I just finish teaching a lesson on confession, forgiveness and restoration–the story of David and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12; Psalm 51 and 31).  I was focusing more on David’s confession than on his sin.

One of the points that we discussed was the bestowal of mercy and grace by God (preserving David’s life and loving Solomon) and the counterpoint, the acceptance of forgiveness and celebration of grace by David.

So when I read this, it really resonated. (Thanks to Dana Ortlund).

Being amazed by God’s grace is a sign of spiritual vitality. It is a litmus test of how firm and real is our grasp of the Christian gospel and how close is our walk with Jesus Christ. The growing Christian finds that the grace of God astonishes and amazes.

–Sinclair Ferguson, By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me (Reformation Trust, 2010), xiv