God knew that we would sin. 

God knew that He would provide a way for us to come to Him.  While even in our sin God sent us His Son to pay the price for us.

Romans 5:8 tells us,

“…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

This amazing verse tells us of God’s love for us.  God knew we would have a sin problem, and we would not be able to fix it ourselves.  He knew that we would die in our sins and spend eternity away from Him.   He knew that we would never be able to do enough good to achieve perfection.  One sin, that’s all it would take to destine us to eternal punishment.  God knew all of this, and provided for us a way to Him.  He provided his only Son, Jesus, to bear the sins of the world for us.  Hebrews 9:28 tells us that Christ died for the sins of many.

“…so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

Jesus died to pay the price for our sins while we were still sinners – in fact, He died for us while we still hated Him.  Can you imagine that?  We did not even know Jesus, we did not love Jesus. We hated him, preferring our sin to His perfect standard, and he came and died for us.  Romans 5:10 tells us that we were enemies of God – that’s pretty intense.  Enemies of God?  That sounds to me like a losing side.  God could have maintained His righteousness and whipped us out for our sin, but instead, He sent his Son to die for us.  John 15:13 tells us that there is no greater love than a man dying for somebody else – that is the ultimate sacrifice – to die in somebody else’s place.

 “Greater love has no one than this; that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Can you imagine dying for a friend?  Nobody would do that.  Nobody.  Now, imagine giving up your life for somebody that hates you.  Would you give up your life for somebody who despises you?

Romans 5:6-8 puts Jesus’s death in perspective for us.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.  For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Imagine, the Bible tells us that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.  We were worthless and still in our sin, but God knew that we needed Him.  God knew that without Him we would be destined to live forever in our sin.  Without Jesus’s death we could not work off our sin through good works.  There is no such thing as an almost perfect person, they are still a sinner.  We could never live up to God’s standard, so God sent Jesus to die for us while we were still in our sins, still enemies of God.

 Many times people say that they are going to heaven because they are good people.  They say that they love God and that God will bring them to heaven because they are essentially a good person.  They have never killed anybody, stolen anything, or even lied to anybody.  That’s great that they are good people, but the Bible tells us that there is none righteousness, not even one.  Romans 3:10-20 tells us,

“…as it is written:  “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”” (Verses 10-12)

That’s pretty specific.  Nobody does good – in fact, the passage goes on to further describe the lives of men.  This person who thinks they are going to heaven because they are a “good person” is seen by God as this:

“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.  The venom of asps is under their lips.  Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” (Verse 13-17)

Wow that’s pretty harsh.  God views even the best of us as pretty undesirable.  Sin has stained the hearts and souls of every man, and has caused us to not love God the way that we should.  The next verse in this passage tells us the root of this sin.

   “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Verse 18)

You see, the issue is that we do not love God as we should.  We do not fear Him as we should.  The issue is really our relationship with God, and sin has forever broken that.  Verse 19-20 specifically address our “good” friend. 

“Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.  For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.”

Did you read that right?  Through the works of the law no human being is justified.  Really?  So I cannot be justified by doing good works?  No.  You have already sinned.  You were born in this sin.  Even if you – starting today – were to keep every commandment in the Bible (which is more than just the commonly known ten) you still have sinned, and as a result are polluted by that sin.  You cannot come to God, you cannot love Him as you should.  You have a sin problem.  The good news is that Jesus provided a solution to that problem.  When Jesus died for our sins on that cross He paid the price for your sin problem.  He died for you before you even knew you had a problem.  He died for you to offer you the only perfect solution to your broken relationship with God.  We all know in our hearts that we are evil.  We all think impure or unjust thoughts.  We all seek after sin if only in our hearts.  To God that is just as bad as acting out those thoughts.  Jesus paid the price for all of your sin, and He offers this forgiveness to you as a free gift.  Romans 6:23 tells us that this price for forgiveness is a free gift from God.  All we have to do is receive it.  Jesus did for you what you could not do for yourself.  Thank You Jesus for your free gift.

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Study Guide Romans 5:8

Review Questions Romans 5:8

 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.

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