God the Father has demonstrated His love for us in many ways, but the supreme way was to give His Son Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus said, in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (NAS)
Many have asked, "Why did Christ have to die?" "Could not God have forgiven our sins and redeemed us in some other way? The answer to both questions is clearly "No." God loves us, but He is also just. Only Christ was sinless. Only He was a worthy sacrifice for our sins. If another plan would have worked, God the Father so love God the Son that He would have chosen the other plan. We could only be forgiven and redeemed if God loved us enough to give His Son.
Every father understands that giving a Son to die for others is the supreme act of love. I have two sons. One is a pastor, and the other is a missionary. The very thought of offering one of them to die for someone else tears my heart in two. Many fathers would rather offer themselves instead of a son. I think that this demonstration of God's love is nearly universally understood.
Will you accept the incredible fact that God loves you? Will you believe that He is seeking you and wants you to experience his love? Will you believe that Christ paid the supreme sacrifice for you?
God's Gracious Love
Our text (v. 8) says that God demonstrates His love for us "in that while we were yet sinners" Christ died for us. We read a similar statement in verse 6: "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly."
While we were yet sinners and helpless, Christ died for us. Obviously, many people were living in sin when Christ died. However, for people who are living now, His death has already happened. Paul is not concerned about this historical sequence. This is a comment about the purpose of His death. Whenever we live historically, Christ died for us as ungodly people not as godly people. If we had been righteous, He would not have died for us.
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