Grace

കൃപ is the settled Malayalam Christian term, but it is a Sanskrit-derived word also used in Kerala’s Hindu bhakti devotional tradition for a deity’s favor toward a devotee. Bhakti-tradition grace, unlike Hindu karma-merit generally, is genuinely gift-like in tone — which makes it a subtler risk than a stark contradiction: translators must keep the source of grace explicitly Christ’s finished work, not a devotee’s cumulative bhakti or ritual devotion.