Read Romans 5:6-11

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

In this section of Scripture, we have a clear description of who we were when Christ died for us. Not neutral bystanders, and certainly not good or righteous saints, but vile ungodly sinner and enemies of God! This is who Christ died for — us, in our reprobate state.

Oh! — to think about how helpless, hopeless, and pitiful we were before Christ! Laying there, dying in our sins, stuck in the miry clay, incapable of escaping the doom and the snares of our wickedness. The lustful passions of our flesh we were unable to stop from eating us away like an aggressive cancer. We were dying in our own sinful blood with loathsome sores of our iniquities!

Then! — Christ, the Champion, the Savior and the King, without being asked and without any warranty from us swooped down and shed His own righteous blood for sinners. He paid our debts, and gave us His life to heal our wounds, and He lifted us out!

Hear those words: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

No greater and more graphic picture of this is found than in the Book of Ezekiel.

“No eye pitied you, to do any of these things for you, to have compassion on you; but you were thrown out into the open field, when you yourself were loathed on the day you were born. “And when I passed by you and saw you struggling in your own blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’ Yes, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’” (Ezekiel 16:5–6)

(I encourage you to read the whole section found in Ezekiel 16:5-14)

This is what Christ has done for us. He loved us when we were unlovable. He washed us and wedded us as His own bride when we were adulterous and foul! This is Christ’s love. And Christ’s love is God’s love.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3:16–17)

We must always return to this, church! This is the Gospel through and through. This keeps us humble. This reminds us of how undeserving we are! We are so wicked in ourselves that it is blasphemous to even think that God chose us because of some inherent quality He needed from us. Are we worthy of God’s love? Certainly not! It is strictly by His amazing grace that He saved a wretch like me. He has loved us and favored us while we were still sinners and enemies of God.

Beloved, how much more, now that we are children of God, will His love and grace overflow to our account?

“God, who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

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