June 26, 2023

Romans 5: 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (NIV)

Shall the Father not give us freely all that Christ purchased for us?*

In my college class on the book of Romans, we learned a heading for each chapter. Many years have passed since then but I still remember: Chapter 1 – Gentiles are sinners; Chapter 2 – Jews are sinners; Chapter 3 – all are sinners. When Paul wrote that Christ died for the ungodly, he meant everyone. It wasn’t a matter of our Savior’s willingness to die for the mistaken, misinformed, sincerely wrong, or victims of fate. He gave his life for the worst deliberate and defiant sinner.

Utterly helpless to save ourselves though we may be, we are not hopeless. That is, we are not hopeless if we choose to come to him. Jesus paid the price for sin - death - to give us the gift of life. A gift is free – but you have to open the package before it has any value. Tearing open the wrapping doesn’t mean you have earned the gift, only that you are accepting it.

Some people think that they are beyond saving. Maybe you have done some really bad things and you can’t forgive yourself. Perhaps there are other people who have been unable to forgive you. Guess what? Christ died for the ungodly – that’s you. Your sin is not more powerful than his grace.

His grace exceeds the largest dimensions known to man.*