Grace: The Relationship of Favor and Gratitude
Paul's understanding of the economic system of grace in the first century
Grace
Greek: Charis
Definition: The relationship of responding to undeserved gifts with gratitude
Bible Verses: Ephesians 2:8, Luke 6:35, Philemon, 2 Peter 1:3, Romans 8:32, Galatians 2:9, 1 Peter 1:13, 1 Corinthians 15:10, Luke 7:2-10
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10
Common Misunderstandings:
In the contemporary Protestant church, there exists a common misconception that grace stands in direct opposition to the law. This perspective often characterizes the Jews as adherents of a lifeless religious system defined solely by the law. In this narrative, Jesus is portrayed as the one who came to abolish the law and replace it with the systematic theology of grace. However, in most instances where grace is mentioned in Paul’s epistles, he speaks of various obligations that his audience is expected to do because of grace, such as giving thanks (Colossians 3:15, 2 Corinthians 6:1), rejecting sin (Romans 6:1-4), and giving financial support (2 Corinthians 8:1-15). The idea of the law and grace being irreconcilable opposites is a false dichotomy. Instead, grace, in its historical context, held a much deeper and nuanced significance, for in the first century, grace was primarily an economic term, not a religious one.
Context:
What does grace mean?
Grace is often misunderstood today, but in the first century Roman Empire, it was the primary driver of economic, social, relational dynamics.
In Rome, access to anything outside the everyday need was obtained through a system of favors, personal relationships, and network connections, instead of an impersonal system of distribution. In the first century, instead of receiving a loan from a bank based on a standardized and impartial process, one would seek a personal favor from someone with greater wealth and power based on the long-term relationships they had cultivated. This was referred to as charis, the Greek word Paul uses which is translated as grace.
Gifts that one would seek through a charis relationship involved every sphere of life:
Educational: apprenticeship, knowledge, mentorship
Economic: loans, employment, land, special goods
Political: political position, citizenship, pardon for crimes
Personal: advice, protection, assistance
This system of charis operated on the basis of patrons and clients, with patrons usually being individuals of higher social status and clients of lower status. Charis was not an impersonal, one time exchange of goods. When a client sought the favor of a patron, and the patron agreed, a long-term and mutually beneficial relationship was established. The patron provided resources and wisdom to the client, while the client responded with deep gratitude. This gratitude was expressed through actions like enhancing the patron's fame and honor, remaining loyal, giving public praise, and offering services whenever needed.
"Charis" encompassed three essential elements, with each of these being referred to as grace (also known as the three gods of grace):
The willingness and generosity of a patron to grant a benefit/gift to a client.
The actual gift given by the patron to the client.
The client's gratitude and response to the patron.
There is no such thing as an isolated act of grace, for one grace began a long-term relationship between the patron and client. “The act of favor and its manifestation (the gift) initiate a circle dance in which the recipients of favor and first must “return the favor”, that is, give again to the giver… To fail to return favor for favor is, in effect, to break off the dance and destroy the beauty of the gracious act” (Patronage and Reciprocity: the context of grace in the New Testament). Since this was long-term, both patrons and clients were very selective in who they chose to enter into a charis relationship with, with the selection being based on reputation.
It was an absolute duty, not an option, for honorable clients to show gratitude. Failure to show gratitude and return grace for grace was seen as the worst of offense against not only the patron, but also humanity and sacrilege against the gods. The first century mindset emphasized honor vs. shame in relationships, as opposed to the Western mindset of guilt vs. innocence. So clients who didn’t show honor by responding to a patron with appropriate gratitude and loyalty, would receive a bad reputation and lose their respectability, essentially the ancient equivalent of a credit rating. A client’s reputation, how virtuous they were in extending gratitude to their patron, determined their worthiness to enter into new charis relationships. Unlike a credit rating however, charis was not transactional, it was relational. While both the patron and client had an obligation to each other, grace/favor was a freely given and undeserved gift.
A client’s gratitude, responding to the favor with grace, toward the patron took many forms:
Public honor and testimony: Telling others about the greatness of the patron to enhance his good reputation.
Loyalty: Showing life-long loyalty to the patron, even if the patron fell into political or economic trouble. This was expected even at great personal cost of the client.
While a client could have multiple patrons, the loyalty expected meant that one had to be careful not to enter into relationships with patrons who were enemies and be forced to choose one over the other, for “no one can serve two masters”.
Bestow gifts and services: The client would search for opportunities to help or give gifts back to the patron. This was not transactional or based on value, but gratitude.
Imitation: The client modeling their life based on their patron’s example, taking their mentorship as a model for how to live and being like them in showing grace to others.
