What is Grace?

[micah7:9]

 And Noah found grace in the eyes of Jehovah.

What is this "grace" that Noah found?   Was is it a forgiveness?
Strongs calls it "graciousness." G2580 A primitive root;  properly to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow;

But how is grace explained to us today?  How has religion and theology give us to understand this word grace? Is grace something that we just get or have and that's it?

[micah7:9]

I believe, reason, and understand, grace is the unmerited favor given by the Creator that begins the wonderful process of of His love for His creation. Without grace there could be no repentance, man [the human being] by himself would never turn to his Father to ask forgiveness. Grace is the is the "lucifer" to our return to Him. :HeartThrob:

[WhiteWings]

It's a very difficult question Micah.
I certainly have my ideas about grace but I'm unable to write them down.

Without grace there could be no repentance, man [the human being] by himself would never turn to his Father to ask forgiveness.

I only partly agree with that/your defenition isn't complete.
The grace part isn't (only) allowing/sparking repentance but also (even more) accepting that repentance.



Below favor in connection to the Noach verse you quoted. There are 6 defenitions of grace that vary depending on the verse they are used in. (different spelling in Hebrew)

Cognate with Akkadian enēnu, hanānu "to grant a favor," Ugaritic ḥnn "to be gracious, to favor" (UT, 19: no. 882), and Arabic ḥanna "to feel sympathy, compassion."
It is used in the Qal stem fifty-six times, in the Hithpael seventeen times, in the Hophal once, in the Piel once, in the Polel twice, and in the Niphal once.
The verb ḥānan depicts a heartfelt response by someone who has something to give to one who has a need. Ap-Thomas's suggestion that the verb comes from a biliteral root "to bend, to incline," i.e. to condescend, is not convincing. According to Flack the verb describes "an action from a superior to an inferior who has no real claim for gracious treatment."
In reaction to earlier studies, Neubauer in his recent monograph defines the verb as God's intervention to save and to help his faithful servant or nation with the emphasis on loyalty rather than on grace and love. He arrives at this conclusion by an extrapolation from social relations to theological relations. His attempt to read such a nuance into the various occurrences of ḥānan and its derivatives leads to forced interpretations.
The LXX translates the verb with oikteireō "to pity or have compassion," with eleō "to show mercy or sympathy," or in the Hithpael stem with deisthaō "to supplicate."
The verb is used in social or secular contexts as well as theological ones. It often has the sense of showing kindness to the poor and needy.
Job begs his friends, "Pity me, pity me" (Job 19:21).
The Hithpael stem means "to beseech," as in Gen 42:21 where the brothers recalled how Joseph had pleaded with them. The Syrian captain besought Elijah for his life and for the lives of his soldiers (II Kgs 1:13). Esther implored the king with tears (Est 8:3; cf. 4:8).
The apparent Niphal in Jer 22:23, nēḥant, is probably a textual error for a form derived from the verb 'ānaḥ as shown by the LXX, Pecrapta, and Targum. Modern translations follow the LXX katastenaxeis and render "you will groan."
The overwhelming number of uses in the Qal stem, some forty-one instances, have Yahweh as the subject. The plea ḥonnēnı̂, "be gracious to me," appears nineteen times in the Psalms. The Psalmist asks Yahweh to show him favor in view of his loneliness (Ps 25:16 [H 17]), his distress (Ps 31:9 [H 10]), his transgressions (Ps 51:1 [H 3]) where the favor he asks for is that God will erase the indictment against him, etc. Cf. Isa 33:2.
The Lord graciously gave Jacob his children (Gen 33:5) and prospered him (Gen 33:11). Joseph's benediction upon Benjamin (Gen 43:29), and Aaron's benediction (Num 6:25) ask for God's gracious dealing.
Amos (5:15) urges his hearers to establish justice that the Lord might be gracious to them. In the final analysis the Lord is sovereign in acting graciously to those whom he selects (Ex 33:19).
The Hithpael is used in supplications to God: by Moses who begs to see the Promised Land (Deut 3:23); by Solomon in dedicating the temple (I Kgs 8:33, 47, 59; 9:3; II Chr 6:24, 37); by the Psalmist (Ps 30:8 [H 9]; 142:1 [H 2]); and by Hosea (12:4 [H 5]) of Jacob's appeal to the angel who wrestled with him. Job, who is advised by Bildad to supplicate God (Job 8:5), concedes that though he were righteous this would be his only recourse (Job 9:15).
Instead of taking ḥannôt as an infinitive in Ps 77:9 [H 10], "Hath God forgotten to be gracious?" (av), Dahood suggests taking it as a substantive, parallel to raḥămāyw "bowels." He translates, "Have the inmost parts of God dried up?"
The verb ḥānan and its derivatives are components of the names of fifty-one persons. These include: Baalhanan, Elhanan, Hananel, Hanani, Hananiah, Hannah, Hanun, Henadad, Jehohanan, Johanan, Tehinnah. Cf. the Punic names Hanno and Hannibal.
The woman's name Hannah has given us Anna, Ann, Nan, Nancy, Anita (Spanish) and Annette (French). Johanan has given us the name John: Jean (French), Giovanni (Italian), Juan (Spanish), Johann, and Hans (German), Jan (Dutch), and Ivan (Russian).
For synonyms of ḥānan, etc. see especially ḥesed and raḥûm.
ḥēn. Favor, grace, charm, etc. This word occurs sixty-nine times, including forty-three times in the phrase "to find favor in the eyes of," seven times with the verb "to give," and three times with the verb "to obtain' (Est 2:15, 17; 5:2), which leaves fourteen independent uses of the word.
The word never appears with the article or in the plural; it has the personal suffix once in Gen 39:21.
The vast majority of occurrences are secular and not theological in significance. In contrast with the verb ḥānan, the focus of attention is not on the giver, but on the recipient, of what is given. In contrast with the frequent occurrences of the verb and other derivatives, in the Psalms ḥēn occurs but twice in Ps 84:11 [H 12] "the Lord will give favor" (RSV), and in Ps 45:2 [H 3] of the "grace" on the lips of the bridegroom.
ḥēn appears thirteen times in Proverbs, often with an aesthetic significance of charm or beauty.
As Neubauer has stressed, many of the passages in which this phrase is found concern the relations of a superior to an inferior, e.g. a king to his subject. But it is too much to hold that the phrase is a terminus technicus so that Jacob in Gen 32:5 [H 6]; 33:8, 10, 15, is actually acknowledging himself a vassal of Esau.
The phrase is found in the crucial passage on the justification of divorce in Deut 24:1 which was the basis for the debate between Hillel and Shammai. Rabbi Akiba held that a man might divorce his wife "even if he found another fairer than she, for it is written: 'if she find no favor in his eyes.' "
In theological usage Noah and Moses are said to have found grace in the sight of the Lord (Gen 6:8; Ex 33:12). It was the Lord who caused Joseph to find favor with the chief jailer (Gen 39:21), and the Israelites favor with the Egyptians (Ex 3:21; 11:3; 12:36). In Num 11:15 Moses is saying to the Lord no more than, "Do me a favor and please kill me."
In Zech 12:10 the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will have poured upon them "the spirit of ḥēn and taḥănûnı̂m." The Targum reads "a spirit of mercy and compassion"; Unger takes this as the Holy Spirit.
The shouts of acclamation at the completion of Zerubbabel's temple in Zech 4:7, literally, "ḥēn, ḥēn," are interpreted by Unger to mean, "What gracefulness (beauty) it has!" Sellin has suggested, "Bravo, bravo!"
In a number of passages ḥēn means "charm" or an attractive personality which creates a favorable impression. In the Aramaic Proverbs ot Ahiqar we have the phrase ḥn gbr hymnwth "for a man's charm is his truthfulness" (ANET, no. 132, p. 429). It is the heeding of wisdom which produces this favor: Prov 3:4; 13:15; Eccl 9:11; 10:12. The woman with this grace or charm, not just physical beauty (Prov 11:16; cf. 11:22), is worthy of honor.
The woman who fears the Lord is praised, in contrast to one who posseses merely deceitful charm and vain beauty (Prov 31:30). Nahum 3:4 compares Nineveh to a prostitute who is ṭôbat ḥēn, which the LXX renders kalē kai epicharis and the Vulgate speciosae et gratae, i.e. "beautiful and pleasing." Cf. nab "fair and charming"; neb "fair-seeming."

