The Bible, taken as a whole, is the unfolding story of grace: God creates the universe; God chooses Abraham and his descendents to be "a light to the nations"; God liberates Israel from Egyptian bondage; God stays committed to humanity through the triumphs and travails of the centuries until eventually, in the fullness of time, God sends Jesus the Messiah, who proclaims the good news of grace, getting himself killed in the process; and God, ever taking the initiative, ever working through the failures of the world, raises Jesus from death, and through that resurrection offers life to all.
Grace, then, whether we like it or not, is the central theme of the Christian faith. It is the innermost truth of all that will abide, the cause and the goal of all things. This grace, when at last it takes hold of us and leaves us no choice but to acknowledge it, turns everything upside down.
— Donald McCullough, If Grace Is So Amazing, Why Don't We Like It?