For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Hardly anyone would give his life even for a righteous person, though for a truly good person someone might dare to die. In utter contrast, in due time Christ died for the without-strength, the ungodly, sinners and enemies while they were yet sinners. His death commends and demonstrates God's extraordinary and matchless love, a sacrifice far beyond ordinary human devotion that measures the might of divine grace. Through His blood, obedience, death, life and atonement He justifies by faith, saves from wrath, reconciles by His death, saves by His life, and gives joy in God. Those thus justified have peace with God through Him and receive God's love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, and because He so worked for the undeserving they must deny self and labor unselfishly to seek and save the lost.
Contrast and Context
Human self-sacrifice is exceedingly rare, for scarcely will anyone give life even for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. This sets the measure of ordinary human devotion, showing how seldom one person will die for another. Against that rarity stands the depth and extraordinariness of divine love, for Christ died not for those who had earned such sacrifice but for people who were still sinners, still ungodly, without strength and unable to save themselves.
The saying belongs to Romans 5:1-11, which sets forth the love of God. Being justified by faith gives peace with God through Jesus Christ, access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and even glorying in tribulation that works patience, experience, and a hope that does not make ashamed, through God's love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. In that same sequence Christ is shown commending His love in dying while sinners were yet sinners, dying in due time for the without-strength, the ungodly, sinners and enemies, to justify by His blood, save from wrath, reconcile by His death, save by His life, and give joy in God through the atonement. Peace with God therefore comes by being justified by faith and not by feeling, so that one who has confessed sins and surrendered to God can believe God has forgiven and Christ receives him whether he feels it or not, and can live in the sunshine of Christ's presence with rest and peace and find the Saviour precious to the soul, receiving the Holy Ghost, glorying in tribulation, and having joy in Him.
Romans 5 presents the law and the gospel, binding the two together in a perfect whole. Its testimony must go throughout the length and breadth of the world to bring all to discern and walk in the light, and these precious scriptures will be impressed upon every heart opened to receive them, giving light and understanding to the simple who are contrite in heart. They call not for mere nominal faith, a theory of truth, or a legal religion, but for believing to a purpose that appropriates the richest gifts of God, pleads for the gift to give to others, and receives of His fullness grace for grace. The teaching of Romans 4 and 5 is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that Christ in His humanity could grasp divinity, and human nature through faith can grasp the divine nature, having overcome.
Christ Died for Sinners
Paul sets scarcely dying for a righteous person, and only perhaps daring to die for a good person, against a greater love in which Christ in due time died for people who were still sinners. He died for the without-strength, for the ungodly, for sinners, and for enemies while they were yet sinners. He died not for people who had earned that sacrifice but for people who had not earned it.
He died for the unjust condemned by the broken law, who could not save themselves, taking humanity and giving Himself for their sins. He died for rebellious people and for transgressors of God's law, for human beings who could not rescue themselves from sin and for all who are helpless and in danger of ruin apart from grace. In dying He purchased salvation for undeserving human beings, with love stronger than death flowing toward people who need grace not because they are worthy but because they are unworthy.
His death commends God's love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost and demonstrates its extraordinary depth. It is matchless love beyond ordinary human devotion, measuring the might of the grace of God and the compassion of Christ.
The Son of God left the courts of glory and came to this world to share its temptations and hardships in order to lift people up and make them sons and daughters of God. He took humanity and suffered death because they could not save themselves, and through Him alone they have hope. He controlled the power of death and had life in Himself, so to the heavenly host the marvel was not His resurrection but that He died for humanity, even working for unbelievers when hardly anyone would give life even for a righteous or good person.
By being justified by His blood the ungodly, sinners and enemies are saved from wrath through Him, reconciled by His death, saved by His life, and given joy in God through the atonement. His sacrifice provides a freely offered, blood-bought pardon, justifying by faith. By His own obedience to the law He places man on vantage ground with God, giving another trial and granting probation with opportunity to show hatred of sin as transgression of the law and to return to loyalty to God. He rescues and saves without distinction, so that whatever is good in anyone comes through faith in Him and acceptance of His sacrifice.
