Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Question: What is God’s “grace”?
Answer: Grace is a lovely word that refers to all the blessings, favors, and kindnesses which God bestows on His children, even when they do not seem to deserve it. Grace is the influence of
God in our lives, coming to those who most need it. Grace is God’s mercy!
The Bible speaks of God’s grace, and so do the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. The Apostle Paul once wrote of himself:
“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
(I Corinthians 15)
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”
(Ephesians 2)
In one of her books, Mrs. Eddy hints at a more scientific definition of grace when she writes:
“All this is accomplished by the grace of God, — the effect of God understood.” (Pan. 10)
Note that she calls grace, “the effect of God understood.” This shows we do not have to wait for some uncertain time for God’s grace to appear in our lives, but that by understanding God, we can demonstrate God’s grace when the need arises. We will learn more about man’s use of grace in another lesson.
Practice: The Bible is full of examples of God’s grace. Can you think of any? Further, can you think of any experiences in your family’s life where “the grace of God” made a difference?
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(Excerpted from “First Lessons in Christian Science, Volume Two: The Beatitudes”
Copyright 2002)
First Lessons in Christian Science 