Common Grace is a theological term referring to grace that is bestowed to all mankind by God.
It is 'common' because it is given to all humanity, irrespective of
whether they are believers or not. It is 'grace' because it is a gift of
God that is undeserved by us, and can't be earned by merit. Examples of
common grace include basic things like the phenomena in creation that gives
us life (rain, sunshine), civil authorities and civilisation, etc. This is, of course, different from special grace, which is the gift of adoption into God's kingdom, given only to believers.
When I first learnt about the doctrine of common grace, I must admit I was a bit unimpressed. After all, what sort of 'grace' is rain? What sort of 'grace' is speeding cameras and parking regulations? Besides, we need more than just rain and oxygen for an abundant, fulfilling life. I recall feeling that common grace was really pretty useless.
Common grace began in Genesis 2:17, when God told Adam that if he eats from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he will "surely die". So when Adam and Eve ate from the tree, we expect to find them perhaps instantaneously put to death. In fact, when I first read those words as a child, I thought perhaps the fruit would contain some sort of explosive that detonates upon eating. I was surprised to find that Adam and Eve were not struck by lightning, nor did they spectacularly perish the moment the fruit enters their mouths. In fact, Adam did not die until he was 930 years old. I wonder how Adam must have felt about common grace, waking each morning to sunshine and the knowledge that the Lord Almighty had tolerated (or perhaps even delighted in) his existence for another day. I wonder what he thought of common grace as he worked the soil and the rain nourished his crops. Adam knew the heights from which he fell, Adam knew what he really deserved, and the significance of the rain was not diminished in his eyes.
After Adam, generation after generation fell to the same darkness... from Cain to Lamech to the days of Noah. No one deserved this common grace, yet all benefited from it. Although it is given to everybody, it is anything but 'common'. Each person uniquely exemplifies the gracious and loving kindness of God. Each person, believer and unbeliever, is given it as a special gift, a miracle that defies our nature.
Common grace is given to each of us. What are you doing with yours?
