Sinners

DEVOTION

ROMANS

SINNERS

Rom 5:6-8

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 man, though for a good man 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.

The very first thing we should notice is that Christ died for the ungodly just at the right time. This has to mean this was the plan of God from the very beginning of what we call time. God does not call it time as he does not live in time, but he did insert himself into time so we might know him. He speaks to us within the framework of time, He uses phrases like, “In the beginning” “I am the beginning and the end” “The Day of the Lord”. So we know that the exact time in the history of mankind, which God chose, Jesus died for the ungodly. However, the main point Paul is making here is that we are powerless to save ourselves. But let us think a moment about how that might have been perceived by those believers who lived in Rome. This city was the largest of cities boasting a population between one and three million people, according to our scholars. It was polytheistic yet with Caesar Nero also being considered a god. The church was made up of mostly Gentiles although we are told some Jewish believers were also in the church. This being powerless might have meant in a physical sense to these believers because if Nero could have them found he persecuted them unmercifully. Yet this powerless also speaks to our spiritual life and how we are without power. He assures believers Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. The idea is rarely would anyone freely give his life for a righteous man. This does not preclude the many people who have died as a result of war. At different times within our countries history people have chosen to join the war, other times men were drafted to fight in a war. But the fact remains these people fought, but not with the intent to offer their lives for others. They fought, but with an effort, for the most part, to stay alive. There are stories of exceptional acts of bravery, and of men who threw themselves on grenades to save others. So these words of Paul do not exclude those types of deaths. He says this type of dying for another because of their faith is rare, but more likely because they believe the others are good men. But God demonstrated his love for us while we were neither righteous nor good, but simply sinners, Christ died for us. This shows us we have nothing to boast about. We have no righteousness, no goodness unless it is from Christ. He is our righteousness and any goodness we have comes from the Spirit bearing that fruit in us. When we look at someone and say they are a good person, we only see their exterior and maybe a few of their acts, but God sees the heart of man and knows what lurks within. Without Jesus we are wicked sinners, with Jesus we are forgiven and made righteous in the eyes of God. That may not change the fact about our sin, we still sin, but we are made holy and blameless in his sight, through Christ. Yes, we are not supposed to go about sinner just as before accepting Christ. We are to try to live to please God and made every effort to keep from yielding to the temptations to sin. That is why God offers his armor to us, to put on the full armor of God so we can take our stand against the forces of evil. But the fact remains Jesus died for us when we were powerless and sinners. How wonderful the love of God. Jesus did not die for the righteous or the good, but for sinners like us.