Faith and Following
Being justified by faith brings peace with God through Jesus Christ, not through feeling, so the one who has confessed sin and surrendered to God may believe that God has forgiven and that Christ receives him whether he feels it or not. Such a one may live in the sunshine of Christ's presence with rest and peace and find the Saviour precious to the soul. This is the opening setting of the verse, where justification by faith gives access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and even glorying in tribulation that works patience, experience, and a hope that does not make ashamed, because God's love is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. That love is commended in that Christ died in due time for those without strength, for the ungodly, for sinners while they were yet sinners, and for enemies, to justify by His blood, save from wrath, reconcile by His death, save by His life, and give joy in God through the atonement. The rarity set forth in the verse, that scarcely one will die for a righteous person though for a good person some might dare to die, measures the might of divine grace and the compassion of Christ in dying for such.
Receiving the Holy Ghost in this matchless love brings glorying even in tribulation and joy in Him. A person receives Christ by faith to show hatred of sin as transgression of the law, being placed on vantage ground with God by Christ's own obedience to the law and granted probation and another trial with opportunity to return to loyalty. This calls not for mere nominal faith, a theory of truth, or a legal religion, but for believing to a purpose that appropriates God's richest gifts, pleads for the gift to give to others, and receives of His fullness grace for grace. This matchless love reveals His charms and draws the desire to be like Him and to glorify His name.
God's mercy toward sinners in giving His life for the unjust, when those condemned by the broken law could not save themselves, provides a freely offered, blood-bought pardon and is the ground for showing compassion and forgiveness to others. Because Christ, the Just, so gave His life for the unjust and worked for unbelievers when hardly anyone would give life even for a righteous or good person, those He saved must deny themselves and labor unselfishly to seek and save the lost, even enduring hardship and reproach for Him. They must take up their appointed work wherever they are and watch for souls as those who must give an account. Becoming acquainted with the spiritual needs of unbelieving friends and neighbors and ministering to those needs in meekness and lowliness of heart, they bring a strong counterinfluence against evil.
Hardly anyone would give his life even for a righteous person, though for a truly good person someone might dare to die. In utter contrast, in due time Christ died for the without-strength, the ungodly, sinners and enemies while they were yet sinners. His death commends and demonstrates God's extraordinary and matchless love, a sacrifice far beyond ordinary human devotion that measures the might of divine grace. Through His blood, obedience, death, life and atonement He justifies by faith, saves from wrath, reconciles by His death, saves by His life, and gives joy in God. Those thus justified have peace with God through Him and receive God's love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, and because He so worked for the undeserving they must deny self and labor unselfishly to seek and save the lost.
Contrast and Context
Human self-sacrifice is exceedingly rare, for scarcely will anyone give life even for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. This sets the measure of ordinary human devotion, showing how seldom one person will die for another. Against that rarity stands the depth and extraordinariness of divine love, for Christ died not for those who had earned such sacrifice but for people who were still sinners, still ungodly, without strength and unable to save themselves.
The saying belongs to Romans 5:1-11, which sets forth the love of God. Being justified by faith gives peace with God through Jesus Christ, access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and even glorying in tribulation that works patience, experience, and a hope that does not make ashamed, through God's love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. In that same sequence Christ is shown commending His love in dying while sinners were yet sinners, dying in due time for the without-strength, the ungodly, sinners and enemies, to justify by His blood, save from wrath, reconcile by His death, save by His life, and give joy in God through the atonement. Peace with God therefore comes by being justified by faith and not by feeling, so that one who has confessed sins and surrendered to God can believe God has forgiven and Christ receives him whether he feels it or not, and can live in the sunshine of Christ's presence with rest and peace and find the Saviour precious to the soul, receiving the Holy Ghost, glorying in tribulation, and having joy in Him.