The honorable patron had to always act in the best interest of the client, not from self-interest, or the favor would completely lose its value and the patron would receive shame. The patron was expected to not give out of a desire for something in return, but to give freely. And the honorable client was expected to always act in the best interest of the patron by remaining loyal to them as an expression of gratitude, even at the risk of great personal cost, or face shame. Both parties were expected to maintain the relationship by acting self-sacrificially and giving for the sake of giving, seeking the other’s well being above their own. This tension of the gift being free yet with obligations and forgetting yet remembering the cost of the gift is inherently contradictory, but such was the beauty of the relationship of grace in ensuring the sustained commitment of both the patron and client in acting always on the other’s behalf.
Sometimes the favor, or gift, requested from the patron would be access to another patron with even higher social status, making the first patron a broker and allowing clients to cross social classes. Therefore, people who had the ear of the emperor, though technically not having any political power themselves, became extremely influential because they acted as brokers, being both a client to the emperor and a patron to those seeking his favor. Examples of this can be seen throughout the ancient writings of Pliny the Younger, Fronto, and Cicero.
Examples of grace in the New Testament
An early view of this concept can be seen in Psalms 116:12, where in return for the gifts from the Lord, the psalmist will make public testimonies of God’s faithfulness.
Charis was very familiar to the first century Jew, for example in Luke 7:2-10, the centurion emphasizes his good reputation as being a reason Jesus should extend grace to him by healing his servant. He’s approaching as a potential client requesting that Jesus be his patron and broker God’s favor to heal his servant.
The book of Philemon demonstrates charis in action, with Paul and Philemon exemplifying this patron-client relationship. The short letter gives us a glimpse into the story of a runaway slave named Onesimus and his owner Philemon. Both Onesimus and Philemon become followers of Jesus due to Paul’s ministry. Paul then writes a letter to Philemon urging him to forgive and free Onesimus. Paul, as the patron, showed grace by sharing the gospel with Philemon, making Philemon his client (ver 8, 14, 20). In turn, Philemon was expected to extend grace by becoming a patron and showing grace to Onesimus despite Philemon having every right to kill Onesimus. But Paul acts as a mediator, encouraging Philemon to extend grace to Onesimus based on his relationship with Paul. By drawing on charis, Paul makes it so failing to show grace to Onesimus would harm Philemon's reputation.
God as the ultimate patron and grace-giver
The early disciples of Jesus understood this economic concept of grace and used it to explain God’s character and gift to his people. The description of God’s grace was not a brand new kind of grace, the difference was the quality and degree of grace.
God was seen as the ultimate beneficent patron, always keeping his promises and extending unworthy gifts. This is seen in his covenantal relationship with Israel. God as a patron declared that he would make Israel his own and always keep his promises to them. In response, they were called to show gratitude and dedication to God, model their lives off of God’s laws, and spread the fame of God as more powerful and faithful than all other gods. In this way, Israel acts as both a client to God and a broker between him and the other nations.
But even beyond Israel, as the creator and sustainer of life, all of humanity is indebted to him as their patron (Acts 14:17, 17:24-28, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Revelation 4:9-11). God's grace, like that of a beneficent patron, is given freely, and the receiver is still expected to return gratitude. However, despite this gift, both Israel and humanity have not only not given the proper reverence, gratitude, or service to God, but have chosen blatant disobedience against God the patron (Romans 1:18-2:24).
And yet God still offers his enemies free and uncoerced grace through Jesus, who acts as both a patron and a gift of grace, by offering us atonement and reconciliation through repentance. Going further, God offers us the gift of grace in the form of adoption, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and of the promise of eternal life in his future kingdom. And he establishes an open-communication relationship, allowing us to come to him with prayer and petitions. For as we pray and God answers, it increases God’s honor and reputation for generosity as the ultimate beneficent patron (2 Corinthians 1:11).
Jesus as a patron and broker
Jesus, while on earth, played the role of a generous patron, extending merciful gifts of teaching and healing. And in response, the clients gave public testimony of his generosity (Mark 5:19-20, Luke 8:39). Even Jesus’s command to remain silent to some about their healing demonstrated him as a beneficent patron, ironically making the person more thankful and more apt to spread his fame. Jesus’s sacrificial death acts as the ultimate gift of grace for the client wanting to enter into a charis relationship with God.
Jesus also plays the role of a broker with access to God (Matthew 11:27, John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5), and the disciples, including Paul, were seen as brokers with access to Jesus. As brokers, the apostles had dual roles, both clients to Jesus and patrons to the world around them. Jesus intentionally insists that the disciples' roles as brokers was not to enhance their own fame or success, but Jesus’s fame and ultimately God’s.
Grace as explained by Paul
In the book of Romans, Paul's use of the term "grace" reflects this historical and cultural context from the Roman Empire. While contemporary interpretations sometimes suggest that grace is in direct opposition to the law, Paul's writings in Romans demonstrate a more nuanced perspective.
