Understanding God's grace

Many of us liberally use the phrase "grace of God" in our conversations. Everyone understand it in different ways.

Dictionary gives following meanings for the word "Grace"

• Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.
• A favor rendered by one who need not do so.
• The state of being protected or sanctified by the favor of God.
• An excellence or power granted by God.

Depending on the context it is used, the word "grace" implies one of the above meanings.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9not by works, so that no one can boast"

In this context the word "grace" implies that God bestowed His divine favor for all (though He need not to do so) out of His love for the world (all people).

Before we were saved, we all were spiritually dead. We were controlled by the sinful thoughts because of sin(disobedience to God and laws of God) that indwells us. This is spiritual blindness. So we all acted, walked, talked to gratify our sinful desires and blinded to the things of God and spiritual things. As a result the wrath of God who is just, rests on all that belongs to sin which is going to come.

So God gives His grace (divine favor out of love) so that we can understand spiritual things, like sin, judgment, salvation, and so on through Jesus Christ His son. Then when we respond to Him through faith by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior we are saved from the wrath of God. The wrath of God is taken away immeditely and peace of God rests on us.

Glorious Grace
Whenever Paul writes in his books, He always begins by praising God and then says may you grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:7 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1Cor 1:3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Cor 1:2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
and the list goes on.

Many of us skip these first few lines thinking of it as just greetings. But we are missing the point. It has a profound meaning. Here Paul is saying grace to you from the father, meaning may God grant you His excellence or power granted by God. ( look at meaning for grace no 4 )

Romans 5:1 says
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

Its like a key to a room in which treasure is stored. That key is Jesus Christ, through Him we have access to Gods grace (unmerited divine assistance and power). So what is the meaning of "through Him we have access to Gods grace?".
When Jesus indwells us, He is with us and living in us, then we have access to God's glorious grace through which we can shake the powers and principalities.

Ephesians 1:5-6 says
In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-- to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

In the above scripture portion the phrase "freely given us" meaning, He has abundantly given us or given us without measure. So God has abundantly given us His "glorious grace" through Jesus Christ.

It is this divine awesome grace by which believers in Christ can shake the heaven and hell for God's glory. When Paul complained about his thorn in the flesh, God said my grace is sufficient for thee. God did not ignore Pauls affliction, but He reminded Paul that God already gave us His glorious grace through Jesus Christ.

Jesus promised that if we love Him, obey His commandments and we will be loved by Father and they both will come and dwell in our hearts. Also the Holy Spirit. He indwells us too, through whom we have access to God's glorious grace.

So as Paul says may we all grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.