Who first said there but for the grace of God go I?
Who first said there but for the grace of God go I?
The story that is widely circulated is that the phrase was first spoken by the English evangelical preacher and martyr, John Bradford (circa 1510–1555). He is said to have uttered the variant of the expression - "There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford", when seeing criminals being led to the scaffold.
What does the phrase by the grace of God mean?
By the direction, blessings, or assistance of a higher power (e.g., God). We never need question our purpose, for we are led by the grace of God. ...
Where did there but for the grace of God go I come from?
Allegedly from a mid-sixteenth-century statement by John Bradford, "There but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford", in reference to a group of prisoners being led to execution. A paraphrase from St. Paul in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15:8–10, which states, "Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.