Why Grace Makes People Nervous - And Why We Must Teach It Anyway

Why does grace draw pushback? And why must it continue to be emphasized?

Some truths make people uncomfortable. Grace is one of them. And it’s not because grace is vague or gentle. It’s because grace reaches into places that rules cannot touch. It exposes the heart. It humbles us. It strips away every reason for pride. Paul wrote, “For you are saved by grace through faith… not from works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). That verse alone is enough to unsettle anyone who wants the credit.

Yet Scripture keeps grace front and center. God rescues the broken, not the self-sufficient. He “shows His love for us… while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8). He lifts the humble and brings down the proud (James 4:6). Grace is God acting for us when we cannot act for ourselves.

So why does grace draw pushback? And why must it continue to be emphasized?

Grace exposes our pride

Paul said, “Where then is boasting? It is excluded” (Romans 3:27).

Grace shuts the door on self-importance. It forces us to admit that our strength, our discipline, and our religious performance cannot make us right with God. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There are no exceptions. There are no special categories.

This is why the Pharisees hated Jesus’ mercy. When He ate with sinners, they grumbled (Luke 15:1–2). Grace undercut their pride. It still does.

Grace levels the playing field

Grace places everyone in the same position: lost without Christ, saved only through Him. Paul says we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). That word freely removes every ladder we try to climb.

Jews and Gentiles, teachers and students, older Christians and new: nobody stands taller than anyone else. Galatians 3:28 says, “You are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Grace places everyone on the same level. Some welcome that. Others resist it.

Grace produces obedience—not passivity

This is where misunderstandings run deep. Some think grace weakens obedience. Scripture says the opposite.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation… instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12).

Grace teaches. Grace trains. Grace produces holiness from the inside out.

Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commands” (John 14:15). Love grows from grace. Obedience grows from love. That is the order God designed. Grace is not God lowering the bar; it is God empowering the life He calls us to live.

Grace has always been controversial

The controversies of the present day are nothing new. Grace has always stirred a reaction.

• Jesus was criticized for forgiving sins (Mark 2:5-7).

• Paul was accused of encouraging sin because he preached justification by faith (Romans 3:8).

• Peter struggled to accept grace for Gentiles until God rebuked him (Acts 11:1-18).

• The early church had to fight for the truth that we are saved by grace, not by any system of law (Galatians 3:21-22). Wherever the gospel goes, grace is tested. But God keeps pressing the truth forward.

Grace is worth defending

Without grace, we are left with fear and effort. With grace, we stand on solid ground. Paul writes, “Since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Peace comes from grace. Hope comes from grace. Strength comes from grace.

Grace does not make us careless. Grace makes us worshipers. And transformed people obey from the heart (Romans 6:17-18).

So we teach grace, with no apology or disclaimer. While grace may unsettle some, it saves all who are willing to come to Christ with open hands and a humbled heart.

Have a great weekend!