Lenten Reader | Day 19

March 15th, 2023

We Were Still Sinners

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Romans 5:6-11

Recently, my son, Jack, and I started watching a medical show together on Netflix. Oftentimes, he will hear me say, "that's not reality" while a certain procedure or crisis is portrayed on the show. In a recent episode, the story line revolved around numerous patients requiring an organ transplant to survive and organ donors risking their own lives to save others. The donors struggled to determine if the receiving patients deserved their life-saving gift of an organ.

Enthralled in the drama, I found myself wondering what I would do. What would I be willing to risk for a stranger? What would I sacrifice for an enemy?

Suddenly the entertainment led me to reality. I was reminded how Jesus willingly sacrificed his life for me. Motivated by his obedience to the Father, he kept his eyes on the cross and the outcome of life he would achieve by his death. He wasn't distracted by our ungodliness or concerned about whether we were deserving of this precious gift. Instead, he willingly came and surrendered his life so we could have a new heart and fullness of life! And through this, we can have eternal life.

Now, that's reality.

Sarah-Marie Welch