Grace

God's unearned goodness and forgiveness, a core concept in Christianity.

Grace, in Greek charis, is in the Christian faith the love and favour of God that people receive without having earned it. It is one of the key words of the New Testament. Paul writes: by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

Grace stands against the idea that you must earn God's love with good deeds. That does not mean deeds do not matter, but that they are a response to what you have already received, not a payment. The parable of the prodigal son shows grace: the father runs to meet his son before he has been able to confess his guilt.

The Reformation placed strong emphasis on grace alone, sola gratia. In the Catholic and Orthodox traditions grace is also connected with the sacraments, such as baptism and the Eucharist, in which God gives his grace. The well-known hymn Amazing Grace, written by a former slave trader, expresses how grace can turn a life around.

For dreams grace is an important counterweight. Many people have dreams full of guilt, punishment or fear: being caught, standing before a judge, falling short. In the Christian tradition such dreams can be read in the light of grace: there is forgiveness greater than guilt. A dream in which you are unexpectedly acquitted, embraced or welcomed is often read as an image of grace.

In the Protestant tradition grace is often summed up in Paul's words: where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

On Dreamkin Christian readings of anxiety and guilt dreams therefore often close with this perspective.