Common grace is God’s general favor by which he restrains sin and its consequences, maintains human life and culture, and bestows a variety of gifts and blessings to all people indiscriminately.
In this way, common grace can also be viewed as God’s long-suffering patience—the withholding of his judgment—so that he can work through Christ to redeem his people (2 Pet 3:9), and, in Christ, the whole of creation is truly restored.
Special grace is the unmerited and irresistible favor of God by which he redeems and renews, saving sinners and restoring creation through the work of Christ and by the power of the Spirit.
