Romans 5:6-8 “When?”

Here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁶For, us still being weak ones, Christ died for the ungodly ones, according to season. ⁷For someone will scarcely die on behalf of a righteous one, for someone might even perhaps dare to die for the good one, ⁸but God displays His own love into us because Christ died on behalf of us, while we being still sinners.

In reading this passage, I would suggest it is absolutely essential that one pause and ponder deeply on its meaning. Why do I say that? Because I fear its truth is so foundational to everything we are and believe as Christians that we are in great danger of running past it and failing to drink deeply from the fountain of its glorious truth.

We have come to what must surely be one of the most oft-memorized and recited passages in all the Bible: “But God commends His own love to us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

In verse 5, we were reminded that God’s hope doesn’t disappoint, in fact cannot, precisely because the ocean of His love has flooded every corner of our existence. That is a fact, a treasure we may always fondle. However, we may not always feel that love. In those times of seeming disappointment or uncertainly or fear, to what should we look to be assured that love is real?

The question, gloriously, is not “To what shall we look?” but rather “To Whom?”! In our moments of deepest need, it is to Jesus we must look for the final and most consummate expression of God’s love. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Our hope is not just in facts, but rather in a real Person, and that Person is none other than the Jesus who willingly died in our stead!

This is precisely the truth I believe we must pause and ponder. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In verses 6 & 7, Paul has established the simple fact that rarely ever would anyone die for anyone else, no matter how “good” that person may seem. Certainly, any real parent would die for their children and, growing up, I often heard of men in WW II who threw themselves on a hand grenade to save their fellow servicemen. Yet, no one would argue Paul’s point: People just don’t die for each other unless there is great love, or perhaps some great sense of duty.

But Jesus did, and when did He do it? “While we were yet sinners.” Verse 10 expresses it even more clearly when it sees us as “God’s enemies.” Jesus died for us certainly when we needed Him most, but, when He looked, did He see cute, furry, pitiful people His heart longed to save? At some time or another, we’ve all seen hurt pets. They were in fact cute and adorable and stirred compassion in our hearts. But I’ve also seen wild animals caught in a trap, vicious and hissing. Which picture did Jesus see when He died for us? When He died for us, we were the vicious, hateful, hissing creatures no one would die for! But Jesus did.

What this simple, familiar verse is teaching us is that, when all else fails, if we would be convinced anew of the love of God, then know that in this is that love most clearly and finally placarded: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus loved you and me when we were at out absolute worst.

You can’t get any worse than “weak” and “ungodly” (v.6), “sinners” (v.8), and “enemies” (v.10). Be sure to let it sink in deeply, that is when Jesus died for us. Remind yourself that starting all the way back in 1:18, we were informed of the problem: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth in their unrighteousness.” God is rightly angry at us weak, ungodly, sinning enemies who utterly destroy everything in His beautiful Creation, who wantonly slaughter each other, and completely self-destruct ourselves – all in a world He intended to flourish in love and joy and peace.

We often question God’s love in our hearts realizing just how badly we fail Him. Anyone who is honest struggles (often) with such thoughts. But again, we ask, when did Jesus die for us? The answer is “while we were yet sinners” – when we were already at our absolute worst.

“For God so loved the world, He sent His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16).