Divine grace is atheological term present in manyreligions. It has beendefined as thedivine influence[1] which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptation;[2] and as an individual virtue or excellence of divine origin.[3]
Hindu devotional orbhakti literature available throughout India and Nepal is replete with references to grace (kripa) as the ultimate key required for spiritual self-realization.[4][additional citation(s) needed] Some, such as the ancient sageVasistha, in his classical workYoga Vasistha, considered it to be the only way to transcend the bondage of lifetimes ofkarma.[5]OneHindu philosopher,Madhvacharya, held that grace was not a gift from God, but rather must be earned.[6]
While manyschools of Buddhism emphasize self-discipline and the accumulation ofmerit andwisdom on the path toenlightenment, something akin to the concept of divine grace is present as well. This idea is found in theMahāyāna Buddhist concepts of "blessings",transference of merit and "other-power".Other power is a concept inEast Asian Buddhism that designates the active influence exerted by a Buddha upon sentient beings. In its most characteristic formulation, found inPure Land Buddhism, it refers specifically to the salvific efficacy of a Buddha’s vow-generated power, enabling beings to attain rebirth in aPure Land and thereby advance towardBuddhahood. This idea is commonly contrasted with “self-power,” the reliance on one’s own meditative,ascetic, or moral efforts to achieve liberation.[7][8][9] Furthermore, the concept of"merit" refers to the power of goodkarma built up over time through extensive spiritual practice. This merit can be transferred to other sentient beings by a Buddha or an adeptbodhisattva.
Although the term “other power” emerged in Chinese Buddhist discourse, it corresponds to a wide range of Indian Mahāyāna concepts such asadhiṣṭhāna, andanubhāva, that describe divine assistance, Buddha-inspired transformation, and the causal force of the Buddha’s past vows. In this way, the doctrine situates liberation not solely in the practitioner’s agency but also in the Buddha’s ongoing, responsive activity.[10] Indian precedents for other power are pervasive in early and classical Mahāyāna literature. TheMahāsāṃghika tradition already advanced an exalted conception of the Buddha whose supernatural capacities were unlimited and universally operative, establishing an early framework for understanding the Buddha’s power as transcendent and omnipresent.Mahāyāna sūtras further elaborate this theme by depicting the Buddha’s majesty, radiance, sustaining power, and vow-force as capable of inspiring disciples, shaping their speech, protecting them, and generating the conditions for their progress on the bodhisattva path. Texts such as theAṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, theAvataṃsaka, theGaṇḍavyūha, and theLaṅkāvatāra portray the Buddha’s intervention as indispensable for the maturation of bodhisattvas, the arising of visions, the stabilization of samādhi, and even the attainment of liberation. These sources present other power not as a peripheral notion but as a structural feature of Mahāyāna soteriology.[11][12]
The developed Pure Land traditions of China and Japan are particularly focused on the doctrine of other power. In this tradition, other power refers to the power ofAmida Buddha, who countless millennia ago made aprimal vow to save all sentient beings by building up enough merit to establish apure land, into which beings could be reborn simply by invoking his name, and in which they could easily attain full enlightenment. In Pure Land schools, the distinction between “self-power” and “other-power” becomes a primary doctrinal axis used to classify Buddhist paths. The “path of sages” is associated with difficult practices grounded in one’s own capacities, whereas the “easy path” relies principally on a Buddha’s vow-power, in particular the vows of Amitābha as set forth in theLarger Sukhāvatīvyūha. Within this framework, rebirth in the Pure Land is understood as the result of Amitābha’s power responding to the practitioner’s aspiration.[13] Interpretations vary, however: some thinkers advocate the complete abandonment of self-power practices, while others endorse a model of sympathetic resonance in which one’s efforts harmonize with, and are augmented by, the Buddha’s influence. Chinese Pure Land exegesis frequently emphasizes this cooperative dynamic, whereas certain Japanese traditions foreground the absolute primacy of other power.[14]
In the Japanese school calledJōdo Shinshū, founded by the 12th-century Japanese monk,Shinran, reliance on other power becomes absolute. For Shinran, the only hope for spiritual advancement is giving up on all self-power (Jp: jiriki) and, throughfaith, or "shinjin," embracing the "other-power" (tariki) of the infinitely-compassionate. The key difference between Shinran's school and other schools of Pure Land Buddhism is the idea that even this faith and the resulting small effort ofreciting Amida's name is impossible without the intervening grace of Amida Buddha working in the deluded human being through the power of Amida's primal vow. Therefore, the recitation of Amida's name is seen more as an expression of gratitude for already-existing grace rather than the self-induced catalyst for a grace not yet present.[15]
Vajrayana Buddhism also incorporates the idea that the blessings of a Buddha or a guru and the practitioner’s karmic conditions jointly determine rebirth in Pure Lands and one's enlightenment. More broadly, later developments such as Mantrayāna apply the logic of other power to tantric ritual technologies, holding that mantras, mudrās, mandalas, and initiations work insofar as they reproduce and embody the Buddha’s own power.[16] Across these diverse Buddhist traditions, these doctrines express a consistent Mahāyāna intuition: the Buddha’s salvific activity is not confined to the historical lifetime ofŚākyamuni but continues as a dynamic, pervasive force that enables, sustains, and in certain contexts decisively accomplishes the liberation of sentient beings.
