Is there anyone that you would willingly give your life for if the need ever arose? We would hope that such a time would never come, but if the circumstances came about, many people would be willing to sacrifice their life for their spouse, their children, or some very dear and close friend. How about giving your life for the most upstanding person in your neighborhood, the tireless doctor, the self-sacrificing teacher, the elderly and godly person who cares so much for their neighbors? Not too many of us would be willing, no matter how good these people are. Now picture one more scene - picture the worst possible, most vile criminal who is being led out to be executed. A crowd has gathered, and then the most upstanding, good, and godly person in the city steps forward and volunteers to take the place of the criminal, to be executed in their place! We might think that would never happen. As we read today’s passage from the Book of Romans, we see that it did happen, and we were that condemned criminal.
Who would ever be willing to die for some dirty, rotten sinner? We can’t imagine any person doing that, yet that is what the Son of God did for us (vs. 6). We are condemned sinners, having broken God’s holy laws, and the punishment is eternal separation from God. We are reprobates and spiritually dead, and can do nothing to help ourselves. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. We are weak and helpless, just like the criminal condemned to death.
As unregenerate sinners we are unlovable, and no one would willingly take our place. However, God’s love for us is not based on how lovable we are, but is based on His character. God’s supreme act of love came when we were at our most unlovely. Jesus stepped forward from the throne room of heaven and said that He loved us so much that He would willingly take our place, and pay the ultimate price for our sins and redemption (vs. 8).
God sent Jesus to die for us, not because we were good enough, but because He loved us. He loved us even before we turned to Him. God didn’t wait for us to apologize or recognize Him. He loved us so completely that He sent Jesus to die for us while we were still sinners. None of us deserve God’s care and protection, but thankfully deserving isn’t the basis for His love. God’s nature is love, which He demonstrated through Jesus’ death, while we were still sinners. Jesus did not die merely for our benefit. He died in our place. He didn’t die only for the “good” people, He died for everyone, including the worst of sinners.
Do you ever feel like nobody could possibly care about you or love you? Maybe you feel like you are so unimportant and without any value. God didn’t choose to love us because we are lovely. He loved us, and then we became lovely to Him. Our value comes from His inherent value. We are so important to God, so loved and valuable to Him, that He gave the best that He had, His Son Jesus Christ, for us.
By taking our place and dying for us, Jesus not only spared us from an eternity in hell, His death also brought reconciliation between us and God (vs 11). One might expect that a condemned criminal who was released from prison would be estranged from society, from other people, especially the ones he had most hurt. Yet through Jesus and His death, He brought about a reconciliation between us and God. There is no longer any enmity between us and the Lord. We are no longer enemies with God.
Do you know that Jesus died for you? Have you realized that your sins make you God’s enemy, and the penalty is His eternal wrath? Jesus paid that penalty, your penalty, with His own Blood on the cross. If you accept that, and call upon Him to be your personal Savior, then you will be reconciled to God, and have His joy, both now and in eternity. Don’t wait another day to be reconciled to God!
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