WEEK 4 | GRACIOUS

Exodus 34:6-7

The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

“A God merciful and gracious…”

Whenever grace is mentioned in the Bible it tends to mean favor or generous gift. The Hebrew word for gracious is Khanun or Khen which means grace, favor, delight, favorable, or a gift of favor. The Greek word is Kharis which means generous gift. Throughout scripture we find stories of God’s tremendous grace over nations that decided to repent and move away from their sinful ways. We also read of how God continues to show grace to nations and humans that run from Him. That’s the thing about grace, it is a generous gift that we do not deserve. God is compassionate, merciful, and gracious to His children. God’s grace is put on display in the act of sending His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins.

The generous gift of the cross

We all deserve death for the sin we have committed, but God in His gracious nature provides a path for us to not only be restored, but also to be unified with Him and Christ for eternity. When we own up to our wrong doings and accept the gracious gift offered to us by Jesus death and resurrection, God is gracious and wipes away our sin and shame.

REFLECTION AND QUESTIONS

Read Isaiah 30:18-19 | Ephesians 2:8-10

  • What do these verses show us about God’s gracious character?

How does this new definition of grace change how you view Jesus death on the cross?

What area of your life do you need God’s grace to wash over?

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