什么是恩典？有哪些种类？
What is grace? What are the different types of grace?
简答 Short Answer
恩典是上帝白白赐给不配之人的恩惠。神学上通常分为普遍恩典（赐给所有人）和特殊恩典（赐给得救之人），两者都彰显上帝的良善。
Grace is God's unmerited favor freely given to the undeserving. Theology typically distinguishes common grace (given to all) and special/saving grace (given to the redeemed), both displaying God's goodness.
详细解答 Detailed Answer
恩典（grace）是基督教信仰中最美丽的概念之一，也是与其他所有宗教最大的区别。
1.【恩典的定义】恩典是上帝白白赐给不配之人的恩惠。关键词是「不配」——恩典不是工价，不是奖赏，不是我们赚来的。罗马书11:6说「既是出于恩典，就不在乎行为；不然，恩典就不是恩典了。」
2.【普遍恩典】上帝将某些恩典赐给所有人，不分信主与否。太5:45说「祂叫日头照好人，也照歹人；降雨给义人，也给不义的人。」这包括：维持世界的自然秩序、赐给人理性和创造力、通过良心和法律约束罪恶、使人类社会能够运转。没有普遍恩典，世界早已毁灭。
3.【特殊恩典（救赎恩典）】这是上帝赐给选民的拯救之恩，包括： - 有效的呼召：上帝通过圣灵打开人的心，使人能够回应福音 - 重生：赐给人新的属灵生命 - 称义：宣告罪人为义 - 成圣：使信徒逐渐变得圣洁 - 坚忍：保守信徒到底不失落 - 荣耀化：最终使信徒完全像基督
4.【恩典改变一切】当人真正理解恩典时，生命会被彻底改变。它消除骄傲（因为一切都是白白得来的），消除绝望（因为恩典不取决于我的表现），并激发感恩的顺服（因为爱的回应，而不是律法的压力）。
Grace is one of Christianity's most beautiful concepts and its greatest distinction from every other religion.
1. **Definition**: Grace is God's unmerited favor freely given to the undeserving. The key word is 'unmerited' — grace isn't wages, reward, or something earned. Romans 11:6 says, 'If it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.'
2. **Common grace**: God gives certain graces to everyone, believer or not. Matthew 5:45 says 'he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.' This includes maintaining natural order, giving reason and creativity, restraining evil through conscience and law, and enabling human society to function. Without common grace, the world would have been destroyed long ago.
3. **Special (saving) grace**: This is God's saving grace given to the elect, including: - Effectual calling: The Spirit opens hearts to respond to the gospel - Regeneration: Granting new spiritual life - Justification: Declaring sinners righteous - Sanctification: Gradually making believers holy - Perseverance: Keeping believers secure to the end - Glorification: Finally making believers fully like Christ
4. **Grace changes everything**: When someone truly grasps grace, life is transformed. It eliminates pride (everything is freely given), eliminates despair (grace doesn't depend on performance), and inspires grateful obedience (responding in love, not under legal pressure).
📖 经文引用 Bible Verses
📚 推荐阅读 Related Readings
- •What's So Amazing About Grace? (Philip Yancey)
- •The Marrow of Theology Ch.16-18 (William Ames)
- •Grace Abounding (John Bunyan)