The Love of God Toward Us

Romans 5:6-8.

Many folk often talk loosely about the love of God but they do not know much about it, this goes for a number of so called preachers today. Some of them quite famous, do not want to say anything unpleasant about sinful human nature. They describe their approach to Christianity as “possibility thinking” and argue that people are already so discouraged about themselves that they do not need to be told that they are wicked.

I do not know how such preachers could possibly preach on our text that we have before us. Because what you can see before us is the love of God, yes, but you can not have the love of God without the wrath and justice of God.

Nothing could be more positive or more edifying than this theme of God’s Love. Yet Paul’s statement of the power, perplexity and proof of God’s love is placed against the black backdrop of human sin, and rightly so. For, as Paul tells us: But God commendeth (demonstrate) His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

The love of God is a wonderful and glorious topic to preach on, but to preach the love of God you can not ignore the justice that God demands. How can we appreciate or even understand the love of God without speaking about the evil natures of those whom God has thus loved?

This is a very practical matter because if we only preach on the love of God, we begin to think that in someway, we deserve it or we may end up thinking God is ok with my sin because He loves me regardless of my sin. To show Gods love we must preach on the sinfulness of man. The sinfulness of you and me. But, the good news is, once you realize you dont deserve God’s love and you realize how sinful you really are and receive what Christ did for yourself then these verses will have a new meaning for you.

Romans 5:6-8 describes to us the great love that God has for sinners. This is brought into the argument at this point to assure us that all who have been justified by faith in Christ have been saved because of God’s love for them and that nothing will ever be able to separate them from it.

Romans 8:35–39 KJV 1900

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So lets take the next few moments to see why it is salvation is all of God, why the lost world cant really understand it and to close it out we will give proof to those that may be in here doubting.

And for those that are born again just maybe Our text this morning will help one understand the love of God better.

The Power of His Love v.6

This is seen in..

A. The Weakness of the Sinner v.6a

“For when we were without strength,”

“without strength” - powerless

That is what we were, powerless

There is nothing that we can or could do to save ourselves

none of us are able to do even one small thing to please God or achieve salvation.

we were dead in trespasses and sins

we were deep in the muck and the mire

The end of v6 tells us that Christ died for the ungodly

Romans 1:18 KJV 1900

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

let that sink in

Not only did God send His Son to die but He sent Him to die for the ungodly.

That means, haters of God, those that commit abominations

That is what we all were. weak, powerless ungodly humans.

Romans 3:12 KJV 1900

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Isaiah 64:6 KJV 1900

But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

We have nothing to offer and we have no strength to save ourselves. Therefore “in due time Christ died

B. The Wisdom of the Sovereign v.6b

Galatians 4:4 KJV 1900

But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

God’s time is much better than our time

God knew the right time to send His Son

We have looked at two sides so far the dark side: ourselves. And the divine side:God

We have seen that God loved us, not when we were lovely people who were seeking him out and trying to obey him, but when we were actually fighting him and were willing to destroy him if we could.

That alone makes the measure of God’s love very great.

Romans, Volume 2: The Reign of Grace (Romans 5:1–8:39): An Expositional Commentary (Love at the Cross)

There is a further contrast, too, as Paul brings these great ideas together and compares what God has done in dying for sinners with what human beings might themselves do in certain circumstances. Paul points out that, while a human being might be willing to give his life for a righteous or, better yet, a morally superior woman or man under certain circumstances, Jesus died for us while we were still sinners, which is the precise opposite of being good, or righteous.

So we have seen the power of God’s love, now Paul further contrasts God’s love with that of human love

The Perplexity of His Love v.7-8a

When you think about it, what God did makes absolutely no sense. It seems that no one in their right mind would give up their life for someone who deserved to die. If someone did do it, we would likely think them insane.

Paul spotlights the perplexity of Jesus’ sacrifice by starting his argument with something more probable: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die..”

Although this possibility makes more sense, theoretically, such an act would be incredibly rare.

A. The Human Perspective v.7

In his excellent study of this text Donald Grey Barnhouse gives two illustrations of exceptionally great human love.

