The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. (Psalm 103:8-10)

Here we clearly see God’s compassion for us once again. It is limitless and unquenchable. And what about this idea of lovingkindness? What does that mean? From the Hebrew, hesed, it is often translated as steadfast love; grace; mercy; faithfulness; goodness; and devotion. It is impossible to translate this concept meaningfully with one English word, since all these attributes come into play.

But does this mean God won’t punish sin? To believe that we would have to ignore everything else in Scripture. No, it simply means that He fully understands us, as we will see in upcoming verses. Free from the Power of sin–The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself brings this hard-to-understand truth–His absolute provision for the weakness of our flesh–sharply into focus.