Who would you willingly die for? I’m sure that it is a relatively short list with family and perhaps a few close friends. That’s normal and expected. And yes, in a moment of danger, we may try to protect a nearby stranger, especially if that stranger is a child. But even so, our list is very small. Keep that in mind as we read our next passage from Romans.
“For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6–11, CSB)
While we were still sinners and enemies, Christ died for us. That powerful truth is the cornerstone of Christianity. We deserved wrath, but we were saved through Jesus because of God’s love, even though none of us deserved it. That one fact proves God’s love for you.
There is one obvious application and one not so obvious. The obvious application is that we must recognize, accept, and boast in God through Jesus, through whom we are reconciled. No longer enemies, but beloved sons and daughters.
The not-so-obvious application is that Christ also died for that person you hate, despise, and consider your enemy. And they may truly be an enemy seeking your harm. God loves them, too. Jesus died for them. They, too, can be reconciled with God. As hard as it may be, we are to forgive them as Jesus forgave His executioners from the cross. We are to pray for them, interceding on their behalf to receive this unfathomable gift of grace we have received. They may seem lost, may be lost, but Jesus’ mission is to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, CSB)
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