Knowing God - Romans 5:6

For while we were still weak,

at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:6

 

One of the most famous new "translations" of the Bible is The Message. Well, do you want to hear the 57 words it takes for The Message to "paraphrase" the 15 simple words of this verse? (I'll put it in blue.)

 

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. ("This" being "everything [that] God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit" -- v. 5)

 

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready.

 

He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready.

 

And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway.

 

57 words in blue ... but short-version or long version, what is Paul saying?

 

1. God the Father desires to pour so much into our lives ... 

2. God pours through the Holy Spirit ...

3. Christ dies for us ...

4. and God does all this even though we're weak, rebellious, and occasionally ungodly.

 

Read those again -- it's the Trinity, plus us -- God desires, Christ dies, the Spirit pours, and the best we can do is attempt fewer rebellions. 

 

Let's say it like this: God is the one who acts. God is the one who saves. And if we left it up to us, our rebellious selves would drown.

 

In Christ's Love,

a guy who better learn to swim better

(or believe more thankfully)