"Can an atheist have grace?"

I was asked a question in the comment section from one of my posts about grace and I wanted to share the reply here as a post - just in case anyone else has this question.

"Can an atheist have grace?"

First of all I need to say that I am no expert in the area - that is one reason why I have felt so drawn to learning more about grace - because I don't fully understand it. And to be honest- I don't know if we will ever fully understand grace - this side of heaven.

Now the first thing I did once I was asked this question was to go to google and typed the word "Grace" out to see what it would bring up. I was intrigued to see what the first posting would be. It was from Wikipedia. Here is what I found that was helpful to me to understand grace better:

"grace has been defined, not as a created substance of any kind, but as "the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not because of anything we have done to earn it",^[1] "the condescension or benevolence shown by God toward the human race".^[2] It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man — "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved"^[3] — that takes the form of divine favor, love, clemency, and a share in the divine life of God." This definition from Wikipedia.

From just this short explanation of what grace is answers the question - Yes - God gives grace to  atheist as well!

When I typed out the characteristics.... with and without grace- I noticed something important to note, As I typed out the lists - I could  so see myself in the lists. I could also notice how I am beginning to see a few more of the characteristics of "with grace" now as opposed to 5-10 years ago. Why the change?

Well the best way to answer that question is to share a beautiful quote that I found that helps us understand what grace can do for us:


"John and Judas are representatives of those who profess to be Christ's followers. Both these disciples had the same opportunities to study and follow the divine Pattern. Both were closely associated with Jesus and were privileged to listen to His teaching. Each possessed serious defects of character; and each had access to the divine grace that transforms character. But while one in humility was learning of Jesus, the other revealed that he was not a doer of the word, but a hearer only. One, daily dying to self and overcoming sin, was sanctified through the truth; the other, resisting the transforming power of grace and indulging selfish desires, was brought into bondage to Satan.
Such transformation of character as is seen in the life of John is ever the result of communion with Christ. There may be marked defects in the character of an individual, yet when he becomes a true disciple of Christ, the power of divine grace transforms and sanctifies him. Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, he is changed from glory to glory, until he is like Him whom he adores."  AA558-559

    But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:18

I am hoping that maybe this post has at least some how answered the question above and if not maybe in some of the following posts that I will be doing about grace that this question will be more fully answered and understood.  So stay tuned. :)


If you are reading this post and missed out on the other two posts about Grace so far, you may click the links below to check them out:

Characteristics...with and without Grace

Grace Nuggets