Text: Romans 5:1-11

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —John 3:16

It was a little after midnight, December 25, 1970.  A teenage girl gave birth to a baby boy at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. I have no idea how scared or alone my mother must’ve felt that night, not to mention all the physical pain. For many years, I had a front row seat watching that single mother raise my sister and me while working a fulltime job by day and continuing her education by night. Though I had a gazillion questions growing up, never once did I ever have to question my mother’s love for me. It was proven over and over again through the repeated sacrifices she made to take care of us.

In Romanas 5:6-11, Paul uses these words to express the loving sacrifice Jesus has made for us:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ 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! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Depending on the context, the Greek word for “demonstrates” in verse 8 has been translated “to stand near in approval,” “to show, prove, establish, exhibit.” It was also used in a legal sense, such as a defense lawyer exhibiting evidence that might exonerate his client. In another context, it is translated “to put together by way of composition,” as in how a musical composer might take many scores or sequences and put them all together in one beautiful arrangement or melodious blend.

All these meanings point to a loving Savior, sacrificing His life for the “powerless” and the “ungodly,” standing in their place of judgment and paying the penalty for their sins at just the right time in history. Who are these sinners in desperate need of the Savior? Paul spent the first two-and-a-half chapters of the Book of Romans telling us that we all are those people. Yet God has demonstrated and proven in a heavenly court of law His love for us in that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s love has been exhibited best when we have been at our worst. His approval resounded the loudest when shame tried to silence us. He has “stood near” when suffering threatened to break us. Like my neighbor, you might be facing your first Christmas after the passing of a loved one. Despite all the glitter and tinsel on the outside, you might be battling depression, loneliness, or feelings of failure on the inside. Maybe financial hardship has left you with no gifts under the tree. The beauty of this passage as it relates to Christmas is that God always shows up for the powerless… and its always at the right time.

Like a great composer, God is masterfully working all things “for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). This Christmas, you can trust the Great Composer of your life, because Jesus was born into a broken and bleeding world to orchestrate God’s redemption in and through all things. He’s proven His love over and over again in your life, and I assure you He has no plans to stop showing up now. He is still composing today! Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this Christmas.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for demonstrating your love to me while I was weak, powerless, and sinful. Jesus, you stood near as you took my punishment on the cross. You stood near as you were raised back to life for my justification. And you stand near today when the stuff of this life tries to hijack my peace. Holy Spirit, You have never left me alone. Empower me to trust the composition you are writing today through all the good and bad. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion:

1. What is one of your favorite Christmas memories?
2. When has God demonstrated His love to you in a difficult time?
3. What does this passage in Romans 5 teach us about the character of God?
4. What has been afforded to us through Jesus’ sacrifice (Romans 5:9-11)?
5. In what areas of your life do you need to trust the Great Composer to work out for good?