DEMONSTRATED LOVE
ROMANS 5:6-8 NKJV
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul is making the case that we could not save ourselves. Nor did we earn God's love and deliverance.
When we were still without strength, we were not in any position to do anything about our spiritual condition. Christ died for the ungodly. That's us.
It is ironic that people have knocked Christianity by saying it is for the weak. They are absolutely right. Putting faith in Christ is for all of those too weak to save themselves. Spiritually, that describes the condition of all of mankind. Too weak to save themselves from sin and death.
Christ died for us in our spiritually weak, powerless condition. And not only were we weak and powerless, but we were also not good or righteous. People want to push back on the goodness issue. But in God's eyes, He declares there is none righteous and none that does good. Our spiritual condition is discerned by God's standard, not man's self-assessment.
So, with no strength, no goodness, and no righteousness, we were not a compelling package. But God.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us. When we were sinners and in this weak, sinful state, Christ died for us.
Paul's point is to make clear that our condition did not merit God's love. But neither did it drive Him away. God's love, demonstrated by Jesus dying for us, superseded our condition. God's love was bigger and stronger and amazingly good.
APPLICATION:
This love is the bedrock of Christianity. For God so loved the world that He gave His Son.
Regardless of what kind of person we think we are, we must view ourselves from God's viewpoint. It takes a certain amount of humility to acknowledge we are not good or strong according to God's standards.
And it takes a certain amount of faith to acknowledge that the work Jesus accomplished for us made us new creations. We are now right in God's sight.
All because of His demonstrated love for us.
PRAYER:
Thank You, Father, for Your amazing love for me.