How is God the God of all grace (1 Peter 5:10)?

The apostle Peter knew a thing or two about the magnitude of God’s grace. Peter had utterly failed Jesus, denying three times that he knew the Lord (see Matthew 26:69–74; Mark 14:66–72; Luke 22:31–34, 55–62; John 18:15–18, 25–27). But, later, Peter would confidently proclaim, “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10, ESV).

Peter’s experience of God’s forgiveness and restoration after failure—of being reinstated, confirmed, strengthened, and established (see John 21:15–23)—had proven to him that God was indeed the God of all grace. Peter had already assured his readers that God had a good, eternal purpose for the various trials and tests they were undergoing (see 1 Peter 1:6–8). Now, he reassured them that God’s grace would repair and renew whatever damage might be done through their human weakness and failure.

In 1 Peter 5:10, God’s “grace” (charitos in Greek) is His goodwill freely given to us, despite our unworthiness. God supremely expresses His grace to us through His Son, Jesus Christ: “From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16–17, NLT).

Salvation is God’s greatest gift of grace to sinners (Romans 5:8, 15; Ephesians 1:5–6; 2:8–9; Titus 2:11). Through faith in Jesus and His atoning sacrifice on the cross, we are granted redemption and complete forgiveness of our sins, failures, and shortcomings (Acts 13:38; Romans 3:22–24; Romans 5:1–2, 16–17; Ephesians 2:4–5; 1 Peter 1:10). When we miss the mark, the God of all grace has us covered through the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:17; Hebrews 12:24; Ephesians 2:13; Titus 3:5; Revelation 1:5). He gives us His incredible saving grace “not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:9, NLT).

God of all grace expresses the extreme scale, intensity, and diversity of God’s grace. Elsewhere, Peter describes God’s grace as “manifold” (1 Peter 4:10, NKJV), “varied” (ESV), or “in its various forms” (NIV). James says God gives His grace “generously” (James 4:6). The apostle Paul also recognizes that the God of all grace pours out His grace on us “abundantly” (1 Timothy 1:13–14). He states that God “graciously gives us all things” (Romans 8:32). In Jesus, God’s grace enriches us “in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge” (1 Corinthians 1:4–5).

Without the grace of God, we would be lost and hopeless. For this reason, the writer of Hebrews urges all believers to “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16, NLT).

Peter closed his letter, explaining, “My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that what you are experiencing is truly part of God’s grace for you. Stand firm in this grace” (1 Peter 5:12, NLT). We must trust God’s unfailing love, grace, and mercy when we struggle with hardships and even when we fall. We can pray like the psalmist, “Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me” (Psalm 31:16, NLT).

Through the apostle Peter and throughout Scripture, the God of all grace declares to us, “Your failure in the past does not sentence you to a failed and hopeless future.” If Peter, the fearful, disavowing disciple, could become Peter, the bold preacher of Pentecost, then we too can be sure of God’s wholly restorative grace in our lives.