For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
When human beings were utterly powerless to save, restore, or change themselves, at the appointed time Christ died for sinful rebels who stood condemned under broken law and deserving of wrath. His death for the helpless and ungodly proves and commends God's great love, a love stronger than death that gave His only Son to redeem rather than condemn the world. As Substitute, the just One made full atonement for the unjust under sentence of death, so that guilt is removed, His righteousness is imputed, pardon is freely offered, and those who believe are justified by His blood, reconciled to God, given peace, and saved from wrath. That sacrifice was made for the whole world without distinction, so salvation is open to all, with human need rather than worthiness as the qualification, since grace seeks sinners before they seek it. It is received by faith alone, apart from sight or feeling, by coming to Jesus, confessing, surrendering, and continuing in obedient harmony with His will.
Words and Context
Being without strength means fallen human beings in a low estate have lost all power to help themselves, being completely powerless to save and restore themselves, to consecrate themselves to God, and to bring about the needed inward change. The ungodly for whom Christ died in that helpless condition are sinners and enemies of God, the unjust and rebellious, unbelievers and transgressors of God's law, standing under sentence of death, condemned under His broken law, and deserving wrath. In due time means His death came at the appointed time.
The verse stands within the teaching that being justified by faith gives peace with God through Jesus Christ, with access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and glorying in tribulation because tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope. That hope does not make ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in hearts by the Holy Spirit given to believers. Christ died for the without-strength, the ungodly, sinners and enemies to commend God's love toward them, to justify by His blood, to save from wrath through Him, to reconcile by His death, to save by His life, and to give joy in God through received atonement.
While working out the plan of salvation in the home above, He gave Himself to the world as the foundation of the whole Jewish economy, the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the whole world, to be slain for the sins of the whole world. He was as much the Saviour of Abraham and all the patriarchs and prophets as of believers now, for whom there was no hope any more than now except by believing in Jesus Christ. He left the courts of glory to come to this world and share its temptations and hardships in order to lift people up and make them sons and daughters of God. The day of His trial and crucifixion is of no less importance to fallen humanity than the morning of His resurrection, for He who controls the power of death and has life in Himself awakening from the sleep of the grave is no marvel to the heavenly host, but His dying for rebellious men is a marvel to them.
Love and Salvation Accomplished
Christ's death for the ungodly when they were powerless to save themselves reveals God's great love at the appointed time. That death proves His love toward sinners, for Christ died for sinners while they were still without strength, and because of that love believers receive the Holy Spirit and can glory in tribulation and have joy in Him. It is the expression of a love stronger than death, by which God gave His only Son to redeem and save rather than condemn a sinful world. In sending Christ to save, God began through Him the work on earth that would answer questions about His law and government before the universe.
As Substitute, Christ the Just made full atonement by dying for helpless sinners and the unjust when they were under sentence of death and condemned under the broken law. He gave Himself for their sins so that their guilt is removed and His righteousness is imputed to them, and pardon purchased by His blood is freely offered. His shed blood opened a fountain for Judah and Jerusalem to wash away all uncleanness and defilement of sin. This did all heaven could possibly do to lift people from the degradation of sin, so that if anyone is not washed and cleansed the fault is his own, and without that death transgressors of the law would have no hope.
His death is the ground of justification by faith, with its access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and glorying in tribulation because tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope. That hope does not make ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in hearts by the Holy Spirit, and Christ died for the without-strength, ungodly, sinners and enemies to commend God's love, to justify by His blood, to save from wrath, to reconcile by His death, to save by His life, and to give joy in God through received atonement. It is therefore the basis of the privilege of peace with God, reconciliation with God, and salvation from wrath, received through faith in His power to save. Those who claim His righteousness must give themselves to God in obedient harmony with His will.
In that very act of redeeming man Christ magnifies the claims of Jehovah's law and makes it honorable, standing forth without flaw, full of power and majesty. By entering the conflict against Satan on earth He began the work that would answer questions about God's law and government before the universe. Jesus alone has power to overcome the prince of darkness, and because human restoration was beyond human power He came and died for the ungodly to give humanity hope. In His humanity Christ grasped divinity, so that human nature through faith is able to grasp the divine nature and overcome as Christ overcame, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. By His own obedience to the law Christ places man on vantage ground with God, giving him another trial, granting probation and opportunity to show hatred of sin as transgression of the law and to return to loyalty into a character in harmony with the law that receives God's approval.
