READING: 1 Chronicles 22-25, Psalm 78, Romans 5
It’s another of those Bible verses that we might memorize and quote – but meditate too little on its truths. That verse is Romans 5:8—“But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Paul states that it is unusual for someone to die for a just man, and it’s possible – yet still unusual – for someone to die for a good person – but God died for us while we were still sinners. The greatest length to which a human might go is to die for a righteous or good man, and little within us makes us willing to die for people who turn against us. That’s what God did on our behalf, however. He took our place even though we had sinned against Him. He died in our stead. He was our substitute despite our unworthiness.
Indeed, the quoted verse ends with these simple but powerful words: “Christ died for us.” There’s a personal sense to these words that’s hard to fathom. Not only did Christ die, but He did so for you. And for me. And for our neighbors and the nations. Somehow, He knew our names even as He died.
PRAYER: “Lord, I’m a sinner. Thank You for dying for me even in my sin.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Kings 1, 1 Chronicles 26-28, Romans 6