“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Yesterday, we discussed that Jesus Christ paid the redemption price for our sin by dying on Calvary’s Cross. He gave His Life as a “ransom for many.” Today, the author would like to discuss the second reason why Jesus chose to die on the Cross: he loved us.
Our text says that God “commendeth his love”. What does this mean?
In the Greek, the word commendeth means “to introduce or exhibit (Strong Greek 4921)”. Thus, Christ exhibited or demonstrated His love toward us by dying on the Cross. In other words, Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross proved his statement in John 3:16-17:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”
The second part of our text says that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
This is significant because it shows that even while we were oblivious in sin and rebellion to God, Jesus Christ still chose to die for us, because he loves us unconditionally. Even for those who had never been born, Jesus still died for you and you were on his mind when Jesus was on that Cross 2,000 years ago.
As one famous preacher said:
“Why did Jesus suffer himself to be enrolled amongst sinners? This wonderful condescension was justified by many powerful reasons…our Lord Jesus was numbered with the transgressors in order that they might feel their hearts drawn towards him. Who can be afraid of one who is written in the same list with us? Surely we may come boldly to him, and confess our guilt. He who is numbered with us cannot condemn us….All our estate of misery and sin Jesus has taken; and all that Jesus has comes to us. His righteousness, his blood, and everything that he hath he gives us as our dowry. Rejoice, believer, in your union to him who was numbered among the transgressors; and prove that you are truly saved by being manifestly numbered with those who are new creatures in him (Spurgeon).”
If Jesus himself was numbered with transgressors, with sinners, then certainly he will not reject you, my friend. Will you come to Him today and ask him to save your soul? If you desire to do that right now, please click here.
Bibliography:
Strong, James. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Updated Edition KJV. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2009. Print.
Spurgeon, Charles. “March 30 (3/30/2018) – Charles Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening – BibleGateway Devotionals.” BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages. Bible Gateway, Web. 30 Mar 2018.