state of grace

English

Noun

state of grace (uncountable)

1. (Christianity) A condition free from mortal sin, in which one has the favor of God and enjoys unmerited divine assistance.
   • 1646, “Of Free-Will”, in The Confession of Faith of the Assembly of Divines at Westminster, published 1946:

     When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, He freeth him from his natural bondage under sin; and, by His grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so, as that by reason of his remaining corruption, he doth not perfectly, nor only, will that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil.

   • 1883, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter 51, in Life on the Mississippi, Boston, Mass.: James R[ipley] Osgood and Company, →OCLC:

     I found these statistics, in a condensed form, in a telegram of the Associated Press, and preserved them. They made it apparent that St. Louis was in a higher state of grace than she could have claimed to be in my time.

   • 2012, Taylor Swift (lyrics and music), “State of Grace”, in Red:

     This is a state of grace / This is the worthwhile fight

Translations

condition free from mortal sin

• Catalan: estat de gràcia m
• Finnish: armon tila
• French: état de grâce (fr) m
• German: Gnadenzustand m, Zustand der Gnade m

Further reading

• state (theology) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• grace in Christianity on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Grace