Romans 5:6-8, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
What a beautiful passage of Scripture! Few people would be willing to give
their life, to die, for a righteous man. In some rare situations, a person
might even be willing to give their life, to die, for a good man. But who in
the world would be willing to sacrifice their life, to die, for a pervert, for
a thug rapist or murderer? The answer is NO ONE! But wait, there is Someone
who was willing to die for the vilest of society. There is Someone who was
willing to die for the forgotten convicts rotting in prisons around the world.
There is Someone who was willing to die for the lowest of the low of society.
That noble Person's name is Jesus!
Carefully notice our text passage of Scripture, lest you feel self-righteousness and fail to realize that YOU are as guilty as that pedophile, rapist and murderer for whom Christ died. Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Notice that the Bible doesn't say that Christ died for the worst of the worst of sinners; but rather, CHRIST DIED FOR US! That means, you and I are as guilty as the vilest criminal in God's eyes. James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” The Law of God is like a mirror, that is, even if you gently tap it, it will shatter into hundreds of pieces! If you sin even one time, you are imperfect and cannot inherit eternal life. Consequently, you need a Savior!
My dear friend, the ONLY difference between you and the vilest pedophile, concerning Heaven, is the precious redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. In God's eyes, your lust, your hate, or the lies that you once told, are just as offensive and damning as are pedophiles to any normal person. Society hates anyone who would prey upon a helpless child. And rightfully so! But God hates your hurtful gossip just as much! God hates your HBO filth just as much! God hates your seductive tight miniskirt just as much! God equally hates your unwillingness to apologize for your past sins! God hates your stinginess and unwillingness to support Gospel missions! God hates your tolerance of the Alexandrian-based, modern, corrupt, Bible versions just as much! God hates Bob Jones University's support of the Alexandrian Bible perversions, that molests men's souls, just as much as He hates the sins of a child molester!
You
see, human beings are often guilty of categorizing sins, selectively deciding
which sins deserve more hatred and punishment than others. But that is corrupt
thinking! In God's eyes, even coveting your neighbour's land and wife is
worthy of burning in Hell forever! It is one of God's Ten Commandments for
mankind. Exodus 20:17, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou
shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant,
nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” Today in
America, where we diminish the awfulness of sin, because our nation has
forsaken the Lord, we have renamed covetousness to “keeping up with the
Joneses.” Covetousness is simply wanting what your neighbour has, and dwelling
upon it, instead of praising God and being thankful for what you already have.
1st Timothy 6:6, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Jesus died for the horrible people
who covet. Covetousness is perhaps the least hated of all sins, because it is
a sin that everyone commits, especially in America. But I tell you, God hates
covetousness as much as pedophilia, rape or murder! When you think about it,
covetousness is effectively synonymous with the love of money, which is the
root of all evil. People love money because of the THINGS or PLEASURES it can
buy. So if we don't covet the things we see (i.e., the lust of the eyes), then
we won't need the money to purchase them. I have everything I need in life.
God has been good to me. I have never owned a new car, and don't ever want to
own a new car. The newest vehicle I have ever owned was 7 years old, praise
God! To me that was like brand new! Hey, pick any used car that you want, it
was brand-spanking new when someone bought it! That's the way I look at it. I
am very happy if a vehicle will transport me safely from point A to point B.
And best of all, I've never had car payments! I always buy used.
Christ Died for All Men, Not Just the Saved
There
is a horrible false doctrine, that even Pastor Charles Spurgeon believed,
which says that Christ only died for the saved. In Calvinism this heresy in
called, “limited atonement.” Few Baptists realize that Mr. Spurgeon was indeed
a one-point Calvinist, that is, he believed one of the five core tenets of
John Calvin's
(1509-1564) theology. A famous painting of Mr. Calvin shows him making the
infamous Masonic secret hand-sign. There is much cause for concern, as history
evidences that John Calvin was a Zionist who
intentionally fabricated the satanic tenets of Calvinism to corrupt the
church. Truth is stranger than fiction!
May I say, confidently with all biblical assurance, that Christ died for all men! 1st John 2:2, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” I am perplexed how anyone, especially a professed man of God, can totally ignore such blatant Scriptural proof that Christ died for everyone. The Bible plainly says that Christ is our “propitiation,” which means, “to appease God's wrath.” It is Jesus' precious blood that satisfies the justice of God, thus turning away His fiery wrath against a sinner. Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Carefully notice in 1st John 2:2 that Jesus is not our propitiation only, “but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1st Timothy 1:15, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
Christ died for you too my friend, because you are not as “good” as perhaps you think. I cannot count how many multitudes of people, upon witnessing the Gospel to them, have told me about their own imperfect goodness. They'll say something like, “Well, no one's perfect, but I try to be a good person. I love my family. I try to help people when I can. I pay my bills. I think I am good enough to go to Heaven!” WRONG!!! You'll burn in Hell forever if that is your testimony! You need God's righteousness, because you don't have any righteousness! You are totally bankrupt when it comes to your own goodness to impress a holy God. Isaiah 64:6, “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.” HE DIED FOR YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS TOO (an MP3 sermon by Dr. Jack Hyles). Being good is not the way to Heaven. The way to Heaven is through God's goodness, by faith in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!
Very few people would be willing to sacrifice their life for a righteous man. Even a few people would be willing to sacrifice their life for a good man. But no one would sacrifice their life for a guilty criminal. And yet our great and merciful Savior, whose love is beyond human comprehension, laid down His life, being brutally crucified, nailed to a rugged cross to pay for our sins! What a great Savior!!!
I don't care what sins or crimes you may have committed (and God knows all about you), the Lord offers the free gift of pardon for your offences, on the basis of the sacrifice of His dear Son on the cross. Salvation is not doing your best, it is having Christ's best put to your account through receiving Him by faith. If you have taken God up on His amazing offer, and you have placed your complete confidence in the finished work of Jesus Christ (aka, “The Gospel”), then the ONLY difference between you and the most horrible criminal in this world is the precious blood of Jesus that washed all your sins away!!! Thank God for the blood of the Lamb!!!!!!!
