Near the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul writes about the cluster of Jesus-believing Jews in the Roman church: "[I]f [their preservation] is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, ...

“Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me…” We hear the term “grace” a great deal. “There but for the grace of God, go I,” we say. Or we are asked to say “grace” over a meal.