But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8
In our world today, we are used to conditional love and acceptance. We believe that if we act a certain way or do a certain thing, then others will love us. Unfortunately, at times, we also show love to people based on what they can do for us. God's love is different. He loves not based on what we can do for Him, but just because He loves us. Jesus demonstrated this love when He came to earth and invited the most unlikely people to follow Him. His followers included fishermen, a tax collector, a zealot, and others whom staunch Jewish rabbis would never have considered allowing to follow them. He also spent time with sinners and outcasts who were overlooked and ignored by most.
What was true about the people that Jesus associated with is true for all people. He did not come for the seemingly “good” people who had everything together. (The truth is, none of us are good because we have all sinned.) Jesus came while we were lost in sin and offered us new life in Him. The apostle Paul wrote about it this way in Romans 5: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners” (verse 6). He came when we were completely lost in sin and hopeless without Him. Paul continued writing, saying, “Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good” (verse 7). Most people here on earth would not be willing to even die for someone who is seemingly “good.” “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (verse 8). When we could do nothing to earn or deserve God’s love, Jesus came and paid the price our sins demanded: death. But that was not the end of the story because Jesus rose from the dead three days later, conquering sin and death. What an amazing God we serve!
Because of what Jesus has done, Paul wrote in Romans 5 that “we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God” (verse 11). Indeed, we can rejoice because of what God has done! He rescued us not because of anything we have done, but simply because He loves us.
The proper response to God's amazing, unconditional love is worship. Make plans to worship God with us this weekend at one of our services. As you worship, praise Him for His love, which He freely and lavishly offers to anyone who places their faith in Him.
Romans 5:1-21
1Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.
20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8
When was the last time you heard the phrase "That's not fair!"? Maybe you heard the phrase when your children were arguing over someone getting a bigger slice of cake. Maybe you said, "That's not fair!" when your friend shared about a coworker getting a promotion over them. Maybe you are the one who said or thought silently, "That's not fair!" when your neighbor bought the dream car you had been hoping for. We operate under a mentality that everything in life must be fair and equal, but that belief is simply not true. You see, God's grace is not fair. We do not deserve God's grace or do anything to earn it. He simply gives it to us.
The apostle Paul writes about grace, which is entirely not fair, in Ephesians chapter 2. In this chapter, he talks about salvation, which is a complete gift of grace from God. He wrote to his readers, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God” (verse 8). Salvation is a gift from God, Paul wanted His readers to know. It is unfair because we did nothing to deserve that gift. We did not do anything to earn it. We did not do anything to deserve salvation. Our good works did not earn salvation, as good as they might be. God’s gracious gift of salvation is given to us simply because He loves us.
Because God’s gift of salvation is an unfair gift of grace, we cannot carry any ounce of pride for anything we have done. We cannot brag about anything except God, the one who, in His grace, has given us the ultimate gift of salvation. This means that we can stop trying to earn God's love and favor. In the words of pastor and writer Bobby Schuller, "I'm not what I do. I'm not what I have. I'm not what people say about me. I’m a beloved child of God. It’s who I am. No one can take it from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His love with the world.”
Write the word grace down on a notecard or piece of paper. Let this verse be a reminder to you of God's grace, which you did not earn or deserve but was given to you freely when you placed your faith in Him. Live in light of God's incredible grace that He has given to you.
Ephesians 2:1-10
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
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