THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
WHAT IS GRACE?
STARTER:
How would you describe God’s
love to someone from a
different faith or no faith
background?
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
WHAT IS GRACE?
Read Romans 5 : 1-11
Look over the following verses, put together a picture of what we are given because of God’s
THINK IT THROUGH
grace. Think about what we have been given; what we have now; and what we have assurance
of for the future. • How do we know that
If you find some of the words hard to understand in an everyday context, you may like to look God loves us, from this
the passage up in the Message which gives a wonderful fresh translation. passage?
• When we stand before
God, why would God
‘We are justified ‘God’s love is
‘Christ died for ‘We are saved by ‘Even though we accept us?
and have peace poured out
with God - we into our hearts the ungodly and Jesus’ life - grace are sinners, we
have access into through the intervenes for is because of can be reconciled
grace by faith’ Holy Spirit’ the powerless’ Jesus’ with God’
v 1-2 v5 v6-8 v10 v11
THE GRACE OF GOD GOING DEEPER
WHAT IS GRACE?
Jesus told many stories that help us to understand grace. Look at one
of the most familiar stories that Jesus told. Imagine how marvellous
and yet how shocking this story would have been to his listeners.
What do you think Jesus wanted his listeners to understand about
God our Father?
Read Luke 15 : 11-24
Find places in the story where we see aspects of grace that are
wonderfully ours today:
• It’s only because of Jesus
• We access it by faith
• It is for the forgiveness of sin
• It achieves reconciliation and access to God
• It is for sinners
THE GRACE OF GOD REFLECTION
WHAT IS GRACE?
Tim Keller said: The way to grow in faith is
‘God sees us as we are, loves us as we are, and accepts us as we are. But to deepen our
by His grace, He does not leave us as we are’. understanding of grace.
Considering what you have learned, think about:
• What was needed in order for the prodigal son to return to his Pray that God would
Father? (Luke 15 v 19, 21) continue to teach you
• What would you say to someone who said that feeling unworthy about receiving and giving
(v21) is incompatible with our understanding of a God of grace? grace as we travel on this
journey as a church family.
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
FREE GRACE
STARTER:
‘By instinct, I feel I must do
something in order to be Why is it so much easier to ‘do
accepted. Grace sounds a something in order to be
startling note of contradiction, accepted’ than to understand
of liberation, and every day I grace as a free gift from God?
must pray anew for the ability
to hear its message’.
Philip Yancey - ‘What’s so
amazing about grace?’
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
FREE GRACE
Read Ephesians 2 : 1-10
Verses 1-3 Verses 6-7
What did our lives look like Why do you think Paul How do these verses
before we were rescued uses such strong imagery contrast with verses 1-3?
from our life of sin? . as he describes how we
lived before God had Verses 8-9
mercy on us?
These verses are key to our understanding of grace
as ‘God’s undeserved favour’.
Verses 4-5 Verse 5
What do they teach us specifically about grace?
How were we What does it mean to be
rescued from this ‘alive with Christ’? Verse 10
way of life?
Why were we What might this look
saved by grace? like in our daily lives?
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
FREE GRACE
Previously we looked at the first part of the parable of the Prodigal Son. Today we’re going to look at his older brother and what
we can learn from his reaction in the face of the outrageous grace shown by his father to his rebellious brother.
Read Luke 15 : 25-32 Return to Ephesians 2 : 1-10
• Why was the older brother so upset
with the celebrations? In one of his reflections on • Look at verses 8 and 9 in particular, and
grace, CS Lewis quotes St think about the older son in the parable,
• What specifically do we learn about Augustine who said ‘God gives what ‘parcels’ do you think we are
his father in this section of the story? where he finds empty hands’.
tempted to carry that mean we miss out
• What has the older son missed Lewis went on ‘A man whose on the potential fullness of life that God
through all his hard work?
hands are full of parcels can’t offers? When might we struggle under a
receive a gift’. heavy yoke of obligation?
• When and how do we act like the
older son? • Look again at verse 3 of Ephesians 2, why
might we find it so hard to ‘put all our
parcels down’?
THE GRACE OF GOD PRAY
FREE GRACE
Thank God for his amazing gift of grace and the way
that he found us and reached out to us.
Ask him to help you to recognise places in your life
which are held as closed fists, so that grace is held at
bay.
Pray that as a church we would hold out the gift of
grace to those who come through our doors so that
their lives are transformed by Jesus
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
COSTLY GRACE
STARTER:
What are some of the ways that Although God’s gift of
it is costly to live as a believer in underserved favour (grace) is free,
Jesus? it should never appear cheap -
that is, grace enjoyed for what it
Why and when do you think we
gives us, but with no
may avoid talking about the
understanding of what it cost
cost involved in following
Jesus, or how it transforms our
Jesus?
lives.
