As we reflect on the meaning of the death of Christ, I’m thankful for these words from J.I. Packer:
“God’s love is an exercise of His goodness towards sinners. As such, it has the nature of grace and mercy.
“It is an outgoing of God in kindness which not merely is undeserved, but is actually contrary to desert; for the objects of God’s love are rational creatures who have broken God’s law, whose nature is corrupt in God’s sight, and who merit only condemnation and final banishment from His presence.
“It is staggering that God should love sinners; yet it is true.
“God loves creatures who have become unlovely and (one would have thought) unlovable. There was nothing whatsoever in the objects of His love to call it forth; nothing in man could attract or prompt it. Love among men is awakened by something in the beloved, but the love of God is free, spontaneous, unevoked, uncaused.
“God loves men because He has chosen to love them . . . and no reason for His love can be given save His own sovereign good pleasure. The Greek and Roman world of New Testament times had never dreamed of such love; its gods were often credited with lusting after women, but never with loving sinners; and the New Testament writers had to introduce what was virtually a new Greek word agape to express the love of God as they knew it.” (Source: Knowing God)
What a profoundly Biblical description of me and you: corrupt and rotten to the core. Unlovely and unlovable. If we got what we deserved, we’d all be in hell right now. What have we earned? “Only condemnation and final banishment from His presence.”
But God, for no reason other than “His own sovereign good pleasure,” has chosen to love us anyway.
This is the message of Romans 5:6-11.
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. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (ESV)
That’s us – apart from God’s grace we are weak: powerless to help ourselves (Phillips), helpless (NASB), utterly helpless (NLT), and without strength (KJV) to escape the prison of sin. We are ungodly, sinners all, the enemies of God.
And yet God loves us.
Is this not a staggering truth? Does it overwhelm you?
I pray that it does, today and every day.
Rejoice, my friend, for the God of glory loves us and has demonstrated that love most amazingly through the death of Christ. Let it take your breath away!
And if you find anything in this post beneficial, please leave a comment below.
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