Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Reading through Romans-God died for the ungodly

romans
Romans 5:6-8 "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
When we were still without strength: Who are these people? Who are the ungodly and wicked people Jesus died for? Paul spent the first two-and-a-half chapters of the Book of Romans telling us that we all are those people.
Therefore, to genuinely say "Jesus died for me" you must also say "I have no strength to save myself. I am ungodly. I am a sinner." Jesus died to save and transform these.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: God's love is a love beyond even the best love among humans. A good man might die a noble martyrdom for the "right kind" of person - such as a righteous man or a good man. But Jesus died for those who were neither righteous nor good.
But God demonstrates His own love: "It would be easy to see the cross as demonstrating the indifference of God, a God who let the innocent Jesus be taken by wicked men, tortured, and crucified while he did nothing … Unless there is a sense in which the Father and Christ are one, it is not the love of God that the cross shows." (Morris)
The demonstration of God's love isn't so much in that Jesus died, but in whom Jesus died for - undeserving sinners and rebels against Him.
Dear God, your love for me is so beautiful...it tells of your glory that you love those who are unrighteous...praise to your Holy name!

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