Christ died for the ungodly of the whole world without distinction of race, so salvation is open to every man and all who come may be received and united with Him. What is good and precious in any person's character comes through faith in Jesus Christ and acceptance of His sacrifice, leaving no grounds for pride in goodness. Grace is given to undeserving, sinful people who need it, not to sinless angels who have never needed it. God's grace seeks people before they seek it, and their need rather than their worthiness is the qualification for receiving it, to purchase human salvation and unite people with Himself.
Receiving and Sharing Grace
Relief and rest and peace are found in and through Christ alone by walking by faith and not by sight or feeling. After confession of sins God has forgiven, and the one who surrenders to God must believe that Christ receives him whether feeling is present or not, finding the Saviour precious to the soul while thinking how mighty is the grace of God and how great is the compassion of Christ. This belongs with being justified by faith and having peace with God, having access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and glorying in tribulation that works patience and experience and hope that makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit. God commended His love in that Christ died while still sinners, so that being justified by His blood believers shall be saved from wrath, being reconciled while enemies by the death of His Son and saved by His life, and joying in God through receiving the atonement. This declaration of God must be taken as true and believed as a gracious gift even when the mind faints trying to define or comprehend the great mystery of godliness, putting faith to the stretch, for as Substitute Jesus gave His life for helpless sinners deserving wrath so their guilt is removed and His righteousness is imputed to them.
The true experience of the child of God begins when the honest heart reads, marks, learns and inwardly digests this truth of the sacrifice made in his behalf. He is convicted that he is under condemnation, and by the light the Spirit sheds on the convicted mind he sees its meaning as never before. As blood propelled from the heart circulates through the body carrying life to the extremities, so truth received into the heart diffuses through the inner man bringing thoughts and affections and powers into obedience to Christ. If the heart is submitted, Christ in due time perfects the whole being, strengthening the helpless one who turns to Him when he cannot help himself and cannot bring about the needed inward change. Fallen human beings are in a low estate having lost all power to help themselves, and God gives a powerful incentive for them to arise by giving a sin-pardoning Saviour who died to uplift and restore those whose disregard of the laws of His kingdom dishonored His name.
Becoming one of God's elect and children depends on complying with the conditions, coming to Jesus, and continuing in faithful, steadfast, immovable obedience. Salvation is open to all and is not limited to a fixed number of the elect whose completion ends probation, for all who come to Him may be received and Christ promises not to blot out the name of one who remains faithful and steadfast in obedience. His death is the ground of salvation for people who were powerless to save themselves and ungodly, received through faith in His power to save, while those who claim His righteousness must give themselves to God in obedient harmony with His will. The subjects of God's kingdom are those justified by faith who have peace with God through Jesus Christ and do not vindicate and justify themselves, who by Christ have access by faith into grace and rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and who glory in tribulations also, knowing tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope, and hope makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit given to believers, toward whom God commended His love in that when humans were yet without strength and ungodly and sinners, in due time Christ died for them, so that being now justified by His blood they shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Christ's work for the helpless when they were still without strength is the pattern for believers. As He left the courts of glory and came to this world to share its temptations and hardships that He might lift people up and make them sons and daughters of God, so believers are to become acquainted with the spiritual needs of unbelieving friends and neighbors and to labor for them in meekness and lowliness of heart. As the Just gave His life for the unjust who were unable to save themselves, believers are called to serve Him selflessly and help seek and save the lost. His sacrifice at Calvary reveals the infinite value of the human soul and calls believers to show the erring and backslidden the compassionate help they themselves needed when helpless and unable to save themselves. No one has grounds for pride in goodness, for what is good and precious in character comes through faith in Jesus Christ and acceptance of His sacrifice, by which Christ rescues helpless people facing ruin without distinction of race, and all owe their salvation to Him.
