Salvation

When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly – Romans 5:6

Salvation is for the helpless, the powerless, the needy. If Christ had waited until people were good enough, strong enough, or willing enough to be saved, he would never have come.

This is the first lesson of salvation, which must be learned again and again even by believers: you are not saved because of who you are or what you’ve done; you are saved in spite of who you are and what you’ve done.

You can no more earn God’s favor, even now, than lift Mount Everest and carry it on your shoulders. You are without strength; you are ungodly.

But the good news is that Christ died for the ungodly! Christ did not die for those who had done enough good works, or gone to church enough, or given enough money. Christ died for the ungodly, the undeserving, those who are spiritual paupers in the marketplace of salvation.

And Christ came in due time. His birth was no accident, his life was not mere happenstance, and his death was not without purpose. God knew before man sinned in the garden that he would need saving, and he sent his Son to pay, by his cross, our otherwise unpayable debt.

What about you? Do you see yourself as ungodly and without strength, or are you still trusting in your own goodness to save you? If you do see the filthiness of your heart and habits, that you are guilty before a holy God, then know this: Christ died for the ungodly.

Do not hesitate to embrace the salvation that God planned for his people to enjoy in Christ.