#DailyDevotion Weak, Ungodly, Sinners & Enemies Of God


Romans 5:6–8 ⁶At the right time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷a man will hardly die for a righteous person; oh, for a kind person someone may dare to die. ⁸But God shows how He loves us by this, that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Ungodly, the weak, sinners, and enemies, is who Christ Jesus died for. If you are not one of these or if you have never been one of these Jesus didn’t die for you. His death on the cross does not avail for you. For those are the people St. Paul says Christ died for. It’s not a very complimentary thing to say. Then again, no one likes it when the doctor diagnoses us with something terminal or anything bad. Sometimes there’s no nice way to say something.

If you do not think this applies to you, Paul says earlier in Romans about you, Rom 3:9-12 “ What then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all. We have already accused everyone, Jews and Greeks, that they are under sin, ¹⁰as the Bible says: No one is righteous, no, not one. ¹¹No one understands. No one is searching for God. ¹²All have turned away and have one and all become worthless. ” He writes elsewhere, Eph 2:1 “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins…”

Thanks be to God “at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Yes it was at the right time this happened. All of history was moving to this point on Good Friday. It was the time when the Gospel would spread quickly because the Pax Romana and the hellenization of the world in which the good news of Jesus would spread. He died for those who did not hold to the confession of Jesus’ name.

We were sinners when Jesus died for us. This demonstrated God love for us. He would sacrifice his son on the beams of the cross. Pouring out his life for death that our death may be overcome with his life, the death we deserve he takes as his own. His blood justifies us, declares us not guilty and calls us innocent and righteous. His blood saves us from God’s wrath as the blood of the Passover lamb saved those firstborn when the angel of death went over Egypt.

Jesus’ death reconciled us who were God’s enemies. Not only does the wrath of God not fall upon us because of Jesus’ death but Jesus’ life now becomes our life. He gives us eternal life now as we put our trust in work at Calvary. Nothing can take this eternal life from us. Now we rejoice in God through Jesus Christ. We are new people, a new creation, no longer weak, ungodly, sinners and enemies of God we have become his beloved children.

Merciful God and Father, through the shedding of blood and death of your only begotten son Jesus Christ you have reconciled yourself to us and to the world. Grant us faith that we may receive this reconciliation, be joined to his life and praise you unto eternity. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.