Christ Died for Us

Scripture: Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)

⁶ 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.

Devotion:

            We humans are weak, frail, and prone to sin. How is it that God, who we believe is a good and kind God, would allow such faults as these in His special creation? Why would His rescue plan be to become incarnate only to die a humiliating death on the cross? A logical and philosophical answer to those questions would require more knowledge and skill in reasoning than exists on planet earth today. So why bother tackling them in a short 500-word blog post? Because the simplest answer can be found in today’s scripture quotation.

            Paul writes here in the 5^th chapter of Romans the explanation the Holy Spirit led him to while pondering the condition of humankind. Paul speaks here of a people who are weak and ungodly who are rescued by a perfectly good and righteous God. This answer fails to speak to our culture today because we believe that we are good, powerful, and in no need of saving from anything or anyone. Such arrogance will be dealt with by God in His perfect and grace-filled response to our arrogance.

            The world into which God came as Jesus the incarnate Son of God was a wreck. Israel was under the control of Rome. A vast network of military, economic, and cultural forces in the Roman culture opposed, at times violently, the religion, economic, and cultural beliefs of the Jews living in the land of Palestine. Taxes were levied, soldiers were stationed, and religious expression subdued under Roman occupation. Into such a time and place as this God became Human and lived among us.

            God came near to us in the hour of greatest need. He did for us what we could not do for ourselves. Christ died that we might be granted entrance into heaven. While we were vile and unrepentant sinners He came, and the world would never be the same again.

            Well, 2,000 years have come and gone since God changed everything and the world has gotten itself into quite hard place again. Two declared wars are being fought overseas. There is social unrest at home. The very facts of biological life are being challenged. Humans have the technology to do great good or great evil to us and our neighbors. We lack, however, the wisdom to choose wisely between the two.

            The only answer to the questions posed at the beginning of this article are found in Jesus Christ our Lord. He came to separate the good from the evil. He lived, died, and was raised to life again so that we could face whatever the future may hold. We have the technology but not the wisdom to use that technology in life giving ways. Let us pray that the Lord will see fit for us to turn from our wickedness and worship Him.

Prayer:

            Lord, you came to save us, ungodly, and unrighteous sinners from certain destruction. We have not learned the lessons of the past. Help us turn again from our sinful self-reliance, and self-absorption to live in the grace provided by your son Jesus. On our own we do not have the strength to make this world a safe, and desirable home. Teach us to use all our technology and knowledge under the guidance of your wisdom to make a world ready for your return. Amen.