Romans 5 presents the law and the gospel, binding the two together in a perfect whole. Its testimony must go throughout the length and breadth of the world to bring all to discern and walk in the light, and these precious scriptures will be impressed upon every heart opened to receive them, giving light and understanding to the simple who are contrite in heart. They call not for mere nominal faith, a theory of truth, or a legal religion, but for believing to a purpose that appropriates the richest gifts of God, pleads for the gift to give to others, and receives of His fullness grace for grace. The teaching of Romans 4 and 5 is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son so that Christ in His humanity could grasp divinity, and human nature through faith can grasp the divine nature, having overcome.
Christ Died for Sinners
Paul sets scarcely dying for a righteous person, and only perhaps daring to die for a good person, against a greater love in which Christ in due time died for people who were still sinners. He died for the without-strength, for the ungodly, for sinners, and for enemies while they were yet sinners. He died not for people who had earned that sacrifice but for people who had not earned it.
He died for the unjust condemned by the broken law, who could not save themselves, taking humanity and giving Himself for their sins. He died for rebellious people and for transgressors of God's law, for human beings who could not rescue themselves from sin and for all who are helpless and in danger of ruin apart from grace. In dying He purchased salvation for undeserving human beings, with love stronger than death flowing toward people who need grace not because they are worthy but because they are unworthy.
His death commends God's love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost and demonstrates its extraordinary depth. It is matchless love beyond ordinary human devotion, measuring the might of the grace of God and the compassion of Christ.
The Son of God left the courts of glory and came to this world to share its temptations and hardships in order to lift people up and make them sons and daughters of God. He took humanity and suffered death because they could not save themselves, and through Him alone they have hope. He controlled the power of death and had life in Himself, so to the heavenly host the marvel was not His resurrection but that He died for humanity, even working for unbelievers when hardly anyone would give life even for a righteous or good person.
By being justified by His blood the ungodly, sinners and enemies are saved from wrath through Him, reconciled by His death, saved by His life, and given joy in God through the atonement. His sacrifice provides a freely offered, blood-bought pardon, justifying by faith. By His own obedience to the law He places man on vantage ground with God, giving another trial and granting probation with opportunity to show hatred of sin as transgression of the law and to return to loyalty to God. He rescues and saves without distinction, so that whatever is good in anyone comes through faith in Him and acceptance of His sacrifice.
Faith and Following
Being justified by faith brings peace with God through Jesus Christ, not through feeling, so the one who has confessed sin and surrendered to God may believe that God has forgiven and that Christ receives him whether he feels it or not. Such a one may live in the sunshine of Christ's presence with rest and peace and find the Saviour precious to the soul. This is the opening setting of the verse, where justification by faith gives access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and even glorying in tribulation that works patience, experience, and a hope that does not make ashamed, because God's love is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost. That love is commended in that Christ died in due time for those without strength, for the ungodly, for sinners while they were yet sinners, and for enemies, to justify by His blood, save from wrath, reconcile by His death, save by His life, and give joy in God through the atonement. The rarity set forth in the verse, that scarcely one will die for a righteous person though for a good person some might dare to die, measures the might of divine grace and the compassion of Christ in dying for such.
Receiving the Holy Ghost in this matchless love brings glorying even in tribulation and joy in Him. A person receives Christ by faith to show hatred of sin as transgression of the law, being placed on vantage ground with God by Christ's own obedience to the law and granted probation and another trial with opportunity to return to loyalty. This calls not for mere nominal faith, a theory of truth, or a legal religion, but for believing to a purpose that appropriates God's richest gifts, pleads for the gift to give to others, and receives of His fullness grace for grace. This matchless love reveals His charms and draws the desire to be like Him and to glorify His name.
God's mercy toward sinners in giving His life for the unjust, when those condemned by the broken law could not save themselves, provides a freely offered, blood-bought pardon and is the ground for showing compassion and forgiveness to others. Because Christ, the Just, so gave His life for the unjust and worked for unbelievers when hardly anyone would give life even for a righteous or good person, those He saved must deny themselves and labor unselfishly to seek and save the lost, even enduring hardship and reproach for Him. They must take up their appointed work wherever they are and watch for souls as those who must give an account. Becoming acquainted with the spiritual needs of unbelieving friends and neighbors and ministering to those needs in meekness and lowliness of heart, they bring a strong counterinfluence against evil.