Perhaps we should define grace from the Christian perspective, and then interpret how the celestials amplify or enlarge its meaning cosmically. I would think that since they employ a religious term, our starting point should be the Christian breakdown of grace.

grace 
c.1175, "God's favor or help," from O.Fr. grace "pleasing quality, favor, good will, thanks," from L. gratia "pleasing quality, good will, gratitude," from gratus "pleasing, agreeable," from PIE base *gwer- "to praise, welcome" (cf. Skt. grnati "sings, praises, announces," Lith. giriu "to praise, celebrate," Avestan gar- "to praise"). Sense of "virtue" is c.1330, that of "beauty of form or movement, pleasing quality" is c.1340. In classical sense, "one of the three sister goddesses (L. Gratiæ, Gk. Kharites), bestowers of beauty and charm," it is first recorded in Eng. 1579 in Spenser. The short prayer that is said before or after a meal (c.1225, until 16c. usually graces) is in the sense of "gratitude." Verb meaning "to show favor" (c.1440) led to that of "to lend or add grace to something" (1586, e.g. grace us with your presence), which is the root of the musical sense in grace notes (1657). Gracious as an exclamation (1713) is short for gracious God, etc.

I don't really know, but I guess grace has something to do with the expression of truth, beauty and goodness. Maybe it has a relation to realizing those qualities in your life and translating them into everyday artifacts or acts.

In Western Christian theology, grace is "the love and mercy given to us by God because God desires us to have it, not necessarily because of anything we have done to earn it". It is not a created substance of any kind.[1] "Grace is favour, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life."[2] It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to people "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.[4]

I have this dictionary definition which seems to be from a Christian perspective. It mentions God and virtue.



I looked up the meaning of grace at the vatican's website but it's too long to copy. This description seems to sum it up: "The grace of Christ is the gratuitous gift that God makes to us of his own life, infused by the Holy Spirit into our soul to heal it of sin and to sanctify it. "

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P6Z.HTM

I have to say brooklyn, I like wiki's definition more than the Vatican's. The issue of needing to heal the soul of sin has never sat well with me since the soul is created by sinless decisions. "

The idea that grace is a gift seems to be consistent with both definitions as the Revelation seems to indicate also. I'm still wondering what they mean by "fellowshipped by". Certainly it must have something to do with the concept of Father/son, as in "sons of grace and mercy". The Father's gift to the son is grace, his favor and help, which also suggests ministry, and ministry, I suppose, is part of fellowshipping? A back-and-forth, give-and-take phenomenon?

I think the use of the word fellowship is in the sense of being in relationship with "grace."

The creation of the soul and sin I think deserves further exploring.

That reminds me of the reference to the higher and lower natures we humans have. The higher nature is the new nature of grace, the soul. It seems that grace is part of a relationship within the soul, most likely the selflessness freely admixed by Deity in response to faith-trust.

(1131.8 ) 103:2.9 But before a child has developed sufficiently to acquire moral capacity and therefore to be able to choose altruistic service, he has already developed a strong and well-unified egoistic nature. And it is this factual situation that gives rise to the theory of the struggle between the “higher” and the “lower” natures, between the “old man of sin” and the “new nature” of grace. Very early in life the normal child begins to learn that it is “more blessed to give than to receive.”

I think there is also a relationship between grace and goodness since it is written that we become good through grace. There is also a reference which explains that the concept of goodness can only be understood in relation to personality. Deity is undoubtedly the source of all goodness and it's selflessness, which is what I think grace essentially is. Selflessness makes true goodness unconscious, so I also think true grace might also be unconscious. Perhaps consciousness of grace makes one graceful rather than gracious?

(317.3) 28:6.22 The estimate of greatness varies from sphere to sphere. To be great is to be Godlike. And since the quality of greatness is wholly determined by the content of goodness, it follows that, even in your present human estate, if you can through grace become good, you are thereby becoming great. The more steadfastly you behold, and the more persistently you pursue, the concepts of divine goodness, the more certainly will you grow in greatness, in true magnitude of genuine survival character.

(1874.5) 171:7.2 Goodness always compels respect, but when it is devoid of grace, it often repels affection. Goodness is universally attractive only when it is gracious. Goodness is effective only when it is attractive.

(31.3) 1:7.3 The concept of truth might possibly be entertained apart from personality, the concept of beauty may exist without personality, but the concept of divine goodness is understandable only in relation to personality. Only a person can love and be loved. Even beauty and truth would be divorced from survival hope if they were not attributes of a personal God, a loving Father.

(1582.7) 140:8.26 Jesus always insisted that true goodness must be unconscious, in bestowing charity not allowing the left hand to know what the right hand does.

(1874.4) 171:7.1 Jesus spread good cheer everywhere he went. He was full of grace and truth. His associates never ceased to wonder at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth. You can cultivate gracefulness, but graciousness is the aroma of friendliness which emanates from a love-saturated soul.



Did you want a new thread for that, or should we explore here?

But yes, too often my own evil and even sin severs the lifeline of grace that I have with God in the Holy Spirit.

The growth in goodness, through grace, means that as a man is devoted to bringing justice on our world, we know from the quotes brooklyn shared that the mercy he is able to offer, is attenuated by the love he is able to receive. Mercy, therefore, can be seen as an act wherein the love of one person is extended to protect another being. I always want to know if such mercy can help a person apply justice to himself, before attempt to extend mercy to anyone else.

The experience of grace, in a metaphysical sense, or for my subjective experience, although fleeting, is real. It is fleeting because of the current status of my own nature, but if I were to become a merciful and loving being, then I believe that gracefulness can be a quality of my current/future status. In the realisation of worship, the God who lives in man extends his loving nature into the entire personality, just as worship helps such a man to become more universal. And it is by grace that man should reach such a stature as allows Eternal Beings, i.e. the Spiritual Administration, to by love extend mercy, a "mercy credit" to the sustenance of such human life.

But grace is not an emotional status, but one that can only be experienced in an active growth state wherein the human is focused on loving others, and naturally the experience of grace can be felt when the ascender is engaged in the activities of doing God's will. It occurs when a human individual himself has the opportunity to be merciful, through his encounters with other individuals, and this experience of grace can be felt while the human mind is in the mode of work/prayer.

As another requirement, the human individual must "strive for perfection", to seek God's own nature within himself. Grace, although imperceptible in a physical sense, is truly real to the soul. It is because the soul is potentially eternal, and the love that he receives from other beings, is known through grace. This is like to experience the quality of other beings, in personal experience, and the quality of the love from the Infinite Spirit, and all beings of the Central Univeres, is perfect.

What is it in worship, to taste of the quality of God's love, to experience the love of beings whom you have never encountered and whom you may never encounter, that helps man to become wise, to want to love to experience real love, and to share all the love he has garnered with all other souls of this world. It is the reach of grace, to be fellowshipped by Creator Parents in one's own mind, to actually feel this grace, and to know that if you have that experience, you have also the opportunity to become like God, a perfect and perfected personality, one who has endured the trials of the material existence and nevertheless loves mortals.

The growth in goodness, through grace, means that as a man is devoted to bringing justice on our world, we know from the quotes brooklyn shared that the mercy he is able to offer, is attenuated by the love he is able to receive. Mercy, therefore, can be seen as an act wherein the love of one person is extended to protect another being. I always want to know if such mercy can help a person apply justice to himself, before attempt to extend mercy to anyone else.