Romans 5:6-8 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
These are some of the most profound verses in the Bible. They describe what God’s grace looks like in terms of God’s love and human need. Our weakness is our inability to be righteous before God. We cannot save ourselves because the problem of sin is too powerful for us to overcome. We cannot obey God’s laws well enough to be considered right before God. Every human being has rebelled against God (Romans 3:23). We are broken, depraved, and unable to choose God without God’s intervention into our situation. We can love God because God has first loved us (1 John 4:19). Into our desperate situation came Christ who showed God’s love by purposefully suffering for us. Behind these verses is the doctrine of atonement, one of the most difficult and mysterious teachings of Christianity, yet lies at the heart of our faith. We must understand the Old Testament sacrificial system and the basic logic of the simple story of Genesis 2-3. Sin brings death and deserves God’s judgment. But Jesus came and took our place to cover the penalty of our sin. Love is show in v. 7 with how Jesus died for the ungodly who did not deserve this love. Every one of us is ungodly. Few humans every willingly give their life for another. Perhaps some soldiers but it is a rare thing. Security guards may sacrifice themselves for a president or someone important. But who would die for someone on death row? That would be viewed as a waste of a good life. Jesus, the most righteous person who ever lived, free from sin, perfect in all ways, gave his life willingly for the worst of people in this world. He died willingly for the death row convict and for the worst dictators of this world. This shows how much God loves us as sinners. This death was a sign of God’s love. What does Jesus’ death accomplish for us? It bridges the gulf that separates us sinners from the Holy God. God took the initiative in all this with his love by sending his one and only Son. These are significant verse that contain the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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