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• 1Cor 1:3 . . Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Although grace is an important element in Christianity; I seriously doubt that
John Q and Jane Doe pew warmer have an adequate concept of it. I suspect
that quite a few are under the impression that grace is somehow a
quantifiable substance like butter and gasoline; but in regards to God, grace
is an abstract noun that expresses personal qualities apart from substance.
The New Testament Greek word for "grace" is charis (khar'-ece); which
means: graciousness.
Webster's defines graciousness as: kind, courteous, inclined to good will,
generous, charitable, merciful, altruistic, compassionate, thoughtful, cordial,
affable, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive, considerate, and tactful.
* Cordial stresses warmth and heartiness
* Affable implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to
conversation or requests or proposals
* Genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality
* Sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others
* Generous is characterized by a noble or forbearing spirit; viz: magnanimous,
kindly, and liberal in giving
* Charitable means full of love for, and goodwill toward, others; viz:
benevolent, tolerant, and lenient.
* Altruistic means unselfish regard for, or devotion to, the welfare of others;
viz: a desire to be of service to others for no other reason than it just feels
good to do so.
* Tactful indicates a keen sense of what to do, or say, in order to maintain
good relations with others in order to resolve and/or avoid unnecessary
conflict.
* Compassion defines a sympathetic awareness of others' distress, coupled
with a desire to alleviate it, i.e. empathy.
The Old Testament Hebrew word for grace is chen (khane); and means
pretty much the same as charis (e.g. Gen 6:8).
When you put all those lovely attributes together, you get a pretty good
picture of the bright side of God's personality. There's a dark side too; but
grace doesn't go there.
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