The Grace Awakening

Believing in grace is one thing; living it is another. In this classic 16-part series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores the “untapped wonders of grace,” moving believers away from legalistic performance and toward an intimate relationship with a loving God. These messages provide the biblical foundation for living a life of true spiritual freedom.

1. Grace: It’s Really Amazing!

• Overview: A foundational look at the definition of grace. Pastor Chuck explains that grace is more than just a theological term; it is the transformative power of God’s unmerited favor.
• Key Fact: Grace is not “getting what we deserve”—it is God giving us His best when we deserve His least.
• Scripture: Ephesians 2:8–9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

2. The Free Gift

• Overview: This message focuses on the cost of grace. While grace is free to the recipient, it was infinitely expensive to the Giver.
• Key Fact: Because Christ paid the full price on the cross, there is nothing left for us to pay or earn.
• Scripture: Romans 3:24 – “Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”

3. The Roots of a Grace Awakening

• Overview: Where does a grace awakening begin? This message explores the historical and biblical roots of grace that allow it to bloom in a believer’s life.
• Key Fact: A true awakening starts with a realization of our spiritual bankruptcy apart from Christ.
• Scripture: John 1:17 – “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

4. Isn’t It Risky to Embrace Grace?

• Overview: Addressing the fear that grace leads to “license,” Chuck explains how grace actually provides a stronger motivation for holy living than legalism ever could.
• Key Fact: Grace is risky to the religious establishment because it removes the power of control and places it in the hands of the Holy Spirit.
• Scripture: Romans 6:1 – “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be!”

5. Undeserving, Yet Unconditionally Loved

• Overview: Many struggle to accept God’s love because they feel unworthy. This message breaks down the barriers to receiving unconditional love.
• Key Fact: God’s love is based on His character, not our performance or merit.
• Scripture: Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

6. Standing Your Ground for Grace

• Overview: Legalism is a persistent foe. This message teaches believers how to defend their freedom in Christ against those who would add “rules” to the Gospel.
• Key Fact: We must be vigilant to protect the simplicity of the Gospel from human-made additions.
• Scripture: Galatians 5:1 – “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

7. If You’re Free, Why Not Live Like It?

• Overview: Practical steps for walking in daily liberty. Chuck encourages believers to shed the “shackles” of others’ expectations.
• Key Fact: Freedom in Christ is a mental and spiritual posture that must be practiced daily.
• Scripture: John 8:36 – “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.”

8. Guiding Others to Freedom

• Overview: Once we experience grace, we have a responsibility to lead others into that same freedom.
• Key Fact: A grace-filled leader motivates through love and encouragement rather than shame and guilt.
• Scripture: Colossians 4:6 – “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt…”

9. The Grace to Let Others Be

• Overview: One of the hardest parts of grace is allowing others the freedom to be different from us without judging them.
• Key Fact: Grace puts an end to the “comparison game” and the desire to mold others into our image.
• Scripture: Romans 14:4 – “Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls.”

10. The Grace to Disagree . . . and Press On

• Overview: Disagreement is inevitable in the church. Chuck discusses how to handle conflict without losing the spirit of grace.
• Key Fact: Unity is not uniformity; grace allows us to hold different convictions while remaining one in Christ.
• Scripture: Romans 14:19 – “So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”

11. Bringing Grace Up Close

• Overview: Applying grace to our closest relationships, including friends and colleagues.
• Key Fact: Grace is most powerful when it is applied to the small, messy details of everyday life.
• Scripture: 1 Peter 4:10 – “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

12. Do You Really Model Grace?

• Overview: A self-examination message. Pastor Chuck asks whether our lives reflect a “smell of grace” or the “stench of legalism.”
• Key Fact: People are drawn to the Gospel when they see grace modeled in the lives of believers.
• Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:14 – “But thanks be to God… [who] manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”

13. A Marriage Oiled by Grace

• Overview: Explores how grace acts as a lubricant for the friction that naturally occurs in a marriage.
• Key Fact: A grace-filled marriage focuses on serving the other person rather than demanding one’s own rights.
• Scripture: Ephesians 4:32 – “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

14. The Charming Joy of Grace Giving

• Overview: Moving from “giving because we have to” to “giving because we want to.”
• Key Fact: Grace-giving is spontaneous and cheerful, prompted by the heart rather than external pressure.
• Scripture: 2 Corinthians 9:7 – “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

15. Grace: It’s Really Accepting

• Overview: This final message emphasizes that grace is ultimately about acceptance—God’s acceptance of us and our acceptance of His gift.
• Key Fact: The final hurdle of a grace awakening is simply resting in the fact that it is finished.
• Scripture: Romans 15:7 – “Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God.”