Hypergrace

Grace abounded. These words fail to capture the full magnitude of God’s grace. The original word for abounded is the same word Paul uses in Romans 5:17 – the one that means super-abundant – except here he adds the prefix huper or hyper, which means over, above, and beyond (huperperisseuō). If you think God’s grace is super-abundant to the point of superfluous excess, you are halfway there. And if you think his grace is hyper, you’re getting warmer but still not quite there. In Biblical terms, God’s grace is literally hyper-super-abundant.

Throughout his epistles, Paul uses a variety of big words to describe God’s hyper-super-grace. The meaning of these words is not always clear in English, but read the original language and you will find Paul writing about the lavish wastefulness of God’s grace (2 Corinthians 9:8) and how God’s supply of grace is super-abundant to the point of being excessive (Romans 5:17, 1 Timothy 1:14).

We lack scales for measuring God’s grace, but God’s grace is comparable in magnitude to his wisdom (see commentary at Ephesians 1:7). God is as gracious as he is wise. But then says, “No, there really is nothing we can compare with God’s grace” (see Ephesians 2:7).

In describing grace, Paul used three words: huper-ballō (Ephesians 2:7, 2 Corinthians 9:14), huper-perisseuō (Romans 5:20), and huper-pleonazō (1 Timothy 1:14). You do not need to speak Greek to recognise the common element in these words. It’s the prefix huper or hyper which means over, above, and beyond. To put it in context, Paul also uses hyper-words for describing God’s power and love (Ephesians 1:19, Ephesians 3:19). God’s grace is as great as his power. It’s as limitless as his love.

Paul was the first to use the word hyper when describing God’s grace, but he was hardly the only one to describe God’s grace as extreme and over-the-top. John spoke of receiving grace upon grace from fullness of God’s supply (John 1:16). Saying God is full of grace, is like saying the ocean is full of waves. “Grace upon grace” means God can bless you with wave after wave of grace and never run out.

Peter wrote about the grace that comes from “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10) and prayed that his grace would be yours to the “fullest measure” or in increasing abundance (1 Peter 1:2). Just as you can’t travel to the edge of the universe, you will never find the limit of God’s grace.

James, one of the most misunderstood writers in the New Testament, had a wonderful grasp of grace. He spoke of a God who gives and gives, which is a picture of unending grace (James 1:17). “God gives us more grace” (James 4:6). The original word for more in this passage is derived from the Greek word megas. God gives us mega-grace. James is literally saying that God gives us “exceedingly, great, high, large, loud, and mighty grace!”

To suggest that God’s grace is less than hyper is unbiblical, even blasphemous. It’s like saying God is good but he’s not that good, he’s wise but not that wise. Diminish grace and you diminish God. Get your understanding of grace from Christian magazines, and you can be forgiven for thinking that hypergrace is bad, modern, and unbiblical. But read the Bible and you will see that hypergrace is a small word for describing an extraordinary reality: The One who sits upon the throne of grace is exceedingly rich in grace and he has poured out his measureless grace upon you!

Grace abounded all the more. God’s grace is greater than your sin, his best is better than your worst. God is for you; who can be against you (Romans 8:31)? God justifies you; who can condemn you (Romans 8:33)? Nothing in this life – not your sins or your shortcomings – can separate you from his love (Romans 8:38, 39).