Let’s conclude our study of the use of “grace” in the NT; the Greek word is charis. The word is used 10 times in 1 Peter; twice in 2 Peter; once in 1 John and Jude; twice in Revelation.
As we seen in Paul’s letters, “grace” is used as a greeting in the other letters too, like Peter (1 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 1:2) and John (2 John 3). In first text, Peter wishes his audience “grace to the fullest measure.” Peter writes that the OT prophets preached about the grace that would come (1:10) and Christians should set their hope firmly on the grace that came with the revelation of Jesus Christ from heaven (1:13).
In chapter 2, Peter writes to Christians who are slaves and encourages them to be submissive to their unreasonable masters because this submission will find “favor” (or “grace”) with God (2:19-20). In the next chapter, Peter writes to husbands to understand their wife and her needs, showing her honor because they are “fellow heirs of the grace [which brings] life” (3:7). In 4:10, Peter tells Christians that we are to use our gifts in serving one another as stewards of the multi-faceted grace of God.
When he teaches humility in the fifth chapter, Peter quotes Proverbs 3:34, that God “opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (5:5). In the same context, he refers to God as “the God of all grace” who will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish us (5:10). Finally, Peter concludes his letter, stating that through his letter, he was exhorting and testifying to the true grace of God and Christians need to stand in it (5:12). At the end of the his second letter, Peter commands Christians to “grow in the grace… of our Lord and Savior” (3:18).
Jude writes (verse 4) that some people have infiltrated the church of Christ, who had been marked out for condemnation, but who were turning the grace of God into a license to sin and, thereby, were denying the Lord and Master.
Finally, we come to the final book of the New Testament, Revelation, wherein “grace” is only used twice. In 1:4, John wishes grace in his salutation on his audience, as Paul, Peter, and John did. The last words of God’s communication to mankind are found in Revelation 22:21: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.”
Now that we have examined all the verses in the NT which use the word “grace,” we’ll draw some conclusions in our next study.
Paul Holland
