“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.“-{Romans 5:6-8}.

“FOR” What a beautiful word. Here Paul gives the explanation of God pouring out His love into our hearts through the gift of the Holy Spirit. assuring the believer, you, of the assurance of His love through His death for us. His death assures us of His love. And Paul expounds on His love for us when we were lost and dead in our sins.

” While we were Helpless.”

“At the right time.”

” For the Ungodly ”

“While we were yet Sinners.”

” We were Enemies.”- {v10}

This passage is in the context of God’s great love for His own and assuring them of their eternal security-{Romans 5:1-5} Of His provision of  Justification, Peace with God, access to God, standing in grace– Divine eternal favor before God. And a future Hope of glory. And also hope in the present. in the midst He speaks of suffering and to view suffering or as some translations say “Tribulations” which speaks of something that causes distress, comes upon them they can rejoice, delight have an inward pleasure “knowing” the word speaks,”to be fully aware.” And what are they to be fully aware of? That their sufferings have a Divine purpose- to develop and produce the strengthening of their faith and Christ-likeness and their Hope.. He says,”knowing that perseverance produces proven character… produces Hope… Hope does not disappoint, or make ashamed.” Why not? “BECAUSE the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us!-{ Read Rom 5:1-5}, The Spirit of God assures us we are loved and we look at what He has done for us and it speaks of His Love. And Paul continues speaking comfort, focusing on God’s faithful love to be “knowing,” to be fully aware” that you understand what GOD is doing in your sufferings… He is producing something Good, from them! Often our problem in our pain is that we forget the BIG Picture. God is up to something good and using this in our spiritual development to honor Him and also benefit others as we serve them, identify, empathize with them lovingly.

We know of some things God does in our trials when we respond by trusting Him, submitting to His Spirit and Word, as it is revealed in His Word and he wants us to know -{Read Romans 5:3-4}. The “benefits” include, Spiritual Maturity- {Romans 5:4}. And He is Equipping us for More Fruitful Service- {John 15:1-2}. So we look at Suffering through a new lens, His Word and come to new conclusions, and see as painful as the suffering, tribulation are, that He has a purpose in our pain! And though the temptation arises when suffering to wonder, or doubt, if God loves us, as if He did we wrongly believe He should shield us from them when we see in his Word we can rejoice because we know that in and through them He is up to something good for us and through use to his honor!

Suffering is not an indication of His lack of love but Love due to what He is producing.

True, some suffering we have brought on ourselves but even these we can have confidence as He promises to work all hings including our sin, failures and that of others for Good.-{Read Romans 8:28-29}. So, whether suffering for doing right, or even wrong. As one of my boys used to say, “God’s got this!” Indeed He has and is at work! Be assured in your suffering HE LOVES YOU….

And He assures the sufferings ones He loves them and recounts how…

“Were“- is in the present tense indicating this was our continual condition as people. We “were… helpless,Ungodly, Sinners, Enemies.” This was your state before you gave your life in submission to Christ. You “were” this!

“HELPLESS.“ –

The word figuratively means powerless to produce results. You were “Helpless.” He is not speaking about physically but morally! Helpless to understand the things of God. Helpless to overcome or care about your sin. Helpless to know God. helpless to love God. Helpless to love others unconditionally. Helpless, totally destitute,spiritually powerless, spiritually bankrupt of heart, and not even knowing or caring. The Scripture speaks of “being held captive to do the devil’s will.”-{2 Timothy 2:24-26} . Helpless to break free from satan’s clutches. Helpless against sin’s power. Helpless against the graves power. Helpless, powerless morally, spiritually! Helpless, nothing to offer God, and yet we read while you were in this condition, God so loved you He sent HIS Son to die for you, to save you from such a helpless spiritually impotent life, and show you how much He loved you. While you were helpless, He loved you. Paul put it this way, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,  even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”-{Ephesians 2:4-5}  His “GREAT love with which He loved us.” His is a great love for you, even when you were helplessly lost, opposed to Him, His Son and rightful claim on your life. He was not put off by your distaste,indifference, rebellion, to Him, for He “GREAT Love” was towards you and set upon you!

  •  You can say amidst your sufferings, “I was spiritually Helpless, but Christ died for me to demonstrate His Love for me goes on and on, for His love is a committed continual love for me His child!

“FOR“-

Again Paul uses this word to give an explanation of why!-{He uses “for” three times in v6,7,8! In each case he is expressing the Substitution work of  The LORD Jesus for you and me! While we were “helpless, powerless,” Christ stepped in to rescue, save us, deliver us! Instead of “For” you can say “Christ died!” Or “For The Benefit of…” How wonderful. You can say, ” Yes I was helpless but “CHRIST DIED for me! For my Benefit!”

“UNGODLY.”