When human beings were utterly powerless to save, restore, or change themselves, at the appointed time Christ died for sinful rebels who stood condemned under broken law and deserving of wrath. His death for the helpless and ungodly proves and commends God's great love, a love stronger than death that gave His only Son to redeem rather than condemn the world. As Substitute, the just One made full atonement for the unjust under sentence of death, so that guilt is removed, His righteousness is imputed, pardon is freely offered, and those who believe are justified by His blood, reconciled to God, given peace, and saved from wrath. That sacrifice was made for the whole world without distinction, so salvation is open to all, with human need rather than worthiness as the qualification, since grace seeks sinners before they seek it. It is received by faith alone, apart from sight or feeling, by coming to Jesus, confessing, surrendering, and continuing in obedient harmony with His will.
Words and Context
Being without strength means fallen human beings in a low estate have lost all power to help themselves, being completely powerless to save and restore themselves, to consecrate themselves to God, and to bring about the needed inward change. The ungodly for whom Christ died in that helpless condition are sinners and enemies of God, the unjust and rebellious, unbelievers and transgressors of God's law, standing under sentence of death, condemned under His broken law, and deserving wrath. In due time means His death came at the appointed time.
The verse stands within the teaching that being justified by faith gives peace with God through Jesus Christ, with access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and glorying in tribulation because tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope. That hope does not make ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in hearts by the Holy Spirit given to believers. Christ died for the without-strength, the ungodly, sinners and enemies to commend God's love toward them, to justify by His blood, to save from wrath through Him, to reconcile by His death, to save by His life, and to give joy in God through received atonement.
While working out the plan of salvation in the home above, He gave Himself to the world as the foundation of the whole Jewish economy, the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the whole world, to be slain for the sins of the whole world. He was as much the Saviour of Abraham and all the patriarchs and prophets as of believers now, for whom there was no hope any more than now except by believing in Jesus Christ. He left the courts of glory to come to this world and share its temptations and hardships in order to lift people up and make them sons and daughters of God. The day of His trial and crucifixion is of no less importance to fallen humanity than the morning of His resurrection, for He who controls the power of death and has life in Himself awakening from the sleep of the grave is no marvel to the heavenly host, but His dying for rebellious men is a marvel to them.
Love and Salvation Accomplished
Christ's death for the ungodly when they were powerless to save themselves reveals God's great love at the appointed time. That death proves His love toward sinners, for Christ died for sinners while they were still without strength, and because of that love believers receive the Holy Spirit and can glory in tribulation and have joy in Him. It is the expression of a love stronger than death, by which God gave His only Son to redeem and save rather than condemn a sinful world. In sending Christ to save, God began through Him the work on earth that would answer questions about His law and government before the universe.
As Substitute, Christ the Just made full atonement by dying for helpless sinners and the unjust when they were under sentence of death and condemned under the broken law. He gave Himself for their sins so that their guilt is removed and His righteousness is imputed to them, and pardon purchased by His blood is freely offered. His shed blood opened a fountain for Judah and Jerusalem to wash away all uncleanness and defilement of sin. This did all heaven could possibly do to lift people from the degradation of sin, so that if anyone is not washed and cleansed the fault is his own, and without that death transgressors of the law would have no hope.
His death is the ground of justification by faith, with its access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and glorying in tribulation because tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope. That hope does not make ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in hearts by the Holy Spirit, and Christ died for the without-strength, ungodly, sinners and enemies to commend God's love, to justify by His blood, to save from wrath, to reconcile by His death, to save by His life, and to give joy in God through received atonement. It is therefore the basis of the privilege of peace with God, reconciliation with God, and salvation from wrath, received through faith in His power to save. Those who claim His righteousness must give themselves to God in obedient harmony with His will.
In that very act of redeeming man Christ magnifies the claims of Jehovah's law and makes it honorable, standing forth without flaw, full of power and majesty. By entering the conflict against Satan on earth He began the work that would answer questions about God's law and government before the universe. Jesus alone has power to overcome the prince of darkness, and because human restoration was beyond human power He came and died for the ungodly to give humanity hope. In His humanity Christ grasped divinity, so that human nature through faith is able to grasp the divine nature and overcome as Christ overcame, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. By His own obedience to the law Christ places man on vantage ground with God, giving him another trial, granting probation and opportunity to show hatred of sin as transgression of the law and to return to loyalty into a character in harmony with the law that receives God's approval.
