All Christians will agree that people are saved by God's grace.  To deny it would be to deny what Paul teaches in Eph 2:8:"For it is by grace you have been saved..."  But people have differed through the years on whether grace was free, that is, a gift of God, or whether it was obtained by good works on the part of man. 

Those who believe the latter teach that God extends his grace when man meets certain conditions.  Some believe that GodÌs grace flows as a result of man observing sacraments, and others that grace comes when one accepts, without any divine prompting,  the offer of God.  Still others condition the reception of grace on personal obedience to the commands of God.  All of these interpretations require some kind of effort or work on man's part, else God would withhold his grace.

Those who believe that grace is a free gift believe that grace would cease to be grace the moment conditions are attached to its reception.  In such a case, God would be put in debt, and would be obligated to provide salvation to the one meeting the conditions.  Yet Paul asserts clearly that Abraham was accounted righteous through faith, not by works, for"...to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt" (Rom. 4:4).  Other versions read "gift," but the idea is a free gift of grace.  This conclusion is supported by Paul's earlier statement in Rom. 3:24 that we are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."  The word "freely" means "without any cost," and is sometimes translated "without a cause."  There is no cause in us for our receiving grace; there is no cost involved.  Paul makes that clear when he says that we are saved by grace through faith and "that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). 

Augustus Toplady, a great theologian of the seventeenth century, who had just been through a long-standing debate on this matter with another great theologian, wrote his conclusions in a song that we sing often:"Nothing in my hands I bring, only to thy cross I cling."  We have nothing to offer God that is worthy of his accepting us.  Paul wrote to the Romans that our salvation  Ï...does not, therefore, depend on manÌs desire or effort, but on GodÌs mercyÓ  (Rom. 9:16). 

It is wonderful, encouraging, comforting good news to be able to say to people,"Yes, grace is really free!"  If you but trust in Christ, it is yours!  God first extends his grace to us, saves us and adopts us as his children, and then teaches us how to behave in the kingdom.  Paul went on to say that "...we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Eph. 2:10).  God doesn't offer his grace contingent upon our performing a good work; rather, he confers it freely, and then graciously works with us as his children to bring us to obedience.

"Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!....the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (2 Cor. 9:15, Rom. 6:23).

For additional and more detailed information on the subject of grace, select the following tapes offered on our website: "The Doctrines of Grace", "Justification," and "Comfort of Christ."