📖 What It Means Biblically

📢In an email I sent out a week ago I mention “the scandal of grace,” almost immediately I was getting emails from subscribers asking “What do you mean by “the scandal of grace”? After several days past I had dozens upon dozens of people asking the exact same question. This post is in response to that question.

When we speak of “the scandal of grace,” we are not saying that God’s grace is sinful or shameful. Rather, we mean that His grace offends human pride and religious systems. Grace is shocking—almost scandalous—because it completely overturns how mankind thinks about salvation.

• Grace declares that God justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5), not the good, moral, or religious person.
• Grace strips away all boasting (Ephesians 2:8–9). No works, rituals, or merit can earn salvation.
• Grace leaves nothing for mankind to do but trust, believe — have faith in Christ alone for salvation.
• Grace elevates sinners—tax collectors, prostitutes, idolaters, the worst of society—onto the same ground of faith as the most “religious” person.

To the self-righteous, this feels unjust, offensive, and scandalous.

⚖️ Why It’s “Scandalous” in Human Terms

From man’s perspective, grace is hard to accept because it seems to break every rule of fairness:

• It seems too easy — no price to pay, no ladder to climb, no religious checklist.
• It cuts against our sense of justice — we think good people should get in, while bad people should be excluded.
• It levels the ground — the “worst sinner” can be saved in the exact same way as a lifelong moralist.

Jesus illustrated this powerfully in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15). The elder brother was offended—scandalized—that the father welcomed the rebellious younger son with open arms. That’s exactly how religious people react when grace takes the stage.

🕊️ The Heart of the Phrase

So when we say “the scandal of grace,” what we really mean is:

➡️ Grace shocks, offends, and overturns human ideas of fairness and religion.
➡️ Grace exalts Christ alone and humbles man’s pride.
➡️ Grace makes salvation accessible to the vilest sinner who simply believes.

This is why Romans 4:5 is such a dagger against every works-based gospel. It declares:

“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”

Grace saves the ungodly who believe the gospel apart from works—not the self-righteous who work to earn salvation. That’s the shocking, offensive, life-giving power of God’s amazing grace.