thinking bible.

You asked

what was the common understanding of 'grace' or 'favor' in roman society during paul's time?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Romans 3:23-24

for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;

Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome, a diverse group of Jewish and Gentile believers, probably around the mid-1st century CE. He's laying out a foundational argument about humanity's universal need for God's salvation and how that salvation comes through Jesus, not through human effort or law.

How does this understanding of 'grace' challenge or confirm your own assumptions about how people receive favor or help?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Ephesians 2:8-9

    This passage also emphasizes salvation by grace through faith, not by works.

  • Titus 3:5

    It states that salvation is not by righteous works we did, but according to God's mercy.

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