|
Rethinking Grace: A Biblical Word Reexamined When we hear the word grace in a biblical context, especially within modern American Christianity, we almost exclusively interpret it as unmerited favor. This definition—so deeply embedded in our theological vocabulary—has been shaped over time by particular streams of Christian thought, especially those that rose to prominence after the Protestant Reformation. The Modern Lens: Grace as "Unmerited Favor" In today’s Evangelical circles, grace is often synonymous with salvation. A verse like Ephesians 2:8–9 has become a theological cornerstone: “For it is by grace (charis) you (pl.) have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, This is commonly interpreted to mean: God saves us through an undeserved gift, and we contribute nothing to the process. All we must do is “believe” that Jesus died for our sins, and in return, we receive salvation—often understood as “going to heaven.” Such theology has been reinforced by generations of preaching shaped by the imagery of judgment and wrath—most famously Jonathan Edwards’ 18th-century sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. The title alone suggests a view of humanity as wretched and God as angry. From that worldview, grace is understood as God’s reluctant mercy rather than His generous gift. But doesn’t Scripture also declare that “God is love”? (1 John 4:8). How might these cultural interpretations have colored, or even distorted, the biblical understanding of grace? The Hebrew Roots: Ḥēn and Ḥānan To begin rethinking grace, we must return to the Hebrew Scriptures. The verb most often translated “to be gracious” is ḥānan (חָנַן), and the noun is ḥēn (חֵן). These words are deeply relational in tone and usage. According to the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament: "The verb ḥānan depicts a heartfelt response by someone who has something to give The Old Testament also translates ḥānan as “compassion” or “pity,” especially when a superior acts generously toward a subject. The noun ḥēn is often rendered “favor” or “gift.” In both cases, the emphasis is not legal or transactional—it is functional and relational. Grace as Living Water (a) The ancient Hebrew mind did not define words abstractly, as we tend to do in modern Western thought. Instead, it thought concretely and functionally. Therefore, grace is not an abstract quality but any gift that comes to you. A rich biblical image of this kind of grace is water from a spring—what ancient Israel called living water. In the land of Israel, there were three types of water:
This was grace. It was a life-giving provision that flowed without effort from the recipient. Jesus uses this metaphor in John 4:10–11, speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well: “If you knew the gift (doron) of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, They are at a well—hard-earned water—but Jesus is offering living water--grace, a gift from God. Jesus repeats this imagery in John 7:37–39, during the Festival of Tabernacles, which celebrates God’s gift of rain and provision: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of To the ancient Israelites, God is the one who sends rain in due season. The rain, like a spring, is grace—a reflection of God’s predisposition to bless His people. Grace in the Exodus: Favor Before Obedience Before we turn to the New Testament understanding of grace, we must pause at the most formative event in Israel’s story: the Exodus. For ancient Israelites, the Exodus was the defining act of God's intervention in history. It was the foundational demonstration of His favor, compassion, and loyalty toward His people. And for the writers of the New Testament—Jesus included—the Exodus story was the theological and cultural wellspring from which they understood God's saving activity. What’s crucial about the Exodus is the order of events:
In other words, grace precedes law. Favor precedes faithfulness. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” — Exodus 20:2 That statement comes before the giving of the Ten Commandments. God did not demand obedience in order to redeem Israel. He redeemed them because of His promises—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—and because of His own honor, mercy, and compassion. “The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more This is grace. The Exodus is not about Israel earning God’s favor. It is about God's gracious initiative to rescue a people trapped in oppression—people who, by many accounts, were still influenced by Egyptian idolatry and fear (see Ezekiel 20:5–9). Nevertheless, God acts—not because of Israel’s merit, but because of His covenant faithfulness and love. Once rescued, however, Israel is brought into a covenant relationship. Like a marriage, that relationship brings with it obligations and boundaries. The Torah functions as the wedding vows—guidelines for how to live as God's covenant partner in the world. This dynamic—grace first, then responsibility—would shape Jewish expectations in Jesus’ day. Many Israelites longed for a new Exodus—a new act of divine deliverance that would free them from Roman oppression and restore God’s kingdom to Israel. Jesus taps directly into this longing and reframes it: the liberation He brings is not merely political, but spiritual and cosmic. The grace of the Exodus becomes the pattern for the grace of the gospel. Reexamining John 1:17 – Grace and Law One often misunderstood verse is John 1:17: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” This is frequently misread as a contrast, leading many to say, “We are under grace, not law.” But that is not what John is saying. This verse is not anti-Torah. It is simply descriptive: the Torah came through Moses as a gift to Israel. Grace and truth—the fullness of divine generosity—flow through Jesus, the Logos. Both are good. Both are gifts. Both are grace. The Torah itself was seen as living water with life-giving and purifying qualities: “Just as water provides life to the world, as it is stated: “A garden spring, a well of living water” (Song of Songs 4:15), so too, Torah provides life to the world, as it is stated: “They are life for those who find them” (Proverbs 4:22), and it is written: “Go, purchase and eat” (Isaiah 55:1). “Just as water purifies a person from impurity, as it is stated: “I will sprinkle pure water upon you, and you will be purified” (Ezekiel 36:25), so too, Torah purifies the impure from his impurity, as it is stated: “The words of the Lord are pure words” (Psalms 12:7). Just as water purifies the body, as it is stated: “He shall immerse his flesh in water [and become pure]” (Leviticus 14:9), so too, Torah purifies the body, as it is stated: “Your saying is extremely pure” (Psalms 119:140).”