Sinners (268) (hamartolos from hamartáno = deviate, miss the mark which some lexicons say is from a = negative + meiromai = attain -- not to attain, not to arrive at the goal) is an adjective (e.g., "that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful" - see Ro 7:13 -note) that is often used as a noun (as in this verse and Ro 5:19 [note]) to describe those who are continually erring from the way, constantly missing God's mark, living in opposition to His good and acceptable and perfect will.
Hodge says that the
word sinners expresses the idea of moral wickedness and consequent exposure to divine displeasure. (Ibid)
Hamartolos is translated (NAS) as sinful (3), sinner (12), sinners (31).
Hamartolos is used 82.4" class="scriptRef">45" class="scriptRef">10" class="scriptRef">10" class="scriptRef">10" class="scriptRef">10.15" class="scriptRef">15.7" class="scriptRef">7 times in the NAS (10-Matt.9.11" class="scriptRef">Mt. 9:10, 11, 13" class="scriptRef">13; 19" class="scriptRef">19" class="scriptRef">11:19; 6" class="scriptRef">6.45" class="scriptRef">26:45; 17" class="scriptRef">Mark. 2:15, 16, 17; 8:38; 14.41" class="scriptRef">14:41; {note concentrated use in Luke} Lk. 5:8, 30, 32" class="scriptRef">32; 34" class="scriptRef">6:32, 33, 34; 7:34, 37, 39; 13:2; 15:1, 2, 7, 10; 18:13; 19:7; 24:7; Jn. 9:16, 24, 25, 31" class="scriptRef">31; Ro 3:7; 5:8, 19; 7:13; Gal. 2:15, 17; 1Ti 1:9, 15; Heb 7:26; 12" class="scriptRef">12.3" class="scriptRef">12:3; James 4:8; 5:20; 1Pe 4:18; Jude 1:15) and 85 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (Ge 13:13; Nu 16:38; 32:14; Deut. 29:19; 1Ki. 1:21; 2Chr. 19:2; Ps 1:1, 5; 3:7; 7:9; 9:16, 17; 10:3, 15; 11:2, 6; 28.3" class="scriptRef">28:3; 32:10; 34:21; 36:11; 37:10, 12, 14, 16, 17, 20, 21, 32, 34, 40; 39:1; 50:16; 55:3; 58:3, 10; 68:2; 71:4; 73:3, 12; 75:8, 10; 82:2, 4; 84:10; 91:8; 92:7; 94:3, 13; 97:10; 101:8; 104:35; 106:18; 109:2, 6; 112:10; 119.53" class="scriptRef">119:53, 61, 95, 110, 119, 155; 125:3; 129:3, 4; 139:19; 140:4, 8; 141:5, 10; 145:20; 146:9; 147:6; Pr 11:31; 12:13; 23:17; 24:19; Is 1:4, 28, 31; 13:9; 14:5; 65:20; Ezek 33:8, 19; Da 12:10; Amos 9:8, 10) Note that in the Septuagint (LXX), hamartolos is frequently used to translate the Hebrew words for wicked or ungodly persons (especially in the Psalms, eg, Ps 1:1 "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked [Lxx = hamartolos]").
Hamartolos is used by Homer of missing the mark in shooting. From Homer on it carried the moral sense, "to miss the right, to go wrong, to sin". In the Septuagint it means missing the divinely appointed goal, deviation from what is pleasing to God. A sinner then, is not necessarily one who has gone far astray in wicked living. Rather, every man without Christ is a sinner because he has missed the goal of God's purpose for us as human beings; namely, that we should live holy lives in fellowship with a holy God.
The Jews used hamartolos to describe those who had no respect for Mosaic law or rabbinic traditions and were therefore the most vile and worthless of people. In their spiritual arrogance the Jews applied hamartolos to the Gentiles to express the contempt in which they held them. And now in the light of the life and death of Christ the Jew discovered himself to be in exactly the same case (under sin - see note Romans 3:9)
The Pharisees felt sinners or hamartolos were inferior because they had no interest in scribal tradition and did not eat food in a state of ceremonial cleanness (see Mark 2:16 "...Why is He [Jesus] eating and drinking with the tax-gatherers and sinners?"). In sum, hamartolos was thus used not only to describe man's natural relationship to God (not hitting His mark) or as a value judgment for a class of people.
In Luke our Lord tells the story of the prideful Pharisee and the humble tax gatherer (noting the irony in the Mark 2:16 passage above that the Jews often grouped tax gatherers with "sinners")...
The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself (to whom? "to himself," rather than God, merely congratulating himself on his own self-righteousness and thus received no forgiveness), 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. 'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.'
But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!'
