6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The Apostle writes. “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.” This is a very powerful comparison. Notice the words that stick out relating to us: powerless, ungodly, still sinners, and deserving of Gods’ wrath.  Bottom line, how do you feel when someone treats you in an ungodly manner. You might be the victim of road rage where someone is yelling and screaming obscenities toward you. Maybe someone stole from you, or lied to you, or abused you. How often have people said in their wrath- “I hope they burn in Hell.”. The word that is as far from your mind as possible is love. I have a problem when God’s word says, “Love your enemies.”. I can appear to be pious and say I love them in the abstract, but I am not sure I love them in the concrete. Wally Olson shared a new version of that serenity prayer, “Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things that cannot change, and the courage to change the things that can, and the wisdom to know where to put the bodies of those who cross me.”           

Let’s take the next illustration Paul uses. How much love would someone have in order to die for another person? Most might say I am glad to die for a family member because I love them so much. Some might say, I am willing to give my life for my country, or for my God, or for freedom because I love God, country and freedom so much, but how would you describe love so deep as to be willing to die for an enemy or someone who has treated you so badly and has no love for you whatsoever. That just does not make any sense at all.           

That is the way the Apostle Paul wanted us to try to see through the eyeglasses of God. We are at our worst as sinners and God is at His best as one with love so deep for us that He was willing to give up His life and to suffering for us in our place - not because we were lovable, far from it. Not because we deserved it, no way. Not because of our goodness, He couldn’t find any goodness next to His absolute and complete purity. The only basis of His suffering and sacrifice is love. That is it. No other reason. How do you describe that type of love? You can’t. It is not human. It is divine. If we come close to demonstrating that ourselves, then it is only because of the Holy Spirit of God working in and through our hearts. The words that describe Him are love, died for us, justified us by His blood, saved us, reconciled us to Himself, and giving us Himself.           

We had been looking at excuses of people standing before the judgment of God in the various chapters, those who claimed to not know, those who claimed they are not as bad as others, those who claimed they really aren’t that bad, and those who claimed they really are good, yet we saw all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There are others who when presented with this marvelous truth of God’s grace will have false excuses also that say things like this. I’m too sinful, too lost; too evil, and I have done too many awful things. I don’t deserve to be saved. Not even God could love me after what I’ve done!” or, standing in judgment, we might think that some people are too lost to be saved. We think that some people are just evil and they deserve to go to hell. I don’t know who is on your list, but rapists and child abusers made mine. That thought diminishes God’s love for us. We don’t understand that depth of a love that would die for the worst of sinners. He died for me and for you.           

What are the results? You have been declared righteous. You are saved from God’s wrath.  Christ lives in you by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dale