In one story two men were trapped in a mine cave-in, and poisonous gas was escaping. One man had a wife and three children. He also had a gas mask, but his mask had been torn in the underground explosion and he would have perished apart from the act of the man who was trapped with him. This second man took off his own mask and forced it on the man who survived, saying, “You have Mary and the children; they need you. I am alone and can go.” When we hear of an act like this, we sense we are on hallowed ground.

The other story concerns a tough youngster from the streets of one of our large cities. His sister had been crippled and needed an operation. The operation was provided for her. But after the operation the girl needed a blood transfusion, and the boy, her brother, was asked to volunteer. He was taken to her bedside and watched tight-lipped as a needle was inserted into his vein and blood was fed into his sister’s body. When the transfusion was over, the doctor put his arm on the boy’s shoulder and told him that he had been very brave. The youngster knew nothing about the nature of a blood transfusion. But the doctor knew even less about the actual bravery of the boy—until the boy looked up at him and asked steadily, “Doc, how long before I croak?” He had gotten the idea that he would have to die to save his sister, and he had thought that he was dying drop by drop as his blood flowed into her veins. But he did it anyway!

These types of stories sober us, because in them we recognize something of the highest human love.

Yet, when we read of the love of God in Romans 5, we learn that it was not for those who were close to him or who loved him that Jesus died—but for those who were opposed to God and were his enemies.

It is on this basis that God commends his love to us.

B. The Holy Perceptive v.8a

“But God…while we were yet sinners”

So many things go under the heading of love that are not love at all. Immorality is often said to be caused by people being in love. But immorality is caused by lust not love.

God’s love is something that we will never truly comprend. A holy and righteous God sending His one and only righteous Son to man kind that have disobeyed and rejected Him since their creation.

A just and perfect God sending His just and perfect Son to a ungodly and preverse generation.

Why? Why did God do that? I dont know, all I can say is, because He loved us.

True love is described to us best in the great love Chapter, 1Cor.13. I believe when Paul was writing this chapter, he had God’s love on his heart and mind.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 KJV 1900

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Then first part of v.8 says, Charity (love) never faileth.

Lets take a moment and break that down.

Charity suffererh long and is kind - Christ is patient

Charity envieth not - Christ is not

Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up - Christ is humble

Charity does not behave unseemly - Christ is honorable

thinketh no evil - Christ desires no evil.

Rejoiceth not in iniquity - Christ is sinless and hates sin

Rejoiceth in the truth - Christ is the Truth

8. Beareth all things, - Christ endured the cross

9. believeth all things, - You believe in God believe also in me.

10. hopeth all things, - Christ knew he would not stay dead

11. endureth all things. - Christ could have called 10,000 legions of angels but He stayed until it was finished

12. Charity never faileth - Christ never fails

The Proof of His Love v.8b

Sometimes men will bargain with God and tell him if He loves them to prove it by doing such and such for them. But God does not have to do anything more to prove His love. “Christ died for us” is all the proof that is necessary.

A. In The Sacrifice

“Christ Died”

Love is measured by its sacrifice. Small love will not sacrifice much. Great love will sacrifice much. The death of Christ was a tremendous sacrifice. God gave His only Son to die for our sins. There is no greater sacrifice. No sacrifice ever showed so much love.

The way God proved His love was to have Christ die for us. The place where the proof is given is Calvary. God does not have to do one other thing to prove His love for us then Calvary. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16

John 3:16 KJV 1900

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.

Calvary was the greatest demonstration of love ever given to man. If that is not proof of God’s love then nothing will prove His love. Men often question God loves them. When they view crime, disasters, and tragedies, they frequently say, “If God loved us this would not have happened.” Such a comment ignores the proof of Divine love and ignores the fact that our sin, not the lack of God’s love, is the cause of many great disasters. Stop blaming God for lack of love and ask yourself how well you love God.

B. In The Saint

“For Us”

We are the proof of His Love. Christ died for the world, but He also died for US. Me you and you. We are the proof that God is Love.

He was our substitute and bore the judgment of God upon sin. However, this great love will do mankind no good whatsoever, if he refuses to accept the benefit of His love. If man refuses to accept this salvation offered by God through Jesus Christ, then that man will not experience the love of God he will face the judgement and wrath of God. Why would you want to face judgement if someone has already offered himself for you crime?

Wont you accept Him today?

Wont you come and know the Love of God that is Christ Jesus?