination not only exhibits the priority of grace, it cements the fact that God’s grace is incongruous. God’s election took no account of our worth and God did not send his son to die for the worthy, but for sinners (Romans 5:6–10, WCF 11.1–3). In fact, no matter how much we may grow in holiness, the eternal life God gives is to those who punitively exist in dying bodies, corrupted by the flesh (Romans 8:10–11; WCF 6.5, 13.2–3, 16.3). God’s grace is victory to losers, hugs to the hostile, love to the unlovable, peace to the paranoid, a party for prodigals, eternal life to the spiritually dead and physically dying. God’s grace is incongruous indeed!
God’s grace is also efficacious. The doctrine of definite atonement means that those whom Christ died to save, he really does save (John 6:38–40; 10:11, 27–28; WCF 8.8, 10.1). It is important to remember that God’s salvation is not confined to the forgiveness of sins and the removal of sin’s condemning verdict, though it does thankfully include these! God’s salvation also applies to sin’s corrupting power (1 Corinthians 6:19; Romans 6:3–11, 17–18; WCF 11.2, 13:1). God’s grace changes us (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 2:12–13; 1 Corinthians 15:10; WCF 15.3).
But our Confession reminds us that not all the possible ways that people have characterized grace are biblical. Scripture does not permit us to say that God’s grace is singular (Ezekial 3:17–18; WCF 33.1). Yes, God is gracious, abounding in steadfast love and mercy, but he is not only gracious (Exodus 34:6–7; WCF 2.1); he can still be gracious while hating sin and judging justly (Isaiah 13:11, Nahum 1:2–3).
If we cannot say God’s grace is characterized by singularity, what about non-circularity? It has become an instinct since Martin Luther to say that God’s grace comes without conditions or expectations, that there are “no strings attached.” While I am a tremendous fan of Luther, I believe Luther had it wrong here. I suspect that Luther was trying to shore up the incongruity of God’s grace, which I consider grace’s chief characteristic.
But God is not a disinterested giver. He deals with his people by way of covenant (Genesis 17:7–8; WCF 7), and desires through such means to establish a relationship (Exodus 19:6; Psalm 100:3; Revelation 21:3, 7). Thus even though God’s grace effectively takes the initiative in our lives, the Confession is careful to note that God does not violate our wills in doing so (WCF 9.1, 10.1–2; cf. John 6:44–45; ). Why? At least one reason is that his grace aims to establish a relationship of mutuality and love (WCF 16.2, 26.1–3). Yes, God dies for his enemies, but he does so to make them his friends. This relationship entails expectations, even obligations that are incumbent upon those who have received the grace of God (1 Corinthians 6:20; Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:12; ).
Grace in Life: A Personal Story
Grace should never be an abstraction. It takes concrete form particularly in the person of Christ and even the ministry of the church. When I was a graduate student residing in Cambridge, England, my wife and I were living month to month. An opportunity to move closer to the city center coincided with an opportunity for her to take a better job. It all sounded great—except for the timing.
These opportunities converged in such a way that there was a new security deposit due before the previous deposit was returned, and before my wife received her new salary. All of this came to light after we had signed the lease on the new rental.
It just so happened that one of the deacons at our new church, a fellow by the name of Andy Young, was training to be a minister. I was meeting with Andy so that we could sharpen each other’s Hebrew skills. As we caught up on life, I mentioned our situation in passing without giving any thought to the fact that Andy was a deacon. A week later the deacons told us how they perceived that we might be facing financial hardship and, unprompted, gave us two months of rent. It made all the difference.
This tangible experience of grace left an indelible impact on me. The deacons of this church took the initiative (priority) to more than meet our need (superabundance). Moreover, we were poor, new, and transient. The gift did not match our worth (incongruence), but that gift changed our situation (efficacy). It brought us to a new level of financial security, deepened our bond with and love for the church, and, most of all, gave us a deeper appreciation of God’s grace in Christ. Because of the kindness of the church’s diaconate, I have a deeper appreciation for what Paul meant when he said, “For you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Kyle Wells serves as pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara, California.