Psalm 116:5 declares, “Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful.” According to language scholars, the word translated “grace” contains the idea of kindness which bestows upon one what he does not deserve. Yet, the beautiful diamond of grace has many facets.
Giving is called an “act of grace” in 2 Corinthians 8:7. Paul was encouraging the Corinthians to excel in their giving as in everything, e.g. faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness, and love. It is a gracious thing to be liberal in contributing to the aid of others and to the Lord’s cause.
Preaching is called “grace.” In Romans 15:15, 16, Paul said that God had given him the grace “to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles.” It was according to that very grace that he acted as a skilled master builder and “laid a foundation” (1 Corinthians 3:10). Others saw that to Paul was given the grace to preach Christ among the Gentiles (cf. Galatians 1:15; 2:9). The apostle said that he had received grace “to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name (i.e. Jesus Christ our Lord, A.K.) among all the nations” (Romans 1:4, 5).
Grace saves, but not grace only, for “we are saved by grace through faith” according to Ephesians 2:8. Grace covers sin, but not every sin. So, Paul asked the Romans, “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!” he said. “How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1, 2). Opposed to the works of the Law of Moses, the grace that saves is not on the basis of works. “Otherwise grace would no longer be grace” (Romans 11:6).
Grace is given from God in the form of gifts to be used in His service. “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them,” Paul wrote in Romans 12:6. Those gracious “gifts” include speaking God’s word, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, and performing acts of mercy.
If one could picture the grace of God as a diamond, around its crown he might see the faces of mercy, giving, preaching, salvation, unmerited favor, and service.
–Andy