“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Jesus Chose You Instead of Choosing Himself – The cross is God’s ultimate proof of His love for us. It shows that the height of man’s hatred can’t defeat the depth of His love.
Paul uses the Greek word sunistemi here, which means to prove or establish something through action. That is what Jesus did for us. He suffered and died so that you could have forgiveness, hope, and eternity with Him.
What Does Romans 5:8 Mean to You?
The word propitiation, as used in this verse, means “the blood ransom.” This is the heart of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. He shed His blood for you to be completely free from God’s wrath. Ray Stedman points out that this demonstrates God’s “forbearance” and His “passing over” of your sins.
Paul says that Adam’s sin resulted in death reigning for everyone (not just those who actually sinned in the same way as Adam did). Jesus, on the other hand, has brought life.
No one would think it reasonable for someone to die for an unrighteous person – unless that someone is the beloved Son of God, the radiance of His glory and exact representation of His nature, and the One who upholds all things by the word of His power. It hurts the Father to lose His Son, but He does it because He loves you. His love is unreasonable and excessive. It is more than you deserve.
You Are Not Alone
If you believe in Jesus, then you are God’s child and have a personal relationship with Him. He loves you and wants to be in your life. He will never leave you, even when suffering comes your way. He suffered for you and conquered sin by offering Himself as the perfect and final blood sacrifice on the cross. No greater love was ever shown than this!
It’s easy to think that you are alone during times of suffering. Friends can abandon you, family can get busy with their lives and people around you may have no idea what to say.
This is why it is so important to have a solid foundation in the word of God. It is in those hard moments that we must learn to trust solely on what we know, not on what we see and feel. When we can remember that the Bible says that Jesus will never leave us or forsake us, then we can know that He is with us in our suffering.
You Are Not Losing
Often when Christians suffer, they can feel that their lives are being stolen from them. However, Jesus wants us to understand that suffering is not random or meaningless. God is in control, and He is using whatever happens to you for His purposes.
One reason for this is that when God uses righteousness to defeat raw power, He shows that His grace is greater than all the suffering in the world. This is the ultimate victory of good over evil.
It is also true that whenever a Christian suffers for Christ’s sake, it is a sign of their union with Him. Just like parents would give their lives for their children, God is willing to do the same for His followers.
Remember, you are not losing when your faith is tested by various trials, because the genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Christ.
You Are Not Forgotten
Every person will face times when it is necessary to suffer for the sake of others. This could be as small as a parent giving up their sleep to care for sick children or as great as soldiers sacrificing their lives to protect the people they love.
But the greatest suffering of all came from Jesus Christ Himself. He was born as a human and lived life like any other person, but He was also 100% God. He experienced emotions, sickness and temptation just as we do, but He also knew the power of forgiveness and healing that only God possesses.
Then He was abused and mistreated by the government and ultimately killed on the cross. The most shocking thing about this is that it was actually part of a plan set in motion before the creation of the universe. This plan was to display the glory of God’s grace in the highest, clearest and surest way possible.