Paul does not present grace as a means to abolish the law but rather as a transformative gift that reconciles humanity with God. He acknowledges the importance of the law, emphasizing that it reveals the reality of sin and the need for redemption. Grace, in Paul's view, is not a license to sin but a divine gift that enables us as disciples of Jesus to serve God.
Paul's understanding of grace aligns with the Roman concept of patrons and clients. He sees God as the ultimate beneficent patron, bestowing grace upon humanity. This grace is not arbitrary but is based on God's faithfulness and promise-keeping. Paul's language reflects the reciprocal nature of the patron-client relationship, where God's grace prompts a response of gratitude and obedience from disciples of Jesus. Paul himself is deeply aware of his own client status to God, saying in 1 Corinthians 15 that grace has been given to him as a gift from God, therefore he is obligated to serve others at his own expense, as a testimony of God’s gracious reputation.
Practical Application
As clients, disciples of Jesus have an obligation to show gratitude to God (Hebrews 12:28) and serve others as a testimony of God's gracious reputation, returning God’s grace by showing grace to others. Grace formed a continuous circle rather than a linear transaction. Receiving grace requires responding with grace back to God. Because of the magnitude of God’s generous grace, our response in attitude, speech, and actions should be profound.
Give Thanks: We express deep gratitude to God for His many gifts of grace, choosing to rejoice and give thanks at every opportunity. (Ephesians 5:4, Colossians 3:15, 1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Public Honor and Testimony: We bear witness to God’s grace by proclaiming the story of God's faithfulness and generosity in our lives. We use evangelism as an opportunity to spread God's fame and testify to the good things He has done for us. (Acts 20:24)
Live a Life of Obedience: We pursue good works and noble deeds, living virtuously to increase the good reputation of our patron Jesus. We do not do good works to gain the grace of God, we do good works as a grateful response to God’s grace. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, Matthew 5:16, Galatians 2:20)
Show Loyalty: We remain loyal to God, even when it comes at personal expense and safety. Even if it means losing the favor of those in this world, we endure suffering on account of our association with Jesus out of our charis relationship with him. (Philippians 1:29-30, 1 Peter 1:6-9)
Reject the Enemies of God: We turn away from other gods and their rituals, refusing to compromise our devotion to the patron who gave us grace by associating with his enemies. (1 Corinthians 10:14-21, Revelation 14:6-13)
Strengthen our faith: We continuously strengthen our faith and expectation of God’s future faithfulness and grace by reminding ourselves of the testimony of God’s past grace. We can have faith that Jesus’s promises of his future eternal kingdom will happen because we know the faithful character of our great patron. (1 Peter 1:5-13)
Show Grace and Generosity to Others: We extend grace and generosity to others, even to the point of laying down our lives to help one another, not with the expectation of receiving something in return, but because God has been generous to us. In this, we can have the expectation that God will repay us “at the resurrection of the righteous” (Luke 14:12-14). (2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 11:9, Matthew 5:43-48)
Pursue Sanctification: We strive to be Christ-like and to use God's gifts rightly so as to avoid misusing or abusing His blessings. We model our lives after Jesus as our patron, imitating him. (Galatians 5:1-13, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20)
“God has acted generously, and Jesus has granted great and wonderful gifts. These were not earned, but grace was never earned in the ancient world. Once favor has been shown and gifts conferred, however, the result must be that the client will show gratitude, and will answer grace with grace” (Patronage and Reciprocity).
It is essential that we do not receive God’s gift in vain (2 Corinthians 6:1) by responding to God’s grace with neglect, ingratitude, disobedience, or contempt (Galatians 5:4). While God is patient, the Bible has harsh words for those who disown Jesus (Matthew 10:32-33, fail to honor God (Romans 1:21, Revelation 9:20-21), falter rather than act on God’s promises (Galation 1:6, 2:21, James 1:6-7, Hebrews 3:12), align with God’s enemies (James 4:4, Revelation 14:9-11), or act disobediently (Hebrews 3:18-19). These are responding to God’s generous grace with insult and abuse, bringing disgrace to his reputation.
God is patient and offers us the opportunity to repent, however our priority should be in maintaining an appropriate response of gratitude to our patron. “The doctrine of eternal security threatens to distract us, who are clearly in the role of clients, from focusing on what is our proper business, namely maintaining our commitment to return grace for grace; attempts to set limits on God’s generosity, on the other hand, also impinge on what is not properly ours, namely God’s freedom to give even to one who has proven ungrateful to the extreme… It is a healthy tension, and choosing one side to the exclusion of the other would be a misstep in the dance of grace” (Patronage and Reciprocity).
Resources:
Patronage and Reciprocity: The Context of Grace in the New Testament by Dr. DeSilva: https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/ashland_theological_journal/31-1_032.pdf
What makes grace truly grace by Josh Hawkins (an overview of the essay above): https://www.joshuahawkins.com/blog/2022/03/what-makes-grace-truly-grace/