What’s so great about “Grace” that we would want to make it our namesake? Grace, according to Ephesians 2:4-9, is the unmerited favor of God toward fallen man.
This means that Grace is something that God gives man that Man does not deserve. It is UN-merited. These verses also tell us why Man does not deserve Grace from God. It is because Man is “fallen”.
The scriptures teach that Man “fell” in the Garden and that because of one man’s fall, we all fall. How bad is this “fall”? The scriptures say that mankind is unable to do any “good work”. In order to merit or deserve something – like God’s favor – this would certainly necessitate some “good work”, but alas because of our fallen nature we cannot do this. It gets worse. Men are void of the faith to believe – another good work – in God and His gospel. We are “dead in trespasses and sin” (Eph. 2:5) and are without ability, or inclination, to approach God for the remission of our sin.
However, the Good News is that God provided salvation for His people through the work of Christ – His Son. He gives the gift of faith, which is a work of His Grace, to those He saves. This faith opens the eyes of the redeemed man to truth and gives him the ability to come to God. And, indeed, he does come irresistibly.
That’s what’s so great about Grace!