The Difference Between Grace and a 2nd Chance

I have been pondering this question lately as I hear people split on whether or not Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles should have been given a second chance. Even the President of the United States called the Philadelphia Eagles organization and thanked them for giving Michael Vick a second chance. The President’s phone call was considered controversial. Why? The why question spotlights the difference between grace and a 2nd chance. What is that difference? I believe the difference between grace and a second chance is simply the spirit behind the 2nd chance.


The naysayers say that Michael Vick does not deserve a second chance. His crimes to society were unforgivable. Strangely grace says the same thing about Michael Vick getting a second chance; he did not deserve or earn it. As a believer I understand that he did not deserve or earn a second chance, but I also understand the spirit behind grace. The spirit behind grace says that no one deserves a second chance, but God freely gives it to us all when we accept His son as our Lord and Savior. God sets the example of what we should do for each other.

Luke 6:36 – You must be compassionate; just as your Father is compassionate.

When I hear all of the naysayers say that Michael Vick should have never been given a second chance, the next question that goes through my mind is how many of those same people call themselves believers in our Lord, Jesus Christ? I believe those that call themselves believers and say that Michael Vick should not have been given a second chance need to check their heart. They also need to ask themselves this question; should they be given a second chance?  If you are on your way to heaven because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have been given a second chance.

John 5:19 – Jesus replied, “I assure you, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”

So many people find it easy to pass judgment on public figures whose lives are out in the open for all to see. How many of those same people would be so quick to judgment if their very own lives, flaws included, were spotlighted for all to see? We all have done something to which we were reliant upon someone else to give us a second chance. You must realize that someone probably felt the same way about us that others feel about Michael Vick; we should not have gotten it. Thank God someone knew the difference between grace and a second chance. When the Spirit of God was behind your second chance, you were not just given a second chance, you were given grace. You were given a gift that was meant to be passed on to someone else. Too many times we want to hoard the grace given to us. We refuse to pass it on to someone else in need of it, while continuing to want more of it. Greed is one cornerstone of sin that we must find a way to destroy. It’s a cancer eating at us from the inside out.

Colossians 3:13 – You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.

We can all start alleviating that cancer today by giving someone grace who we feel does not deserve it. Remember, none of us deserve it.

God Bless you.