The immeasurable riches of His grace

(Horatius Bonar, "The God of Grace")

"Where sin abounded, grace did much more
 abound!" Romans 5:20

The history of our world has been the story of
abounding sin--and far more abounding grace!

What was Abraham's history--but one of
abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

What was Rahab's history--but a history of
abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

What was David's history--but a history of
abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

What was Manasseh's history--but a history
of abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

What was the history of Saul of Tarsus, but one
of abounding sin and super-abounding grace, as
he himself declares, "The grace of our Lord was
poured out on me abundantly." 1 Timothy 1:14

What is all this world's long history--but a history
of abounding sin and super-abounding grace?

God not merely allowed sin to enter--but to spread;
not only to spread--but to increase in heinousness;
not only to increase in heinousness--but to vary itself,
and take every conceivable shape that man's wicked
heart could devise--all in order to demonstrate that
His resources of grace were adequate to meet it all.

Sin might widen its circle age after age--but grace
widened its circle and still went far beyond man's
transgression. For age after age sin ascended a higher
pinnacle of rebellious ungodliness; but grace ascended
along with it, and took its station far above it, like
a bright canopy of heavenly azure. Age after age
descended to lower and lower depths of hateful
pollution; grace went down along with it. And when
the soul found itself at the very bottom of the horrible
pit, and expected to meet nothing there but hell itself,
it found the hand of grace still beneath it, as mighty to
save, as willing to bless as ever. "So that in the coming
ages He might display the immeasurable riches of
His grace, in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus."
Ephesians 2:7