What Christians Get Wrong About Grace

Many Christians misunderstand grace, even those who are helping people grow. Usually people think that grace means forgiveness or the absence of condemnation. And the God of grace is the one who forgives. But while forgiveness is an expression of the grace of God, grace is much bigger than just forgiveness. Theologically, grace us unmerited favor. This definition has two important implications. 

1. As I have said, favor means that God is for us and not against us. He is on our side and desires good for us and not evil.

2. His favor cannot be earned, and even if it could be, we do not have the means with which to earn it. We cannot merit it. Therefore he will freely give us things we cannot provide for ourselves.

Practically, these two implications of grace undergird the entire growth process. To grow, we need things that we do not have and cannot provide, and we need to have a source of those things who looks favorably upon us and who does things for us for our own good.

Though grace is given to us freely, it can be hard to receive it when we feel like we’re undeserving. And when we feel undeserving of God’s grace, there may be a deep-rooted cause that stems from a painful past. 

I want to help you make the connections that join our spiritual lives and our emotional health, connect better with ourselves and God and show you a path towards healthy growth. Scroll down to learn more about my upcoming workshop, Mentally Healthy Faith.