Definition
Grace (Greek: χάρις charis; Latin: gratia) is God’s voluntary, undeserved goodness toward sinners. In classical Protestant theology grace is the foundation of salvation: sola gratia. In the corpus grace carries multiple loadings: numerically 5² (Bullinger), unbounded experiential stream in the risen Christ (Nee/Lee), legal structure that creates but also demands freedom (Jones), power that is “much more” than the power of sin (Warnock).
Usage in the Corpus
E.W. Bullinger
Grace has for Bullinger the numerical value 5, and salvation (σωτηρία) the value 5² = 25. This establishes a structural relation: salvation is “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). The gospel of God — sovereign grace — stands over against the “gospel of man” that introduces human effort. Grace for Bullinger is strictly monergistic: it excludes all human contribution. [Bullinger, Number in Scripture]
Watchman Nee & Witness Lee
Lee describes grace as “the unbounded riches of the risen Christ” experienced through the indwelling Spirit. Grace is not primarily a juridical-forensic concept but a living reality: it is Christ himself dwelling in the believer and dispensing his grace. The riches of grace are inexhaustible because the risen Christ is inexhaustible. [Nee/Lee, The All-inclusive Christ]
Stephen Jones
For Jones, grace also has a legally-structural component: the Jubilee structure is itself a law of grace that compels liberation on the grounds of elapsed time. Grace is not arbitrary but embedded in a just order. This distinguishes his restorationism from sentimental universalism: God’s grace works through law and judgment, not despite them.
George Warnock
Warnock emphasizes Rom. 5:15-21: grace is “much more than” the power of sin. Christ’s grace surpasses Adam’s fall both quantitatively and qualitatively. This is for him the biblical foundation of his emphasis on complete victory and sanctification.