It describes a person who has no respect, reverence for God or His Word, or the things of God. “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”-{Romans 3:18}. “…all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.”-{Judges 21:25}. Lawlessness, a law onto themselves, no respect for God, His Word, living independent lives doing what they felt was right for them! It is to live your life on your terms for your sake as if God does not exist and there is no accountability to Him. This person worships them self. They set them selves up as the highest authority and rejects God,seeking to take His place on the THRONE of calling all the shots, determining what is right, wrong, acceptable, unacceptable. They are their own law maker, standard bearer. A little self made idol! Often we can look at some statue, and think that is an “idol” But an idol is a person who rejects Jesus Christ and sets themselves up in His place.

It is possible to be a “respectable” “religious” mannerly”person and be Ungodly. Because you refuse to submit to God. It is a heart issue, what is inside you that comes out!

 You “were” habitually “ungodly.” Not like God in your thinking, or deeds. And how did He show His love for you? Did He wait till you would clean up your act, show Him some respect? No, because you were spiritually impotent, bound by sin, selfishness and satan and the wrath of God was on you. How then did He show His love for you His enemy? He died for you, so that you would not die in your sin, He loved you all the way to dieing for you. “At the right time Christ died for the UNGODLY!” -{v6}

  • You can say amidst your sufferings, “I was in a state of Ungodliness but Christ died for me to demonstrate His Continual Love for me, goes on and on, for His love is a committed continual love for me His child!

” WERE SINNERS”- 

“Were” is in the present tense, ans speaks of the condition and practice of our lives, habitual sinners. No matter what a person’s sex, nationality, color, education, wealth or poverty, each and everyone of us are  born sinners, live as sinners and die as sinners if there was not a “But God” who interposes and sent His Son to save, rescue, deliver us from the power, penalty of sin!

“Sinners”- {Hamartolas} it refers to those who are consistently missing the mark, not arriving at the goal God has for us and erring in our ways. Missing the mark which is perfection, a hundred percent of the time! Living opposed to God and His Word and will. Living in opposition to His will! “Hodge says that the “word sinners expresses the idea of moral wickedness and consequent exposure to divine displeasure.” In The Greek version of the Old Testament, the word, “hamartolos “is often used to translate the Hebrew words that are used foe “wicked or ungodly” people.  WE do not look at ourselves in this light as we have too high a view of ourselves and too low a view of god, because we do not see the sinfulness of our sin. Indeed,we often call what God calls “sin” by another name to try pretend to ourselves that it is not as serious and we are not as bad, and this is why we often compare ourselves to other people whom we consider worse and “real sinners” not like us. Our self righteousness  like that of the Pharisee who went to pray appealing to his own self righteousness while looking down on another person. Or like the older brother in the fathers house in the story of the prodigal son. But he too was a prodigal, though he was in the father’s house he did not have the heart of the father! “Sinners,” by birth and choice!

  • You can say amidst your sufferings, “I was in a state of being controlled by sin but Christ died for me to demonstrate His Love for me, goes on and on, for His love is a committed continual love for me His child!

“BUT GOD…”

All of us have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. We sin  in our thoughts, motivations, deeds, by both what we do and the things we ought to do but do not. We are sinners by birth and sinners by choice. Spiritually dead in our sins is the environment we live in! ” Helpless, ungodly, Sinners was our habitual state, “But God…” what wonderful rescuing words that are used here. hope birthed for “sinners!” The good news,”BUT GOD..” He “demonstrates His Own love towards us.” How did He do this?  “…in that while we were yet sinners, CHRIST DIED FOR US.”  How wonderful, “…us.” Not just one person but sinners have hope in Him who has shown His love for “us” by sending His Son who chose to die for us, take our place, our punishment so that we would not in our sins but  be forgiven of all of them {Read Col 2:13-14}.

 

“ENEMIES”-

{Echtros from Echtos=hatred, enmity, hostility}. The word speaks of manifesting hostility against someone you are at enmity with. It is a deep seated hatred, that may be seen or concealed. But God sees either way. A deep seated hatred.

It speaks of someone who  has a  very negative attitude and the opposite of love and friendship.

Scripture uses ” Ecthros” as a noun describing “the adversary” satan. When we live this way towards God we are expressing family resemblance!

We are so opposed to God as sinners we are enemies, hostile, hateful Someone may say that they are not like that but present them with the claims of Christa and call them to forsake living their lives on their terms for their sake and submit to Jesus Christ , they will resits. Why? Enemies!  I remember being over sees and a lady in her late twenties perhaps, who had broken up with her boyfriend speaking to me after a meeting. She wanted to come to Christ, experience peace but when I told her  she would need to repent of self rule and submit to Him for His sake, she would not and went into the night worse off a now she knew how to come to Him and His claims and she rejected. She wanted His benefits  but not HIM! Like Jesus spoke of those who followed Him for the fishes and what they could get from Him and what he could do for them but did not want Him for His sake and submit to Him. Enemies! Like the Rich young Ruler who  rejected the claim of Jesus on HIS LIFE and walked away. Some people can be quiet “polite’ well mannered but enemies of God! Others are loud, obnoxious, foul mouthed but also enemies of God!

