Another Kind of Grace

by David Roberts

There are those who for years have defined grace as “unmerited favor,” and, for the most part, this definition seems to work quite well. One of the strongest passages in the Bible that supports this is the following verses from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

Eph. 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Eph. 2:9  Not of works, lest any man should boast.

If our salvation were by works, then we could not only boast, but we could claim to have earned or merited it. Paul makes it plain that grace is not earned nor can we merit it. Works are of ourselves, and we perform them in expectancy of some payback, but God’s gift is a gift, not a reward!

The Greek word for grace is άριςχ  and  in English letters it’s pronounced khar’-ese.  Another mini-study has revealed to me that this same Greek word has other meanings besides grace. One is “thanks.”

In  Romans 6:17,  Paul writes “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.” 

Some people have wondered after they have been saved by grace—that favor that cannot be earned—what can we return to God that strongly expresses our gratitude for this wonderful gift?  We can thank him in the same way Paul did for the Romans’ transformation. This word is the same word that usually is translated as “grace.” Now, can we claim that God can receive favor that He hasn’t earned? Of course not. But, in  our devotion to Him,  we may return the grace He has given us by returning thanksgiving to Him!

Since, in this verse, it is the same Greek word as grace is, it must be just as powerful a word.

So let’s give thanks!

David Roberts has been a frequent contributor to Daily-Devotionals.com. He is a retired high school teacher who loves to study and share his insights on the Scripture.