While reading I came across this early church writing that reminded me afresh of the richness of God's grace.
"And when our iniquity had been fully accomplished, and it
has been perfectly manifest that punishment and death were
expected as its recompence, and the season came which God
had ordained, when henceforth He should manifest His good-
ness and power (O the exceeding great kindness and love of
God), He hated us not, neither rejected us, nor bore us mal-
ice, but was long-suffering and patient, and in pity for us
took upon himself our sins, and Himself parted with His Son
as a ransom for us, the holy for the lawless, the guileless
for the evil, the just for the unjust, the immortal for the
mortal. For what else but His righteouness would have covered
our sins?
....O the sweet exchange, O the inscrutable creation, O the
unexpected benefits, that the iniquity of many should be con-
cealed in One Righteous Man, and the righteousness of One
should justify that are iniquitous!(Epistle to Diognetus 1.2,9
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