By The Water
Charis (Greek χάρις, Strong's G5485) is the New Testament word for grace: favor freely given, with no debt owed and no wage earned. It appears about 156 times and carries the gospel's center of gravity — 'by grace are ye saved through faith… not of works' (Ephesians 2:8–9). Charis is both the unearned kindness of God's welcome and the working power of God in the welcomed ('my grace is sufficient for thee,' 2 Corinthians 12:9).
| Original word | χάρις |
|---|---|
| Transliteration | charis (KHAR-ece) |
| Strong's number | G5485 |
| Part of speech | Noun, feminine |
| Short definition | grace, favor, kindness, gift |
| Occurrences | About 156 times in the New Testament |
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)
A greeting Paul baptized
Everyday Greek letters opened with chairein — “greetings!” (see Acts 23:26). Paul reached for its richer cousin and made a new Christian salutation: “Grace [charis] to you and peace from God our Father” — charis and eirēnē, the Greek handshake and the Hebrew shalom, fused at the head of thirteen letters. In secular usage charis meant charm, favor, a benefaction, even the thanks a gift provokes. The New Testament keeps that whole family — charisma (gift), eucharistia (thanksgiving) — and pours the gospel into it.
What makes grace grace
- It excludes earning by definition. “If by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace” (Romans 11:6). A earned charis is a contradiction in terms — that airtight logic is Paul's whole argument with religion.
- It is personal before it is doctrinal. “The Word became flesh… full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) — echoing the hesed-and-faithfulness of Exodus 34:6. Grace has a face.
- It reigns. Where sin abounded, “grace did much more abound: that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign” (Romans 5:20–21). Grace is not leniency; it is a kingdom's operating law.
- It empowers. “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9); “by the grace of God I am what I am… I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Charis funds the very obedience it never demands as payment.
- It trains. “The grace of God… teacheth us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly” (Titus 2:11–12). Grace is a tutor, not a loophole.
Grace and its cousins
Set charis beside its Old Testament neighbors and the gospel's vocabulary snaps into a system: Hebrew chen (favor — “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD,” Genesis 6:8) supplies the unearned-favor side; hesed supplies the covenant-loyal side; charis inherits both and adds the cross. And because eucharistia (thanksgiving) is built on charis, gratitude is grammatically grace's echo — “thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Verses to trace charis through
- Luke 1:30 — “Mary… thou hast found favour [charis] with God.”
- Acts 4:33 — “great grace was upon them all.”
- Romans 3:24 — “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
- Hebrews 4:16 — “come boldly unto the throne of grace.”
- Revelation 22:21 — the Bible's final sentence: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”
Open the word, not just a definition
Search “grace” in By The Water and open χάρις (G5485): definition, morphology, and all ~156 occurrences from Luke to Revelation 22:21 — with a notes tab to build your own theology of grace as you go.
Frequently asked questions
What does charis literally mean?
Favor or kindness freely shown — with overtones of charm and gift. In secular Greek it covered a patron's benefaction and the gratitude it produced; the New Testament sharpens it to God's unearned, empowering favor in Christ.
What is the difference between grace and mercy?
Classically: mercy is not receiving the judgment you deserved; grace is receiving the kindness you never earned. Scripture pairs them constantly ('God, who is rich in mercy… by grace ye are saved,' Ephesians 2:4–5) — two sides of one welcome.
Is charisma in the Bible related to charis?
Directly — charisma means a grace-gift, the concrete result of charis (Romans 6:23: 'the gift [charisma] of God is eternal life'; also the spiritual gifts of Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12).
Does grace mean obedience doesn't matter?
Paul answers that exact question: 'God forbid' (Romans 6:1–2). Grace excludes earning, not effort — it teaches godliness (Titus 2:11–12) and funds labor (1 Corinthians 15:10). What it kills is boasting (Ephesians 2:9).