Does God play favorites? Are some people given more grace than other people?

This is actually a two-tiered answer.  But I would predict that in a survey of this question, most Christians would not be able to answer the question correctly. They would not understand that the answer is both yes and no.

The reason that this question has two answers is that there are two kinds of people in the world. There are those who are “one of us,” and there are those who are NOT one of us.

If I were to ask most people how many kinds of people there are in the world, I am sure I would get all kinds of answers. Some divide people by their skin color. Others divide them by their ethnicity. And still others divide them by their sexual orientation.

Others divide them by their nationality, their gender, their education, their political affiliation, their economic status, or any of myriads of other categories. Honestly, if I polled 10 people on this issue I would expect at least 23 answers.

But in God’s eyes there are only two  categories of people. Those who are born-again and one of us. And those who are not born-again and not one of us. And there is a clear distinction between the two.

Grace is readily available to every single person on earth. But until a person becomes “one of us,” they do not receive grace. They are without grace.

But when a person is “one of us,” grace was given to them at the very instant that they became “one of us.” The verb is a one-time action, not a process.

And so it is quite clear that God is very much playing favorites here. Those who are born-again believers have received ALL of God’s grace. And those who are not “one of us” have received nothing.

But what about the second tier of the answer? What about within the community of the born-again believers? Do some of them receive more grace than others? Are some of them specially endowed with extra grace so that they can accomplish greater things for God than other born-again believers?

The answer to this part of the question is, no, God does not play favorites within the born-again community. Every born-again Christian receives exactly the same measure of grace.

The word, “measure,” is the Greek word that we get our English word “meter” from. It is a standard and consistent unit of measurement very much like a modern yardstick.

If we cut a few inches off of a yardstick, we no longer have a yardstick. It is the same if we add a few inches on. But if the yardstick is not exactly 36 inches, it is not a yardstick.

Every person who is “one of us” received this standard measurement of grace when they became born-again. It cannot and will not vary. God does not play favorites with the measurement.

But every Christian ought to understand the unbelievable Good News that comes with this standard measurement.

It is ALL OF IT! Every Christian receives the entire measurement of God’s grace. He holds none of it back in reserve. You got it ALL!!!

If that doesn’t completely blow your mind, then you probably aren’t one of us.

So does God play favorites? Yes and no.

P.S.: I failed to define “grace” for you, but it’s awesome. It means goodwill, loving kindness, favor, joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, and loveliness. Wow!