What is Grace?

Grace is God acting freely, according to His own nature as Love with no promises or obligations to fulfill, and acting righteously in view of the cross. Grace, therefore is uncaused in the one who receives. Its cause lies completely in the giver, in God. Grace is absolutely the final authority sovereign - not having debts to pay, or fulfilled conditions on our part to wait for. It can act toward whom, and how it pleases. It can, and often does place the worst sinner in the highest favor. To be discouraged is unbelief, as to God's purpose and plan of blessing for you. To be proud is the be blind! For we have no standing before God, in and of ourselves. The lack of God's blessing, therefore, comes from unbelief, not from failure of devotion. 

Real devotion to God arises, not from man's will to show it, but from the discovery that blessing has been received from God while we were still unworthy and un-devoted! To declare devotion first, and blessing second, is to reverse God's order, and proclaims Law, not Grace. The Law made man's blessing depend on devotion. Grace gives unconditional, undeserving blessing. Our devotion may follow, but does not always do so, in proper measure and response to Grace!

• To believe and to consent to be loved while a sinner and unworthy, is the great secret of God's Grace
• To refuse to make "resolutions and vows" for that is to trust in the flesh.
• To expect to be blessed, though realizing more and more our lack of worth.
• To testify and declare God's goodness at all times.
• To be certain of God's future favor and blessing, yet to be sensitive and tender of conscience toward Him.
• A man and woman under Grace begins to have more burden for others than themselves.

• To hope to be better is to fail to see yourself in Christ!
• To be disappointed with yourself is to have believed in yourself instead of God and His Grace.
• Grace cannot act where there is a thought of either deserving or ability. Grace is not giving help but is absolute, it does all.
• There being no cause on the creature why Grace should be shown, the creature must be bought off from trying to give reason to God for His Grace.
• The discovery by the creature that he is truly the object of Divine grace works the greatest humility for the receiver of Grace is brought to know his/her own absolute unworthiness, and his complete inability to attain worthiness. A person finds himself/herself blessed because of God's determination, a principle of Grace outside himself/herself.
• Flesh has no place in the plan of Grace. This is the reason why Grace is often hated or rejected by the proud natural mind of mankind. But for this very reason, the true believer rejoices! For he/she knows that in him/her that is in the flesh is no good thing. Yet he finds God glad to bless him/her just as he/she is! This is truly Amazing Grace!
• Grace is NOT doing religious works of any kind to receive God's love such as joining churches, walking aisles, making religious decisions, water baptism, learning religious stuff, talking to God, being confirmed, giving our hearts to God or giving up sins.

• He has been accepted in Christ, who is his/ her standing!
• He/she is not on probation!
• As to ones past life, it does not exist before God; he/she died at the cross, and Christ is his/her life!
• Grace once given, is not withdrawn; for God knew all the details of human sin and inability beforehand. His actions were independent of them.
• The failure of devotion on the part of him/her does not cause the withdrawal of bestowed Grace, as it would under the Law.

All excerpts on this page were taken from the book titled "Romans Verse By Verse", by William R. Newell