The phrase “saving grace” is often heard in popular songs and movies, and Christians have included it in poetry, novels, and theological books throughout Church history. Why is the term so important to Christians and even to non-Christians who experience its great mercy? Why is it essential to understanding the Christian story?
While the exact phrase “saving grace” isn’t found in the Bible, the concept of being saved by faith is found throughout Scripture. It’s one of those cases where we make a theological phrase to describe a concept the Bible clearly discusses (like the phrase “Trinity”).
Most notably, we see the concept of saving grace in Ephesians 2:8-9:
“For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
Historians and scholars agree that the apostle Paul wrote this epistle to the church in Ephesus around 60 A.D. Christ’s genuine saving grace was very good news in its first-century context. Under the Roman Empire, most people followed pagan religions that did not guarantee a place in a state of Paradise unless they offered many sacrifices—and even that probably wouldn’t be enough. The gods were depicted as fickle and could be benevolent or malicious. The pagan beliefs included cult worship of the current Roman emperor, who could be the most fickle “god” anyone worshipped. The Christian message of saving grace was counter-cultural and enriching. It offers the assured hope of being with Christ in Heaven through his death and resurrection.
Following Scripture’s description, the church has always defined saving grace as a free gift bestowed on humanity by Christ’s death and resurrection in the first century.
We do not deserve the free gift of God’s saving grace because of our fallen state, but it is bestowed upon us if we confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord. Paul writes in Romans 10:9-10:
“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Saving grace is not found in morality, cultural religion, or a philosophical system but in the person of Jesus Christ. One is redeemed through faith in Christ alone. This is the gospel's central message passed from the apostles and included in the Nicene and Apostles’ Creed.
The gift of unmerited grace means that salvation cannot be earned. Although humanity did not deserve to be redeemed after the Fall, Christ, the Great Artist, loved humanity enough to come and offer hope and redemption through His Death and Resurrection.
Though many terrible things have been done in the name of Christianity, and much harm has been caused because of fundamentalism, true historic Christianity is truly good news for people from all walks of life. This was the case in the first century when people from very poor, wealthy, and middle-class backgrounds heard the message of agape love being taught by the early church after the resurrection of Christ. Christ commands the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations by reflecting the saving grace that breaks the bonds of sin and death.
The good news for everyday people worldwide, regardless of their social status, cultural background, or personal circumstance, is that saving grace can be experienced by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The distinction between saving grace and common grace is immensely important in the Christian worldview. Common grace is the theological view that everyone has a revelation of God’s goodness, glory, and beauty, no matter their culture, worldview, or social status. In his letter to the Romans, Paul makes this argument when writing about the reality of God’s existence and goodness revealed in the natural world.
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)
In the Christian worldview, the laws of physics alone did not create the universe. Physical reactions alone cannot explain the origin of morality, human consciousness, love, art, and spiritual experience. The more logical and beautiful explanation is that all of this came into existence by the Great Artist Christ.
A good example of common grace from scripture comes from Acts 17. In this chapter, Paul debates with different philosophers in Greece about divine revelation and humanity’s search for redemption. Since God is revealed through his creation, human beings are without excuse and do have a revelation of God’s glory through the creation.
Paul pointed out to the philosophers that the statue of the unknown god in their city indicated a search for God even if they hadn’t found him yet and declared that the unknown god they were searching for was Christ himself. Some thinkers scoffed at this, while others found Paul’s message peculiar and fascinating. St. Paul saw his vocation as spreading the message of the saving grace of Christ to all different kinds of people yearning for redemption.
Although saving grace is a free gift offered by a good, loving, and holy God, it does not mean one can continue living a duplicitous lifestyle. The fruits of the spirit are evidence of saving grace in a Christian’s life. As Paul states about the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Saving grace is the theological view that for someone to experience true freedom and hope in Christ, they must repent of their sins and acknowledge Jesus as Messiah and King. This journey requires an act of surrender, which is important in the Christian life and requires daily dying to oneself. A good example of surrender from scripture is when Jesus says in Matthew 16:25, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.”
Surrender is difficult for human beings since we are broken sinners who like to be right and hold on to our pride. The modern gods of technology and one’s own social status make this act of surrender incredibly difficult to undergo. Jesus’ proclamation of being the way, the truth, and the life challenges the naturalistic spirit of the age.
Many people in our confused, polarized, postmodern world are looking for hope, redemption, and meaning. Although different worldviews offer their own answers to the human condition, the gospel of Jesus Christ offers the ultimate hope to the human search for meaning and purpose. I give an example from personal experience to illustrate how I came to receive saving grace on my faith journey.
When I was a confused agnostic, I was interested in many different religions and spiritual paths. As interesting as they were, I found no one more compelling than Jesus of Nazareth. Why? After asking different historical and existential questions, I came to know the person of Christ. This was only possible by acknowledging that I was a broken sinner while also being loved beyond my comprehension by Christ. Christ loved me and all of humanity enough to empty himself of his glory from the heavenly realm, to be born as a human in the first century, suffer a horrific execution by crucifixion, and rise again on the third day. Jesus’ Resurrection is what began the Christian movement and fulfilled all the Old Testament prophesies about the suffering servant. Going from being a confused agnostic to experiencing the reality of the saving grace of Christ changed my life.
Photo Credit:©Getty Images/Boonyachoat
Justin Wiggins is an author who works and lives in the primitive, majestic, beautiful mountains of North Carolina. He graduated with his Bachelor's in English Literature, with a focus on C.S. Lewis studies, from Montreat College in May 2018. His first book was Surprised by Agape, published by Grant Hudson of Clarendon House Publications. His second book, Surprised By Myth, was co-written with Grant Hudson and published in 2021. Many of his recent books (Marty & Irene, Tír na nÓg, Celtic Twilight, Celtic Song, Ragnarok, Celtic Dawn) are published by Steve Cawte of Impspired.
Wiggins has also had poems and other short pieces published by Clarendon House Publications, Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal, and Sweetycat Press. Justin has a great zeal for life, work, community, writing, literature, art, pubs, bookstores, coffee shops, and for England, Scotland, and Ireland.
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