When we were still powerless,
Christ died for the ungodly.
—Romans 5:6
“When we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly . . . While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6, 8). This text has our names scribbled in the margin.
Maybe we could make sense of it if Jesus had died for his mother . . . or his friends.
But for the venom-spitting thief on the cross beside him? For Barabbas, the notorious criminal who should have been on the center cross instead of Jesus?
For us?
We were not his friends, but his enemies (Rom. 5:10). Not godly, but ungodly. Not saints, but sinners.
But as much as he dreaded dying, when he ran his finger down the list he paused at our names and said, “I’ll die for him . . . for her.”
And he did.
He stood up for us
even when we let him down.