400. Friday after Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity.
Romans 5, 6-11. 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. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
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In this text we again have one of those pearls of great price which, when carefully examined, seem to transcend all others. For us, weak, helpless, and ungodly men, Christ died in due time. “For us”; that is to say, in our place, for our benefit. It is done; it had been promised, and it is finished. For us, who were without strength, but were thoroughly depraved, and wicked, and strangers to God; for us, the ungodly, the Son of God died. He died for us, sacrificed himself on the cross, gave himself as a ransom for us. Scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet Christ died for us ungodly men. Peradventure some might be willing to die in the stead of their best friend and benefactor; but Christ died for his enemies. Thus has God loved us, and proved his love. Could he have done more to “commend” it? Could he have given us better proof that he loves us? Shall this not assure us of our eternal salvation, lead us to commit ourselves wholly to God, melt our heart, cause us to fall down and worship before his throne, make us certain that we are in the state of grace, and make us fearless in the face of the accusations brought against us by sin and Satan? Christ shed his blood for us, when we were dead in sin and altogether ungodly; being now justified by his blood, shall we not, now that God is well pleased in us, escape wrath through him, through his life and his intercession for us? He wished to save us, when we were ungodly; shall he not wish to save us now that we are his beloved? He was willing to die for us then; can it be that he is unwilling to be our advocate and intercede for us now? Behold, how sure is our salvation! We were the enemies of God; the wrath of God was upon us; then he gave his Son to die for us, and reconciled us to himself. Now we are friends, and his Son lives for us. On the one hand, enmity and the Son’s death for his enemies; on the other, friendship and the Son’s life for his friends. “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Nor can Christ be lost to us by death. An earthly father may die, leaving a bereaved family behind; but Christ dies no more. We were reconciled to God by his death; much more, says Paul, much more shall we be saved by his life. We might have thought that he would not be willing to die for us, — as, thank God, he has done; — but it is not possible for us to think that he will not live for us. — Has not God given us a firm rock on which to build our faith? And this is for us all, let us but believe. For Christ died for us all. Shall we with Paul glory in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have received reconciliation; or shall we glory in ourselves; or shall we still doubt, and all the time complain that God does not give us a sufficiency of grace and light to enable us to believe? — Lord God, we are ashamed of our unbelief. Thou knowest how difficult it is for us to learn that Christ died for us; to learn this, which to our reason and senses seems utterly impossible: “The Son of God died for us, and lives for us.” Nevertheless, we thank thee; we praise thy infinite love, and will praise it forever and ever, world without end. Help us to do this. Amen.*
Do we pass that cross unheeding,
Breathing no repentant vow,
Though we see thee wounded, bleeding,
See thy thorn-encircled brow?
Yet thy sinless death has brought us
Life eternal, peace, and rest;
Only what thy grace has taught us
Calms the sinner’s stormy breast.
[TLH 145, LSB 423, ELH 240; listen here]
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.