InJudaism, divine grace is an attribute of theGod ofIsrael that signifies hischesed (loving-kindness and mercy) for his chosen people and his compassion for sinners, the weak, and the less fortunate. Divine grace is granted even to those unworthy of it. In theOld Testament, the prophets promise divine grace for penitentJews.[17]
In theTalmud, divine grace is designated by the term "mercy," which is in contrast to divine justice. The divine nameElohim implies mercy, while theTetragrammaton implies justice. Grace, according to the Jewish sages, is given to merciful people, students of theTorah, and people whose ancestors or descendants merited grace for them. Righteous people can change divine justice to divine mercy.[18]
While medieval Jewish philosophers did not mention divine grace, the Jewish liturgy includes many references to it, especially onRosh Hashanah andYom Kippur. The God of Israel is called merciful in many prayers, including the Wehu Raḥum, Ahabah Rabbah, and Shemoneh 'Esrch.[19]
Grace in Christianity is the free and unmeritedfavour ofGod as manifested in thesalvation of sinners and the bestowing of blessings.[20] Common Christian teaching is that grace is unmeritedmercy (favor) that God gave to humanity by sending hisSon,Jesus Christ, todie on a cross, thus securing man's eternal salvation from sin.
Within Christianity, there are differing concepts of how grace is attained. In particular, Catholics and Reformed Protestants understand the attainment of grace in substantially different ways. It has been described as "the watershed that dividesCatholicism fromProtestantism,Calvinism fromArminianism, modern liberalism from conservatism".[21] Catholic doctrine teaches that God has imparted Divine Grace upon humanity and uses the vehicle ofsacraments, which are carried out in faith,[22] as a primary and effective means to facilitate the reception of his grace.[23] For Catholics and Liturgical Protestants,sacraments (carried out in faith) are the incarnational or tangible vehicle through which God's grace becomes personally and existentially received.[24] Evangelical Protestants, generally, do not share this sacramental view on the transmittal of grace,[25] but instead favor a less institutionalized mechanism. For example, in the Catholic Church and the earlier Protestant churches (Lutheran, Reformed, Presbyterian, Anglican, etc.), the primary initiation into a state of grace is granted by God through infant baptism (in faith)[26] instead of by a simple prayer of faith (sinner's prayer); although, Catholics would not deny the possible efficacy of even a simple prayer for God's grace to flow (Baptism by desire[27][28]).
In another example, for Catholics, thesacrament of reconciliation (in faith) is the primary means of transmitting grace after amortal sin has been committed.[29]
In theNew Testament, the word translated as grace is the Greek wordcharis (/ˈkeɪrɪs/;Ancient Greek:χάρις), for which Strong's Concordance gives this definition: "Graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude)".[30][31] Spiritual gifts orcharismata which comes from the word familycharis, is defined in theNew Bible Dictionary as "grace coming to visible effect in word or deed."[32] A Greek word that is related tocharis ischarisma (gracious gift). Both these words originated from another Greek wordchairo (to rejoice, be glad, delighted).[33]
In theOld Testament, theHebrew term used ischen[34][35] (חֵן), which is defined in Strong's as "favor, grace or charm; grace is the moral quality of kindness, displaying a favorable disposition".[36] In the King James translation,chen is translated as "grace" 38 times, "favour" 26 times, twice as "gracious",[37] once as "pleasant",[38] and once as "precious".[39]
Salafi scholarUmar Sulayman al-Ashqar, dean of the Faculty of Islamic Law atZarqa Private University inZarqa,Jordan, wrote that "Paradise is something of immense value; a person cannot earn it by virtue of his deeds alone, but by the Grace and Mercy of Allah."[40] This stance is supported byhadith: according to Abu Huraira, Muhammad once said that "None amongst you can get into Paradise by virtue of his deeds alone ... not even I, but that Allah should wrap me in his grace and mercy."[41]
TheQuran says "God is the Possessor of Infinite Grace"[42] and "He bestows this grace upon whomsoever He wills (or desires)."[43] Grace is something attainable by those here on earth from God who meet certain Quranic criteria. For example, they "believe in God and His messengers", and they "race toward forgiveness from their Lord and a Paradise whose width encompasses the heavens and the earth."[44]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Celebrated worthily in faith, the sacraments confer the grace that they signify.
Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith.
... those who ... seek God sincerely and strive to fulfill his will, are saved even if they have not been baptized.
Christ instituted the sacrament of Penance for all sinful members of his Church: above all for those who, since Baptism, have fallen into grave sin, and have thus lost their baptismal grace and wounded ecclesial communion. It is to them that the sacrament of Penance offers a new possibility to convert and to recover the grace of justification. The Fathers of the Church present this sacrament as "the second plank [of salvation] after the shipwreck which is the loss of grace."
