Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

Week 14: Chapter 13 — Rich in Mercy

Read Chapter 13 of Gentle and Lowly. Primary Scripture: Ephesians 2:1–7; Romans 5:20.

Ephesians 2 describes the human condition as death — and then pivots on two of the most important words in the Bible: "But God." This chapter explores what makes God's mercy so extravagant that it required its own emphatic conjunction.

Discussion Questions

7 questions

1.Ephesians 2:1–3 describes our pre-conversion state in the darkest terms: dead in sins, following the devil, living in the flesh, children of wrath. Ortlund does not soften this portrait. Why is it important to feel the full weight of this description before moving to verse 4? What is lost if we rush past "dead" to get to "But God"?

2.Ephesians 2:4 opens with "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us." Ortlund notes that Paul links God's mercy to God's wealth — he is not merely merciful, he is rich in mercy. What is the difference between a merciful God and a God who is rich in mercy? What does wealth imply?

3.Romans 5:20 says that "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more." Ortlund presents this as a kind of divine counterintuitive arithmetic: the worse it gets, the more grace is unleashed. What risks come with this statement (which Paul addresses in Romans 6), and why does he still make it so boldly?

a.What is the most daunting sin you are currently aware of in your own heart? Does Romans 5:20 apply there?

b.What would it mean to "let grace abound" in that specific area rather than managing it with willpower?

4.Ortlund argues that the word "rich" in "rich in mercy" implies that God's mercy comes from a surplus, not a budget. He never extends mercy at the cost of running low. How does this portrait challenge the way you typically approach God after significant failure — as if you are drawing down a finite account?

5.Ephesians 2:6–7 says God raised us up and seated us with Christ in heavenly places "so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace." The rescue is partly for display — so the universe can witness God's generosity. How does knowing that your redemption is partly a cosmic demonstration of grace change how you think about it?

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Closing Prayer

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God, you are rich in mercy — not careful with it, not rationing it, but lavish and overflowing. Forgive us for approaching you as paupers approaching a reluctant treasurer. You raised us from death not because we climbed toward you, but because your great love reached down into graves. Let the "But God" of Ephesians 2 become the pivot of our whole story — the moment everything changed, not because of us, but because of you. Make us people who live in the lavish mercy we have been given. Amen.

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Week 14: Chapter 13 — Rich in Mercy

Discussion Questions

Closing Prayer

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