Without Strength

Rom 5:6-8

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I think this passage pretty much sums up everything there is to say or know about the character of God’s love. The qualities, strength and depth of the love that God has for us, both ‘saved’ and ‘lost,’ is contained in these few short verses. Everyone knows that it’s easy to love someone who is lovable. The cute, charming, considerate or outgoing among us never really suffer from much isolation or rejection, do they? Many people make it a habit to try and be as likeable as they can, and almost all of the world’s religions teach that you should respect others and try to get along with them. But what about those people who are unlikable? What about the unlovely? What about those people who are gruff, insensitive, rude or condescending towards others? How about the surly checkout person at the store, the sarcastic help desk person on the other end of the phone, or the inconsiderate workman who trashes the area inside your home while he completes his job? I can honestly say that this kind of behavior irritates me, and I’m sure you feel the same way. We can forgive these people without too much inconvenience or trouble. We feel pretty good that we have done the right thing, and that we have shown these people some Godly love. But how do we feel about those at the other end of the spectrum? Do murderers deserve the love of God? Do thieves and child molesters? Homosexuals? How can God love those who actively oppose Him, like Satanists? Sometimes we have a way of overcoming our irritations with others, even when the day-to-day actions of those around us get annoying. This thinking is right and good, but in no way is it complete. The love God demonstrates towards us goes beyond this type of surface action. Most of the time we respond to others in-kind (if you’re good to me, I’ll be good to you), but that is not necessarily how God responds. How do we deal with those who hate and despise us? What if we are the ones who are in rebellion against God? That then becomes a whole different question, doesn’t it

With the three simple verses in this passage Paul describes the type of people that God demonstrates His love toward. Before we answered the call to grace by faith we were lost (in a spiritual sense) and separated from God. We were separated because of our very nature, passed down to us through Adam, which is contrary to God’s nature. God freely offers a way for each and every one of us to get back into fellowship, into relationship, with Him. This is accomplished by a person accepting the free gift of salvation through faith in the work of Jesus Christ. As a preamble to this passage Paul provides a great summary of why Christians have a reason to hope, and that there is a source of perpetual joy for those who believe. But Christians did not get this happiness on their own accord; instead, it was received as a gift. Who provides this gift? It is the same One who pursues us in the first place – God Himself. This is how the Word of God sets apart Christianity from the rest of the world and their religions. Christianity is not a set of rules and regulations with which God expects us to live our lives. He does not set out ways for us to earn His love by proving how good we are. Christianity is about relationships, and the Bible is a declaration from God as to how far He has gone to initiate, reestablish and repair the relationship He desires to have between Himself and mankind. The Bible is a testament to how He has consistently proven His love for each and every one of us, over and over again, down through the ages.

The first verse talks about the type of people Christ pursued. I keep using the word ‘pursued’ here because that is exactly what Christ has done. When you pursue someone, you seek them out. When you pursue someone you actively, even aggressively, go out of your way to track that person down. Pursuit gives the impression of a manhunt, attempting to follow leads and clues in order to find someone. That is exactly what God intended when He sent Christ; to track us down and find us. Christ was sent by God to pursue the human race! This might not sound like much, except it seems pretty fantastic when you consider the negative qualities of the individuals that make up the human race. Christ did not exclusively come to pursue those people who were morally upright. He did not come only for those who think they have everything in life figured out. He did not come just for the rich and powerful, or the influential. He didn’t even come solely for those who were spiritually neutral. Christ came to pursue all of us, even those who were (and still are) in active rebellion against God! All these people, including you and me, have one thing in common; we are all sinners. This is how the first verse of this passage designates us when He uses the word ungodly. Not only does it state that we are ungodly, but that we are powerless and without strength in our ungodliness. Does this mean that weight-lifters, gymnasts and other athletes are weak? Does this mean we don’t have physical stamina? No, this lack of strength has nothing to do with physical prowess or self-determination. So then, if it isn’t physical strength Paul is talking about what type of strength do we lack? We lack the strength to change ourselves (more about this later). God has set out a plan for each of us to become reunited with Him in a right relationship, if only we follow His plan. However, because of sin we are rebellious and want to do things our own way. We seek to do (on our own) what God has already provided for. All those self-help books found scattered throughout the world claim to offer much, but they deliver nothing of eternal value. They may provide tricks and tips to modify some behaviors, but the essence of who we are as human beings (sinners) is left unchanged. Even in our feeble attempts to reach out to God we continue in a stubborn resistance against the plan He has sanctioned, which is salvation through faith in Christ alone. And so we continue in our rebellion, even when seeking righteousness. This paints a bleak picture, doesn’t it? We are rebelling against the only One who can help us!

This is Part One of a multi-part series. Keep an eye out for the next installment!