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified (acquitted, vindicated, declared righteous) rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18:11, 12, 13, 14) (Comment: Paul W. Powell once observed, “Pride is so subtle that if we aren’t careful we’ll be proud of our humility. When this happens our goodness becomes badness. Our virtues become vices. We can easily become like the Sunday School teacher who, having told the story of the Pharisee and the publican, said, ‘Children, let’s bow our heads and thank God we are not like the Pharisee!’“)
A common use of hamartolos in Paul's day is interesting, BDAG explaining that it pertained
to behavior or activity that does not measure up to standard moral or cultic expectations -- being considered an outsider because of failure to conform to certain standards is a freq. semantic component. Persons engaged in certain occupations, e.g. herding and tanning, that jeopardized cultic purity, would be considered by some as ‘sinners’, a term tantamount to ‘outsider’. Non-Israelites were esp. considered out of bounds. (E.g., Gal 2:15 "We are Jews by nature, and not sinners from among the Gentiles") (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature)
Moulton and Milligan record that hamartolos was frequently found in a common phrase in pagan sepulchral epitaphs in Asia Minor, the epitaph serving as a threat against anyone who would desecrate the tomb. A typical epitaph read “Let him be as a sinner (hamartolos) before the subterranean gods”.
Newell adds that...
"sinning" (hamartolos - sinners) is a stronger word than "strengthless": but it is strong in the wrong direction! Strengthless indeed toward God and holiness, we were all; yet vigorous and active in sin. And what did God do? What does God here say? It was while we were thus sinning that Christ died for us! (Verse by Verse Exposition)
Christ (5547) (Christos from chrio = to rub or anoint as with oil, consecrate or set apart for sacred work) is a transliteration of the Greek word Christos which in turn is used in the Septuagint (LXX) to translate the Hebrew word Messiah or Anointed One. Messiah was a term applied to the OT priests who were anointed with the holy oil, particularly the high priest (Lev 4:3, 5, 16) In the LXX, the prophets are called the anointed of God (LXX = hoi christoi Theou, Ps 105:15). A king of Israel was described upon occasion as “the anointed of the Lord” (LXX = christos tou Kuriou, 1Sa 2:10). In the Gospels the Christ is not a personal name but an official designation for the expected Messiah (see Matthew 2:4, Luke 3:15). As by faith the human Jesus was recognized and accepted as the personal Messiah, the definite article ("the") was dropped and the designation Christ came to be used as a personal name. The name Christ speaks of His Messianic dignity and emphasizes that He is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises concerning the coming Messiah (see Messianic Prophecies).
Died (599) (apothnesko from apo = intensifies or means away from + thnesko = die) is literally to die off, to die a natural death in a sense stronger than thnesko. As noted the aorist tense speaks of a past completed action, and in context is specifically the Crucifixion of Christ, which is not a figment of Paul's but a definite historical event, which in fact constitutes the most profound event in all eternity.
For (5228) (huper) means “for the sake of, in behalf of, instead of.” Click for synopsis of huper used in the NT to convey the idea of substitution.
John uses huper in recording the high priest Caiaphas' "prophecy"
“It is expedient for you that one man should die instead of (huper) the people, and not that the whole nation perish” (Jn 11:50)
In Galatians 3:13 Paul writes that,
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse instead of (huper) us.”
Dana and Mantey in their Manual Grammar of the Greek NT say,
In both of these passages the context clearly indicates that substitution is meant.
Thus our Lord died instead of us, taking our penalty, and in behalf of us, in that His death was in our interest.
Notice the downward progression of Paul's description of humanity: "helpless;" "ungodly;" "sinners;" "enemies." The gulf between the preciousness of God's gift and our unworthiness is humanly inconceivable. Only a love way beyond our own would do such a thing. Yet this is exactly what God has done! And he did it for us "while we were yet" this way. He did not extend his love to you only after you turned to him; he extended his greatest gift of love to you even while you were headed the other way (Luke 23:33,34).
C H Spurgeon has the following expositional notes on Romans 5:8...
He did the utmost for us when we were the least deserving of it. Oh, what a love is this. Let it be shed abroad in our poor stony hearts, and commended by us to others.
When we were not even just, much less good, “Christ died for us.”
It is under that aspect that Christ is to be regarded as dying for the ungodly, dying for sinners. Ungodly man, guilty sinner, is there not hope for you in this blessed truth? Does anyone say, “I shall be lost, for I am ungodly; I must necessarily perish, for I am a sinner”? Your logic is at fault, dear friend. “Christ died for the ungodly;” “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us;” therefore, the ungodly,—sinners—be saved because of his death, and all who trust him shall be saved.
Certainly we were not “good” men, we were not even “just” men, but we are included in this black description “sinners”; and “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” He died for us as sinners, he did not come to save saints, but to save sinners; and it was for sinners that he died.
We were without any attraction, without any righteousness, without any goodness, yet Christ loved us. Out of the graciousness of his own heart he loved us, according to that text, “I will love them freely.”