[Cardinal]

 :cloud9: Noah found grace in His eyes, has more meaning than we give it credit (like everthing else in there). To set your eyes upon Him like a flint, means that when the Ancient of Days (whose eyes are like flames) and you are at "eye level" (seeing as He sees), the flints are lit. Gives new meaning to the phrase, "let your eye be single (full of light)", doesn't it?  :winkgrin: Blessings.....

[sheila]

 grace...to me..means...God actively exercizing love towards me..so I can know what love is and love in return. Love is that 'spark" as strong as death

  love is a paradise..no love..is hell.

   love is the myrtle and fruit....no love is briars and thorns

    love is a heart of flesh..  a heart without love..is stone

    all the fruits of the spirit are the offsprings of love

[micah7:9]

:cloud9: Noah found grace in His eyes, has more meaning than we give it credit (like everthing else in there). To set your eyes upon Him like a flint, means that when the Ancient of Days (whose eyes are like flames) and you are at "eye level" (seeing as He sees), the flints are lit. Gives new meaning to the phrase, "let your eye be single (full of light)", doesn't it?  :winkgrin: Blessings.....

It is my understanding that "flint" is a hard, sharp stone, and is used to start or ignite by its abilitiy to cause a spark. Flints are not lit, flints are used to light the wick. At least that is how I understand it, maybe that is what you mean.

[CHB]

Isn't grace a gift or favor? Grace is the opposite of works (Rom. 11:6).

CHB

[micah7:9]

Yes, I reason and believe grace itself is a/or unmerited favor given by God, but like all of His gifts they have purpose. I believe, this is in my opinion, grace being the first of these gifts, is the very tool that He used to begin the work of reconciliation. In my opinion with out grace at work man Rom 8:20  for to vanity was the creation made subject--not of its will, but because of Him who did subject it --in hope,
Repentance( a changing of the mind to turn right about face, to see differently) which we would not have ever been able to do. Grace is what Noah saw[found] in the eyes of the Lord. Found H4672 mâtsâ'A primitive root; properly to come forth to, that is, appear or exist. Without grace man would lost and God had not planned for His creation to be lost, but redeemed by Jesus Christ who was slain before the foundation of the world/kosmos. I am tired yet I hope I wrote a proper response. Thank you Lord. :HeartThrob: