Romans 5:6 NKJV
“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”
Our Scripture of reference is perhaps one of the most hard-hitting, and yet the most humbling in the entire New Testament. It is hard-hitting to the kingdom of darkness because Christ chose to die for “the ungodly”, who deserved nothing but death. As a result of Adam’s disobedience, all of hell was set to claim our full destruction. In any case, “…the wages of sin is death” (Rom 6:23 AMP); and “You die for your own sin, not another’s” (Eze 18:4 MSG). With all the undeniable evidence of evil on our part as mankind, what more did justice need than to hand us over to eternal doom? Thankfully, it couldn’t be over unless God said so! The Word says, when “…we were unable to help ourselves, at [just] the right time, Christ died for us [the ungodly]” (Rom 5:6 NCV). Hallelujah!
On the other hand, our text of reference is also humbling; especially to us, the born-again believers in Jesus Christ. Notice, it does not say, ‘…Christ died for the godly.’ No. Had it been so, we would have every reason to boast in our said ‘godliness’; “…but not before God” (Rom 4:2 NIV)! Rather, Christ died for the “ungodly”. Yes, it was God’s idea, His initiative, and His mercy with which He “…did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us” (Rom 8:32 NIV). Hallelujah! It is God who graciously lifted us (the ungodly) up from the miry clay of sin, and set our feet on Christ the Solid Rock and Foundation when we believed in Him. With all that, where would be the ground for boasting in our own ‘godliness’ or ‘righteousness’, which the Word says is like “filthy rags” (Isa 64:6 AMP)?
Beloved, as the devil’s head is still spinning about how a righteous God would choose to die for ungodly mankind, on our part, let us go on wildly praising and thanking God for His amazing grace that saved a wretch like us! If, at all, you had not found one reason to be grateful and humble before God, the fact that you are now washed in the precious blood of Jesus, forgiven of all your sins, filled with the Holy Spirit, and called the “righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21 ESV), is simply enough to keep you so grateful and humble before God for the rest of your life! Truly, to God be the glory, great things He has done that “…when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” Hallelujah!
Pst. Emmanuel