Paul says, they are “ENEMIES OF THE CROSS”- “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.“-{Phil 3:18-20}.

“For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.”-{Romans 5:7}. He contrasts human love and that of God! God did more than any person would do as He had His Son lay down His life for His…enemies! Those who deserve His wrath. He gives His life for those who were and are enemies, antagonistic, towards Him!

  • You can say amidst your sufferings, “I was an Enemy of God, but Christ died for me to demonstrate His Love for me goes on and on, for His love is a committed continual love for me His child!

“BUT GOD….”

“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood,

…we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son,

much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved  by His life.

And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation-{Rom 5;8-11}.

God loves you and Justified you through the Blood of the LORD Jesus.

Saved from the wrath of God through the LORD Jesus.

God loves us He initiates and reconciled us to Himself through the LORD JESUS!

Saved by His life!

“BUT GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS OWN LOVE TOWARDS US…. CHRIST DIED…”

“God Demonstrates…”– {sunistao}. The word, “demonstrates,” this is beautiful, it is “present tense,”…He keeps on showing! His love is not just in the past tense, but presently He keeps on keeping on loving us. He continuously loves us. He is constantly loving us. The Cross happened in the past but is continually showing us the Love of God. He “proves” His love for us in sending His Son to die not for the “self righteous,” or the “good” but for sinners, enemies who deserve His wrath not His love! The phrase “Christ died for us,” died is in the “aorist tense” speaking of a past, action, completed on the Cross and it indicates a historical event which is fixed,set, objective, and is unchanging.  “Paul uses “demonstrated,” {sunistao} meaning putting together with a view to showing, proving, or establishing. God gives and shows proof of His great love for sinners. The cross is a demonstration of God’s ongoing love. It is speaking of not just a past tense event but ongoing showing, proving, demonstration of His love! The cross shows us God’s own Love for us.

 Romans 5:8 Is God’s great Declaration that HE LOVES…YOU! Someone has said, the nails could never have kept Jesus on the Cross if Love had not kept Him there!

God’ love is not like people’s whose”love” is conditional, His Love is unconditional and towards His enemies, Fully totally committed to their highest good!  God’s love is not like human love, that loves based on the attractiveness of the one loved. Or based on what the other person can do for you, a love that is returned. The problem is we think God’s love is like this! We wrongly think He loves us because we love Him or “do good” and we think His love is earned or lost based on our “performance, sincerity, self effort, or intent.” It is not God’s love, His love is towards the un-lovley who are sinners, and enemies of His. His love is not of this world in its making or definition. His love is pure, perfect, holy, right, selfless and the intent of doing even for His enemies what they cannot do for themselves, be in a right condition with GOD apart from Him and He went to the cross to die for their sins, yours, mine that we may not die in our sin but be saved from the penalty, power of sin and satan’s control and the wrath of God and be saved to enter into a new relationship with God through the blood of Jesus Christ to be His friends,{Read John 15:15} and family-{Read 1 John 3:1}. His is “amazing love” and He keeps demonstrating it even in our times of suffering, tribulations, great pressures!  His love is a choice He has made to shower His enemies with!Think on Him. Contemplate Him. Memorize His great statement of Love in Romans 5:8 as fuel for comfort, strengthening and truth in your testing. And as “fuel” to trust Him and Delight, Boast in Him!

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”-{Romans 5:8}

Therefore we can EXULT, Delight, Rejoice, have pleasure in God for who He is and His mercy, grace, salvation.. His Love and in suffering to remember the great lengths He went to show His love for me. And how having given His Son when I was opposed to Him, will He now abandon me, give up on me, be disinterested in me now? No chance! And so we read of the Believers Eternal Security in Romans 5. And His Word to the suffering one, that they would  be “Knowing”…”to fully Be Aware…” He LOVES them and IS working through our sufferings for good!   Look at the phrase”MUCH MORE THEN” His reasoning, that though we “were” helpless,ungodly, sinners, enemies,CHRIST DIED for us and “MUCH MORE THEN…” How will He not LOVE US!

If He did all this for us when we were enemies How MUCH MORE will He do for us now that He has made us His Friends and Family -{ Read John 15?:15; 1 John 3:1}.

In the tough place, the place of suffering, hardship, heartache, in between a “rock and a hard place,” REMEMBER TO THINK RIGHT ABOUT GOD…. THINK ON HIS WORD… THINK ON HIS CONTINUAL LOVE FOR YOU,

AND REALIZE IN YOUR SUFFERING… GOD CONTINUALLY LOVES YOU AND IS CONTINUALLY WORKING ALL THINGS INCLUDING THIS THING FOR YOUR SPIRITUAL GOOD!