The church can’t give grace. It’s a collection of sinners that needed grace.
The source of grace is God
God the Father
•James 4:6: "But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble'".
•1 Peter 5:10: "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast".
Jesus Christ
•John 1:17: "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ".
•2 Corinthians 12:9: Jesus tells the Apostle Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".
The Purpose of Grace
•Ephesians 2:8-9: "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God".
•Hebrews 4:16: Explains how to receive it: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need".
And no church gets to define Grace. God does
The concept of grace runs through both the Old and New Testaments, with slightly different original terms that add layers of meaning:
•Old Testament (Hebrew: khen): Translates to "favor" or "grace". It represents acceptance, goodwill, and a generous response to someone who has no claim to it.
•New Testament (Greek: charis): Translates to "grace" or "favor". It often emphasizes God’s active benevolence and His free, unearned gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
the Bible teaches that grace is completely unmerited. The gift and the act of giving have nothing at all to do with our merit or innate quality (Romans 4:4; 11:5–6; 2 Timothy 1:9–10). In fact, the Bible says quite clearly that we don’t deserve God’s salvation. Romans 5:8–10 says, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. . . . While we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son.”