God’s free favor exercised toward undeserving sinners. It is entirely spontaneous on His part and not conditioned on human merit ( John 3:16 ; Eph. 1:3–11 ). It is an expression of the redeeming, loving attitude of God. In exercising grace, God gives before He requires. The exercise of saving grace results in forgiveness, pardon, justification, and sanctification. From a human point of view the most remarkable quality of God is His infinite patience and unchangeable love for sinners in spite of their unfaithfulness and rebellion ( Eph. 2:8 ).
Human beings are saved wholly by grace, which comes to them as a free gift from God. Salvation is by grace alone, to the entire exclusion of human merit, power, or wisdom. Grace is largely a NT word. The OT has no precise equivalent for the NT word, yet everywhere the OT reflects the grace of God in His dealings with sinners. People in the OT times were saved by grace as surely as they were in NT times.
Redeeming grace is possible only in and through the work of Christ ( Rom. 3:24 ; 5:20 , 21 ). God could not forgive sinners apart from the saving work of Christ. The supreme expression of grace is what God did in and through Christ. Grace is unlimited; it embraces all humanity; it is for all persons ( 1 Tim. 2:4 ; Titus 2:11 ; 2 Peter 3:9 ). Nevertheless, people can resist God’s grace as they do the influence of the Holy Spirit. To be saved by grace is to be saved wholly from within the heart of God.
“Grace is God’s hand extended to miserable sinners. Faith is the sinner’s hand stretched up to clasp the offered hand of God” (H. W. Lowe, in Review and Herald 130:6, Sept. 3, 1953).
“God’s grace extends mercy to those who do not deserve mercy, and He adopts into His family those who do not belong there by natural birth” (W.G.C. Murdoch, in Review and Herald 137:7, Apr. 21, 1960).