Thursday, January 26, 2012

How Great God's Love 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.  For we reflect, that when we were yet transgressors, and suffering under the infection of impiety, the Lord Christ endured that death, which was inflicted on our behalf; and hence we learn the depth of His lovingkindness, because for a just man it might be that some might face death, but He, through the excess of His love, welcomed the death which was in behalf of sinners.

And he goes on to say, but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  God then makes manifest the greatness of His love toward us, in the death of Christ happened not for such as had been just, but for such as were yet transgressors.  For now we have been justified by faith in Him, but, when He undertook that death for us, we were still subject to every kind of sin.  The words, at the right time, mean at the fit time, in due time, and this he also says in his epistle to the Galatians, "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons."

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.  Having entered that accursed death for the ungodly and transgressors, it is evident that He will free from the future punishment those that believe in Him.

Theodoret of Cyrus, "The Letter to the Romans" on Romans 5:7-9

No comments: