Romans 5:6-15 – Through
the cross of Christ God’s love is seen as Christ dies for the sinner. God’s
love is seen in Christ’s dying for sinners. It is not likely that anyone would
die for a good person. How much less would one die for a bad person?
In his letter to the Romans, Paul addresses a
predominantly Jewish audience. Jews living in Rome in the 1st
Century understood life with the thought that there were, at any given time,
three groupings of men living on planet earth. They believed that humanity was
divided into three categories of class;
Ø There were a few; they were, “The Righteous.” (Tzadikim Nistarim)
Ø Next, came, “Good
men.” (Benim)
Ø And finally, there were; ‘The sinners’ or ‘Evil-ones.’
(Resha’im)
The “righteous”
were in a category all their own. They needed no help from God. They were
already perfect, holy and pure. The world was still intact and would not spin
out of control because there were at least a few righteous men on the earth at any given time.
Sodom and Gomorrah were utterly destroyed because the
Lord could not find any righteous men
living there. Such righteous ones
were men such as Abraham, Enoch, Elijah, and Job just to name a few.
Those reading Paul’s letter for the first time were
very serious concerning their faith. Through ritual, a strict following of the
law and by holy living they remained ethical, moral, principled, “good men.” Their goal was simple. Become even better.
The rest were simply good for nothing. They were
trolls. They were “the dirties” of the world. They were beyond help. They were
to be shunned. They were “the ungodly.” They were “helpless, sinners.” Beyond God’s mercy.
Stay clear of them, the good men were warned. Evil ones were to be avoided. At all
costs.
So imagine the reaction that must have happened when
Paul’s audience heard these remarkable words.
“For while we
were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous
person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while
we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8)
This turned their moral compass upside down! It
literally rocked their world!
So how do you understand words such as love, mercy,
and grace? God’s love for us reveals true love. Only by knowing Christ’s mercy
are you able to show mercy. Again, this is not a natural characteristic of
sinful humankind. By God’s grace, every believer not only knows these divine
words but also believes them and lives them.
"When you
were dead in your sins and in the un-circumcision of your sinful nature, God
made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins." – Colossians
2:13
God reveals His love for us in the person of His Son
Jesus. As you have received mercy; be merciful.
“God be merciful
to me, a sinner.” – Luke 18:13
Image copyright © Ed Riojas, Higher Things
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