What Is Divine Grace? Understanding and Embracing God’s G...
Divine grace is a free gift that God bestows upon humankind to enable them to share in His divine life. God created humankind in His image, and humankind will find happiness and bliss only in complete union with God. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were in perfect communion with the Lord. However, since the advent of original sin into the world, humankind has lost this direct connection—this "state of grace"—that sanctified them. Sanctifying grace then comes as a free gift from God to enable human beings to be reunited with Him. This grace allows them to share in the divine life and to journey toward the salvation of their souls.
Divine Grace: Definition
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it as follows: “The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. It is the sanctifying or deifying grace received in Baptism. It is in us the source of the work of sanctification” (CCC § 1999). Divine grace is a free and supernatural gift that God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, bestows upon human beings to enable them to live in communion with God and His commandments. The Catechism of the Catholic Church specifies that it is: “a stable and supernatural disposition that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love” (CCC § 2000). This grace is supernatural, that is, it transcends human natural powers and cannot be brought about by any human action; it comes directly and solely from God. Grace manifests itself in two complementary forms: “habitual grace,” which continually disposes a person to act in accordance with the commandments and to practice charity; and “actual grace,” which refers to God’s intervention in a person’s life (for their conversion or sanctification). Grace comes only from God; human beings receive it, but remain free to accept or reject it. Grace and freedom are intertwined: grace opens the heart to divine truth, while human cooperation makes it truly effective on the path to sanctification.
Divine Grace and Freedom
God’s grace is neither coercive nor forced; it opens the heart to God’s truth and love, while respecting the person’s inner freedom. Thus, a person receives grace but remains free to accept or reject it; God never imposes it, but always makes it available, even when it acts discreetly in the conscience of a soul that has not yet recognized it. This freedom is the very condition of sanctification: grace makes the choice of the good possible, but it is the believer’s voluntary cooperation that makes it truly effective on the path to holiness. God respects our freedom too much to force us to follow Him. Thus, grace and freedom are intertwined like the two wings of a single hope: grace opens the way, human freedom brings it to fruition, and together they lead to full participation in the life of God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way: “ God's free initiative demands man's free response, for God has created man in his image by conferring on him, along with freedom, the power to know him and love him. The soul only enters freely into the communion of love.” (CCC §2002)
God’s Grace in the Bible
Divine Grace in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, God’s grace appears as faithfulness manifested through acts of deliverance and mercy. Here are some passages that reveal this grace of God:
- “I am the Lord. I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and will deliver you from their slavery. I will redeem you by my outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.” (Exodus 6:6)
- “The Lord, a God gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love and fidelity” (Exodus 34:6)
- “Food from heaven you gave them in their hunger, water from a rock you sent them in their thirst. You told them to enter and occupy the land which you had sworn to give them.” (Nehemiah 9:15)
- “Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me all the days of my life; I will dwell in the house of the Lord for endless days.” (Psalm 23:6)
Divine Grace in the New Testament
With the coming of Christ, divine grace takes on a fully revealed and incarnate form. In the New Testament, grace is no longer perceived merely as God’s benevolence toward his people, but as a real participation in the divine life offered to all people through Jesus Christ. Through him, God manifests the fullness of his love and fulfills the promise of salvation already announced in the Old Testament. Here are some verses that mention God’s grace:
- “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8)
- “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, 'Abba, Father!'” (Romans 8:15)
- “For the grace of God has appeared, saving all” (Titus 2:11)
- “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
How do we receive God’s grace?
For divine grace to work fully in our souls, it requires our full cooperation and participation. Through regular prayerand the practice of the sacraments, which accompany us throughout our lives, we can cultivate the fear of God and humility—virtues essential for receiving God’s grace and allowing it to work within us.
The Practice of the Sacraments
The sacraments are the privileged channels through which grace acts. They were instituted by Christ and the Church to guide and direct believers on the path to the sanctification of their souls. There are seven different sacraments:
Prayer
Prayer is the breath of the soul enlivened by grace; it is the special place where we offer our time and our very being to God. Prayer is a response of love to a God who loves us and asks only to be loved in return. It allows the believer to enter into a living and constant relationship with God, to offer Him one’s freedom, desires, weaknesses, and actions. Through prayer, a person opens oneself to God’s presence and allows oneself to be transformed.
The prayer of thanksgiving specifically allows us to thank God after receiving a grace or favor from Him.
Embrace God’s grace with Hozana
On the Hozana online prayer site, you’ll find numerous prayer communities covering a wide variety of topics. Learn to live by divine grace and to practice thanksgiving to thank the Lord for His many blessings. Discover, in particular:
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- to deepen your faith.