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
COSTLY GRACE
Read 1 Corinthians 15 : 1-11 • Why is it important to understand that the
truths of the gospel, as outlined here, are
• In verse 1, Paul begins this chapter by
‘of primary importance’ (v.3)? How can
reminding the believers in the church at Corinth we avoid getting distracted by matters of
of the gospel that they received and ‘on which
‘secondary importance’?
you have taken your stand’. What does it mean
to receive and take a stand on the gospel? • Verses 9-10 - Why does Paul remind his
readers of his past and the part God’s
• In verse 2, Paul tells us we are saved ‘if we hold
grace has played in who he is now?
firmly to the word’. Do you think this happens
as a one-off or over the course of our lives - or • Paul is using this chapter to remind the
both? How does it happen? Corinthians of the core gospel. Why is it
so important to continue to remember
• Verses 3-8 are an early Christian creed that
what the gospel means for us as
outlines the key components of the Gospel believers? What is the danger if we forget
message.
what it cost Jesus to win our salvation?
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
COSTLY GRACE
Jesus told two parables about the Kingdom of heaven being something that was pursued with great purpose, and which
resulted in great riches. (The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s reign over the lives of those who worship him as their King).
Read Matthew 13 : 44-46
• What is the treasure in these parables?
• What evidence is there that the man in each parable
considered his discovery to be something highly
valuable?
• If we consider the good news about Jesus to be
valuable, how should we live?
• What price is asked of us if we want to find the
treasure? What does this look like?
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
COSTLY GRACE
Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined the phrase ‘costly grace’. He said ‘Above all, it is (costly) grace because God did not reckon his Son
too dear a price to pay for our life but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.”
• Remind yourselves of the sacrifice that Jesus made
(1 Corinthians 15 v 3); and what was won for us by this
sacrifice (v2).
• We are not saved by simply mouthing the words that
‘Jesus is Lord’ but by a living, active faith, in response to
the sacrifice that he made for us.
• As we think through what Jesus did for us, what do you
think it looks like to grow in maturity as a believer?
THE GRACE OF GOD
COSTLY GRACE
PRAY
Use some of the thoughts and verses from today’s
study to inspire you to worship Jesus for what he did
for us, and to ask forgiveness for times when we lose
sight of the treasure of grace.
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
AMAZING GRACE
STARTER:
’I was delivered from the burden that had Do you find it easy
so heavily suppressed me. The spirit of to be grateful to
mourning was taken from me, and I knew God?
what it was to truly rejoice in God my
When do we lose
Saviour’ (George Whitfield).
sight of what he has
This response to God’s grace is one that is done for us?
reflected in the Psalm we will look at today.
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
AMAZING GRACE
Read Psalm 136 • The Psalmist remembers God’s goodness in
three different ways. Find examples of:
• Look at the verses starting and o Who God is
ending the Psalm. What
o What God made
perspective do you think the
o How God saves
Psalmist intends these verses to
give as they bookend the Psalm? • Our tendency is to look at God’s love from a
human perspective. As we spend time reading
• Why do you think it’s so important
our Bibles and applying what we learn to our
for the Psalmist to remind the
lives, we will see how different God’s love is
people of Israel to give thanks?
from human love. What picture does this Psalm
o Why is it important to us as a give us of God’s covenant love?
church family to give thanks?
• How does the Psalmist’s recollection of God’s
o What are some of the ways we loving-kindness shape his praise? How can we
do so? use this Psalm as a model for our prayers – as
individuals and as a home group?
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
AMAZING GRACE
‘HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER’…. A WHOLE-LIFE RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR FATHER
• The Psalmist recalls tough times as well as times when it’s natural to give
thanks. He sees God as the one who walks alongside us through
everything we go through.
• How can an awareness of God’s grace move our hearts, whether things are
going well or badly?
• How can your home group encourage someone who is going through a
very tough time and is unable to thank God in it?
• Our verse of the year (1 John 4 :10) reminds us of God’s love. How does it
help us that our God became a human and faced the same difficulties as
us?
• Look at verses 23-24 of Psalm 136. How is the cross the ultimate
demonstration of God’s love?
THE GRACE OF GOD BIBLE STUDY
PRAY
COSTLY GRACE
AMAZING GRACE
As we come to the end of these studies on God’s grace, reflect about
what you have learned and where you have been encouraged to push
deeper in understanding. Spend time thanking God for his goodness and
love. Ask him to learn how to let grace impact your life so that it fills
with gratitude.
You may like to begin to keep a prayer diary for 2023, which will help you
to record prayers and answers to prayer. This is a great way to see God’s
loving-kindness at work in our lives.
