Grace Upon Grace

Bible Study Notes | August 12th, 2026

 

Key Scripture:

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” — Romans 6:14

Introduction: Grace Is the Comma Instead of the Period

Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” The notes describe grace as “the comma instead of the period.”

Our story could have ended with the first part of that verse: “The wages of sin is death.” We have earned the consequences of sin. But God did not allow that to be the end of the story. He added a comma. Through Jesus Christ, God gives us a free gift we could never earn or deserve—life with Him.

Grace is more than God simply overlooking our failures. It is God’s free provision for us through His Son. Through Christ, God provides what we need, what we long for, and what He calls us to become—even though we could never earn those things on our own.

Today we will look at four important truths about God’s grace.

  1. Grace Is Greater Than the Law

Key Scriptures: Romans 6:14; Hebrews 7:18–19; John 1:17

The law of God has an important purpose. It reveals God’s character, establishes His standards, makes us aware of sin, and shows us our need for God. The law helps us understand what is right and wrong and makes us accountable before God.

However, the law was never designed to make us perfect or to free us from the domination of sin. Hebrews 7:18–19 says that “the law made nothing perfect.” The law reveals what perfection looks like, but it does not give us the ability to achieve perfection through our own strength.

This is why grace is so important.

The notes make the point that we should respect and appreciate God’s law, but our appreciation for God’s grace should grow even more. The more we understand God’s standard, the more we recognize how much we need what God provides through Christ.

John 1:17 says:

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

The law shows us God’s standard, but Jesus provides what we need to live according to that standard. We should never stop at simply knowing the rules. We need the grace of God working in our lives.

The notes make an especially important point: an increased focus on the law is not what keeps sin from dominating our lives. Romans 6:14 tells us that sin will not have dominion over us because we are under grace. God’s grace provides a way for sin to have less and less of a grip on our lives.

Discussion Questions

  1. What is the purpose of God’s law in our lives?
  2. Why can’t the law alone make us perfect?
  3. Why should our appreciation for grace increase as our understanding of God’s law increases?
  4. What does it mean that we are “under grace”?
  5. What are some ways sin can have less and less of a grip on our lives when we depend on God’s grace?
  1. Grace Is More Than Forgiveness

Key Scripture: John 1:16

“And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.”

One of the biggest misunderstandings about grace is thinking that grace and forgiveness are the same thing.

Forgiveness is certainly part of God’s grace, but the notes make it clear that grace is far greater than forgiveness. Forgiveness is described as our “first deep drink” from the cup of God’s grace. We don’t reach the bottom of God’s grace when He forgives us. Instead, forgiveness is the beginning of experiencing the fullness of God’s grace.

The notes describe this as “grace upon grace.”

God gives us:

  • Grace for forgiveness
  • Grace for growing
  • Grace for maturing
  • Grace for serving
  • Grace for becoming more like Jesus

This means that God’s grace continues working in us after salvation. We don’t receive forgiveness and then have to live the rest of the Christian life on our own.

God’s grace continues to provide.

The notes describe God’s grace as having an “infinite surplus.” When God forgives us, He does not bankrupt His treasury of grace. His riches of grace remain available to His children. There are treasures of grace that we can draw upon every day and rely upon as we walk with Christ.

That should encourage us. When we are weak, God’s grace is still available. When we need wisdom, God’s grace is still available. When we are trying to grow, God’s grace is still available.

We have not exhausted God’s grace.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think we sometimes limit grace to forgiveness?
  2. What does “grace upon grace” mean to you?
  3. What is the difference between receiving forgiveness and continuing to grow through grace?
  4. Where do you need God’s grace in your life right now?
  5. How does knowing that God’s grace has an “infinite surplus” encourage you?
  6. How should experiencing God’s grace affect the way we extend grace to others?
  1. Grace Saves Us and Makes Us Right With God

Key Scripture: Romans 3:24

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

The third point is God’s justifying grace.

The notes explain justification as God’s declaration of innocence before a holy Judge. On our own, we are guilty of sin and deserving of death. Yet God, through Christ, can remain completely holy and just while also becoming our justifier.

God does not simply sweep sin under the rug.

There had to be a payment for sin.

That payment was made through Jesus Christ.

The death of Christ is described in the notes as the ultimate demonstration of God’s grace. Jesus willingly came, suffered, and went to the cross so that we could be redeemed and brought into fellowship with God.

This means our salvation isn’t based on how good we are.

It isn’t based on how many good works we perform.

It isn’t based on how perfectly we keep the rules.

It is based on Jesus Christ and what He has done for us.

Galatians 2:21 says:

“I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

If we could become righteous through our own efforts, there would have been no reason for Christ to come and die for us. The cross demonstrates that we needed something we could never provide for ourselves.

That should produce humility and gratitude in us. We are not saved because we earned it. We are saved because God provided it.

Discussion Questions

  1. What does it mean to be justified by God’s grace?
  2. Why couldn’t God simply overlook our sin?
  3. Why is Christ’s death such a powerful demonstration of God’s grace?
  4. What does it mean to you personally that Christ paid the price for your redemption?
  5. How can remembering God’s grace protect us from pride?
  6. How can it give hope to someone who feels they have failed God too many times?
  1. Grace Continues to Transform Us

Key Scriptures: Titus 2:11–12; 2 Peter 3:18

God’s grace doesn’t stop when we are saved.

The notes describe this as God’s sanctifying grace—the ongoing work of grace in the life of a believer. God’s grace teaches us, trains us, disciples us, and transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:11–12 says that the grace of God that brings salvation also teaches us to turn away from ungodliness and worldly desires and to live soberly, righteously, and godly.

This is an important distinction.

Grace does not give us permission to remain the same. Grace gives us the ability to grow.

God’s grace works in us day by day. It develops the new life He has given us and moves us toward what He wants us to become.

This is why Peter tells us:

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Christian growth is not something that happens overnight. It is a continuing process.

We will have victories, but we will also have failures. We will have moments when we feel strong and moments when we recognize how much we still need God’s help.

The answer isn’t to give up.

The answer is to continue growing in grace.

The notes describe God’s grace as treasures that are available for us to draw upon, live by, and rely upon in our earthly walk.

God’s grace is working not only to forgive our past but also to shape our future.

Discussion Questions

  1. What does it mean to grow in grace?
  2. How does God’s grace teach and train us?
  3. Why is spiritual growth a process?
  4. What area of your life do you believe God is currently working to transform?
  5. What does it mean for God’s grace to give sin “less and less of a grip” on our lives?
  6. What can keep us from recognizing or relying on God’s grace?
  7. How can we become more intentional about drawing upon God’s grace every day?

Closing: Don’t Set Aside the Grace of God

Galatians 2:21 says:

“I do not set aside the grace of God.”

The notes encourage us to do exactly the opposite. “We cling to it. We stand on it. We hope in it. We grow in it.”

Grace is not just how we begin the Christian life.

Grace is how we continue the Christian life.

God’s grace:

Shows us our need for Christ.
Saves us through Christ.
Provides for us through Christ.
Transforms us into the likeness of Christ.

And the more we understand God’s grace, the more we should appreciate how much God has provided for us through Jesus.

Final Challenge

Take a moment and ask yourself:

Am I simply thankful that God has forgiven me, or am I learning to depend on His grace every day?

Where do I need God’s grace to work in my life right now?

Closing Scripture

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.” — 2 Peter 3:18