“Favor and peace be yours in abundance through knowing God and Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us all things for life and godliness.”

 What is Grace?

Grace is not a lady in an old television comedy. 

Grace is God’s abundant and unmerited favor being poured upon you and I.

Most importantly, Grace is God’s favor being poured out upon us. 

I think I might have lost you with that one. The word favor doesn’t mean today what it does scripturally. At the same time, neither does Grace. Favor is not the same as “favorite.” Part of the reason for that is because we’ve tended to make things unclear. Since Grace is what radically changed Paul, then many of us are missing out on something today. Truly understanding Grace can radically change people. I know it changed me!

Here is the great truth:  As God’s holy people, you and I are highly favored by God. No one has ever done anything to deserve even a tiny amount of His favor, yet He lavishes upon us His great favor. 

This is God’s great grace which He freely and abundantly pours out upon all who believe. Let that sink in for a while. Don’t miss this.

When the world tells you that you are unworthy, that you are broken, a failure, a disappointment, you will never amount to anything, or tells you that your future is limited by either the trauma or even sins or agonies of your past, reject the lies! 

How often have you heard, “A leopard can’t change its spots!” or “Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.” They may be true if we rely just on ourselves. But Jesus told His disciples that with God “all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) So, from God’s perspective leopard’s spots and future behavior can be completely different. God’s great grace can not only bring forgiveness for the past, but also transform both present and future behavior.

Even more important, when you tell yourself that you are worthless, a failure, or your future is limited by your past, or “you’ll never amount to anything,” don’t believe a single word.

God tells us that you also are highly favored by Him!

I’m sure there is nothing negative you have done which is worse than the horrible acts committed by Saul against the followers of Jesus. Yet, Saul met Jesus on the road to Damascus and experienced the grace of God. Nothing was ever the same after that.

God’s Favor (Grace) is Unmerited

Not only is Grace the favor of God, it is also unmerited. Unmerited means it is not earned. That means there is nothing positive you have done or could ever do that would justify God pouring His Grace on you. Some individuals think that God gives more (crowns, jewels, or gifts) to some, and less to others, based upon their obedience or acts. If that were true, then it would no longer be unmerited. Then we would be able to boast in what we have done. In doing that, we would no longer be giving God all the glory. 

God not only calls you to Him through His unmerited favor (Grace), but He will also continue to pour His favor upon you all the days of your life.

From “Rest for Your Souls: Finding Real Hope and Deliverance From Trauma and Other Deep Scars of Life.” Copyright 2025 by Jonathan H. DeBoard, Ph.D., M.Div., LMFT