[b] First-Century Hebraic Understanding: Favor Earned and Shared Before we explore how Paul and the New Testament writers developed the idea of Charis (grace), we must understand a crucial piece of Jewish theology from the Second Temple period: the idea that the favor (ḥēn) earned by a righteous person could be shared with others. This concept is rooted in the Exodus narrative, especially in the golden calf episode. In Exodus 32, Israel abandons God and bows before a man-made idol. God's anger burns against them, and He proposes starting over with Moses alone. But Moses intercedes. In Exodus 33:17, God responds to Moses: “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor (ḥēn) in my sight, This favor is not erased by the people's sin. Because of Moses’s standing, God relents. He renews the covenant and gives Israel a second chance. The favor earned by Moses’ faithfulness covers the community's failure. In Exodus 34:9-10, Moses once again pleads with God, "If I have found favor in your sight," that God would forgive the "stiff-necked" Israelites. God responds by promising to do wonders “never before done” as part of the renewed covenant. The presence of God remained with the Israelites due to Moses's favor with God. We see the same dynamic at play in the Suffering Servant song of Isaiah 53. In verses 11–12, the prophet declares (emphasis added): 11 "by his knowledge, my righteous servant will justify many, Here, the righteousness and suffering of one result in the justification of many. The favor that rests on the righteous servant is extended to others—not because they have earned it, but because they are associated with the one who did. This was a common way of thinking in the Jewish world of Jesus’ day: the favor of God can be applied to those who attach themselves to the one who has favor. That favor is not “unmerited” in the sense of coming from nowhere; rather, it is merited by one and graciously shared with others. Favor in the Name of Jesus This theological framework underlies the New Testament idea of trusting or having faith "in the name" of Jesus. In the first-century Hebrew world, believing in someone's "name" meant trusting in their character, reputation, and authority. It meant aligning yourself with their way—much like Israel aligned with Moses, whose favor with God benefited the whole nation. “When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the LORD had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the LORD and in his servant Moses" Jesus, as the truly Righteous One, becomes the new Moses and the Suffering Servant. His obedience and favor before God are so abundant that He can share the spoils (Isaiah 53:12) with those who follow Him. “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” —John 1:16 This is not unmerited favor in the abstract; it is grace that flows from the merit of Christ, shared generously with those who trust in Him and walk in His ways. Charis and Dorea in the New Testament In Greek, the primary word for grace is charis (χάρις). But it's not the only one. Dorea (δωρεά), also meaning "gift," appears in passages like Romans 5:15–16, where Paul interweaves the two terms. Charis was not a uniquely theological term. It was used in everyday Greco-Roman culture to describe a favor, kindness, or benefit voluntarily bestowed. In Paul’s writing, grace often refers to an action by God, not merely His disposition. For example, the gift of Christ’s redeeming death is a grace—an act of divine generosity. But this gift is not without expectations. In Paul’s thinking, grace is not "free" in the modern sense of “no strings attached.” Once a person receives the gift, they are now in a relationship with the Giver—and relationships carry responsibilities. Universal and Specific Grace Grace, in Paul’s letters, includes both:
These charismata—graces—are not about salvation per se but about building up the community and maturing in faith. Grace as the Gift of Being Human The early Church understood graces as any gift God provides. These gifts might be external—like provision—or internal—like hope or wisdom. For instance, we can think of the internal phenomena of hope in two ways:
Likewise, God has graced humanity with the capacity for transformation. We are not static. We can grow, change, repent, and become more like the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). This, too, is grace—a mysterious and beautiful gift from a generous Creator. Conclusion: The Spring Still Flows Grace is not a theological loophole for escaping judgment. It is the living water of God's generosity—flowing freely, giving life, transforming the soul. It is God's nature to give, to restore, and to bless. When we reduce grace to only “unmerited favor” or an “escape clause” for heaven, we miss its richness. Grace is every act of God’s goodness toward us—from the air we breathe to the Spirit that transforms. It is favor. It is kindness. It is relationship. And it flows like a spring—freely, continually, and from the heart of a God who loves. Endnotes: [a] Fleming, James W. (1999). Biblical Imagery in the Prophets and Jesus, Biblical Resources: La Grange, GA, pg. 38-39. [b] Song of Songs Rabbah 1:2 (8) - https://www.sefaria.org/Shir_HaShirim_Rabbah.1.2.8?lang=en&with=all&lang2=en
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Teacher Scott Broberg - I have a Masters of Divinity (MDiv) from Bethel Seminary - San Diego - Biblical Studies with and emphasis on the Old Testament. Categories
All
my read shelf:
 Favorite Websites:
- Ladder of Jacob
- Our Rabbi Jesus - That the World May Know - Early Jewish Writings - Early Christian Writings - Abarim Publications - Hebrew 4 Christians - Holy Land Photos - Biblical Archaeology Society - Ancient Hebrew Research Center - First Fruits of Zion - Jerusalem Perspective - Rabbi Jonathan Sacks - Flavius Josephus.org - Bible Archaeology Report - Hebrew Streams - Biblical Resources Archives
November 2025
|
AddressP.O. Box 50881
Nashville, TN 37205 |
Email
|
|