I've been thinking about something lately: Christian salvation.

Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians said, "For by grace are ye saved and through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast."
The way this has been explained to me is that salvation is something that comes by grace, through faith, and not something anyone earns.

In Evangelical circles, this kind of grace is described as unmerited favor.

Unmerited: Not earned.