Christ died for the ungodly of the whole world without distinction of race, so salvation is open to every man and all who come may be received and united with Him. What is good and precious in any person's character comes through faith in Jesus Christ and acceptance of His sacrifice, leaving no grounds for pride in goodness. Grace is given to undeserving, sinful people who need it, not to sinless angels who have never needed it. God's grace seeks people before they seek it, and their need rather than their worthiness is the qualification for receiving it, to purchase human salvation and unite people with Himself.
Receiving and Sharing Grace
Relief and rest and peace are found in and through Christ alone by walking by faith and not by sight or feeling. After confession of sins God has forgiven, and the one who surrenders to God must believe that Christ receives him whether feeling is present or not, finding the Saviour precious to the soul while thinking how mighty is the grace of God and how great is the compassion of Christ. This belongs with being justified by faith and having peace with God, having access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and glorying in tribulation that works patience and experience and hope that makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit. God commended His love in that Christ died while still sinners, so that being justified by His blood believers shall be saved from wrath, being reconciled while enemies by the death of His Son and saved by His life, and joying in God through receiving the atonement. This declaration of God must be taken as true and believed as a gracious gift even when the mind faints trying to define or comprehend the great mystery of godliness, putting faith to the stretch, for as Substitute Jesus gave His life for helpless sinners deserving wrath so their guilt is removed and His righteousness is imputed to them.
The true experience of the child of God begins when the honest heart reads, marks, learns and inwardly digests this truth of the sacrifice made in his behalf. He is convicted that he is under condemnation, and by the light the Spirit sheds on the convicted mind he sees its meaning as never before. As blood propelled from the heart circulates through the body carrying life to the extremities, so truth received into the heart diffuses through the inner man bringing thoughts and affections and powers into obedience to Christ. If the heart is submitted, Christ in due time perfects the whole being, strengthening the helpless one who turns to Him when he cannot help himself and cannot bring about the needed inward change. Fallen human beings are in a low estate having lost all power to help themselves, and God gives a powerful incentive for them to arise by giving a sin-pardoning Saviour who died to uplift and restore those whose disregard of the laws of His kingdom dishonored His name.
Becoming one of God's elect and children depends on complying with the conditions, coming to Jesus, and continuing in faithful, steadfast, immovable obedience. Salvation is open to all and is not limited to a fixed number of the elect whose completion ends probation, for all who come to Him may be received and Christ promises not to blot out the name of one who remains faithful and steadfast in obedience. His death is the ground of salvation for people who were powerless to save themselves and ungodly, received through faith in His power to save, while those who claim His righteousness must give themselves to God in obedient harmony with His will. The subjects of God's kingdom are those justified by faith who have peace with God through Jesus Christ and do not vindicate and justify themselves, who by Christ have access by faith into grace and rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and who glory in tribulations also, knowing tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope, and hope makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit given to believers, toward whom God commended His love in that when humans were yet without strength and ungodly and sinners, in due time Christ died for them, so that being now justified by His blood they shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Christ's work for the helpless when they were still without strength is the pattern for believers. As He left the courts of glory and came to this world to share its temptations and hardships that He might lift people up and make them sons and daughters of God, so believers are to become acquainted with the spiritual needs of unbelieving friends and neighbors and to labor for them in meekness and lowliness of heart. As the Just gave His life for the unjust who were unable to save themselves, believers are called to serve Him selflessly and help seek and save the lost. His sacrifice at Calvary reveals the infinite value of the human soul and calls believers to show the erring and backslidden the compassionate help they themselves needed when helpless and unable to save themselves. No one has grounds for pride in goodness, for what is good and precious in character comes through faith in Jesus Christ and acceptance of His sacrifice, by which Christ rescues helpless people facing ruin without distinction of race, and all owe their salvation to Him.