Read: Romans 5:1-11
“God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”
We probably all have a handful of people we’d give our lives for unconditionally. I think it is a sign that we’ve been made in the image of God that basically everyone I’ve known does not simply live for themselves, but for whatever family (biological or otherwise) that they’ve built around them. But Paul points out that the fullness of God’s image, which is present in Jesus Christ, goes further than this. Christ devotes his live to those who specifically do not deserve it. Paul points specifically to Christ on the cross, but Christ also “gave” the whole of this life to people who had been ignored by society at large. Christ did not just give his life for those closest to him, but for his enemies, in which we must include ourselves for those things we’ve “done and left undone.”
In Paul’s view, I think, there is very little room for dividing ourselves into “good” and “bad” folks, since we all require God’s forgiveness. We may consider ourselves “in” or “not in” the body of Christ, but this is less a victory for ourselves than one for Jesus. Do you have enemies? More bluntly, who would you be upset to sit across from at the table in Heaven? Who might be upset to see you across the table? How would you live differently if Christ died for them too?
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
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