What is divine grace?

Throughout the whole of his Gospel, our teacher John presents to us the person of the divine Word incarnate as the Source from which infinite divine grace flows ; particularly the grace of creation, the grace of being God’s children, and an abundance of other blessings. The Evangelist says, “ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ ” (John 1:16–17). John the Evangelist declares that Jesus Christ is the mystery of fullness for the whole Church; the Spring of graces unceasing; the overflowing love endlessly erupting. Out of His perfect infinite fullness He overflows over His Church so that each of its members may enjoy partaking of the divine nature; for He is the source of all graces who fills our treasuries (Prov. 8:21). Grace flows into us from Him as water flows into a stream from the spring which is its source. The divine gifts are graces, and hence, are free (Rom. 12:6). And as the Father is pleased with His Beloved, the Only-Begotten Son, He is pleased with us in Him (Eph. 1:6).

The early Eastern Church Fathers were not much concerned with defining theological terms like “grace.” Instead, they devoted their attention to exploring the work of grace and its role in the life of the believer, from his creation to the day of his meeting the Lord in the clouds. The mind of the Alexandrian Church was occupied with experiencing the life of union with God as a promise of the delight of the eternal life. Thus, it is not surprising that the scholar Origen used the name “ Christ ” to denote His gifts or His grace.

Benjamin Drewery attempts to present a definition of divine grace as it is found in the many writings of Origen . He says, “we may suggest that if Origen had been required to offer a formal definition of grace, he would have responded somewhat as follows: grace is the power of God freely but not unconditionally placed at man’s disposal, whereby he appropriates through the Holy Spirit the offer of salvation to a new and ultimately eternal life

555 See the interpretations and reflections of the Church Fathers in the Addendum to Chapter One on Divine Grace in Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty, The Gospel of John: A Patristic Commentary , Part 1, Chapters 1–8, trans., Mary Rose Halim and Mary Barsoum (Sporting, Alexandria: St. George’s Coptic Orthodox Church, 2003).

revealed and enacted in scripture by the incarnate Jesus Christ and now made available by Him to the world.”⁵⁵⁶

St. Augustine says, “What, then, is ‘grace for grace’? By faith we render God favorable to us; and inasmuch as we were not worthy to have our sins forgiven, and because we, who were unworthy, received so great a benefit, it is called grace. What is grace? That which is freely given … And having obtained favor from God by living by faith, you shall receive immortality as a reward, and life eternal. And that is grace.”⁵⁵⁷

St. Basil the Great says, “David laments and says: ‘I was conceived in iniquity and in sins did my mother conceive me’ (Ps. 51:5). The Apostle also declares: ‘For all have sinned and do need the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace , through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood’ (Rom. 3:23–25). Wherefore, the pardon of sins is also vouchsafed to them that believe, since the Lord Himself said: ‘This is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins’ (Matt. 26:28).”⁵⁵⁸