While we were neither righteous nor good, “while we were yet sinners, Christ” did the most he ever could, or ever can do for us, he “died for us.” this is the best gift for the worst of men, and that best gift given to them when they are at their worst state: “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
When we were not righteous, when we certainly were not good, when the whole description of our character could be summed up in that one word “sinners” — rebels offending against God: “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
We were neither righteous nor yet good, yet Christ died for us. “Oh!” said a little boy once to his mother, “I do not think so much of Christ dying for men, I think I would be willing to die if I could save a hundred men by dying.” But his mother said,” Suppose it was a hundred mosquitoes, — would you die for them?” “Oh, no!” he said, “I would let the whole lot of them die.” Well, we were much less, in comparison with Christ than mosquitoes are in relation to men, yet he died for us, good-for-nothing creatures that we are. Well does one say, “God shows part of his love to us in many different ways, but he shows the whole of his love in giving Christ to die for us.” Here you see his heart laid bare, the very heart of God laid open for the inspection of every believing soul. To die for saints would be great love; but to die for sinners, while they are yet sinners, and regarding them as sinners, — this is love with emphasis, the very highest commendation that even divine dove can have
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Here is an illustration...They tell the story about a great Russian tribal leader in the early days who had two laws. The first was that all the tribe were to love their parents and the second was they were not to steal. This man's leadership and these laws made his tribe the greatest in all of Russia. Now one day they discovered that someone was stealing. This angered the leader greatly and he brought all the people together. He said, "Let the thief come forward and receive 10 lashes for his crime." No one came and he upped the ante to 20 lashes. Then 30, then 40 lashes. He stopped there for he knew that it would take a strong man to survive 40 lashes with the whip. The crowd dispersed and the leader sent his men to find the thief. Within a week they brought the thief to him and the leader gasped, for the thief was his own mother. The guards were wagering among themselves as to what this great and wise leader would do. Would he keep his word, obey his second law and whip his mother? Or would he obey the first law, love his mother and let her go free, thus disgracing himself and the laws he sought to enforce? If the crime went unpunished, surely everyone would steal. The leader gathered the tribe together. They brought his mother forward and bared her frail back. "Ah, ha," thought the people, "he's going to whip her." Then, just before the whip master brought the whip to bear, the leader strode over to his mother, tearing his shirt off as he went and draped himself over her frail body, taking the 40 lashes himself. That's exactly what Jesus did for us. Jesus took our punishment on the cross. We should have rightly died for our sins, but Jesus took our place. "But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
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Why Me? (READ: Romans 5:6, 7, 8, 9, 10,.11) - British pastor Joseph Parker was asked, "Why did Jesus choose Judas to be one of His disciples?" He thought deeply about the question for a while but could not come up with an answer. He said that he kept running into an even more baffling question: "Why did He choose me?"
That's a question that has been asked throughout the centuries. When people become painfully aware of their sin and are overcome with guilt, they cry out to Jesus for mercy. In joyous wonder they experience the truth that God loves them, that Jesus died for them, and that they are forgiven of all their sins. It's incomprehensible!
I too have asked, "Why me?" I know that the dark and sinful deeds of my life were motivated by a heart even darker, and yet God loved me! (Romans 5:8). I was undeserving, wretched, and helpless, yet He opened His arms and His heart to me. I could almost hear Him whisper, "I love you even more than you loved your sin."
It's true! I cherished my sin. I protected it. I denied its wrongdoing. Yet God loved me enough to forgive me and set me free.
"Why me?" It's beyond my understanding. Yet I know He loves me—and He loves you too! — David C. Egner (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Love sent the Savior to die in my stead.
Why should He love me so?
Meekly to Calvary's cross He was led.
Why should He love me so? —Harkness
(c) Renewal 1952 Broadman Press
God loves us not because of who we are, but because of who He is.
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Loving the Unlovely (John 8:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) - An inner-city mission worker longed to show Christ’s love to others, but she found it difficult to give genuine affection to one particular vagrant. One day the sickly and unkempt woman to whom she had been witnessing was sentenced to jail. When the Christian worker saw her sobbing bitterly, she was filled with compassion. Quickly going to her side, she tenderly put her arm around her. Never having felt such love, the distressed woman was deeply moved, and later she accepted Jesus as her Savior.
After being released from prison, the woman was nursed back to health by the mission worker. Not only had a needy sinner been rescued, but a Christian had been brought into a deeper experience of Christlike compassion.
God doesn’t love us because we’re lovable but because of His grace. We freely receive His undeserved favor through the Savior, who loved us “while we were still sinners” (Ro 5:8). We are to reflect this new relationship with Christ in our daily lives by showing His compassion to those who are difficult to love.
As one who has been saved by God’s grace, are you showing His love to the unlovely?— Henry G. Bosch (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Give to the needy a warm helping hand,
And lift up the fallen today;
Filled with God’s Spirit, love all who are lost,
And point them to Jesus, the Way!
—H G Bosch
Loving the lost is the first step in leading the lost to Christ.
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Love Undeserved - Years ago in North Carolina, Judge Clara Warren served in the juvenile court system. She was known for her strict interpretation of the law, but also for her love and compassion.
One day Judge Warren took reporter Phyllis Hobe on a tour of a correctional facility. Hobe was surprised by the judge's sincere concern for many of the inmates. She was helping them to get into schools and find jobs when they were released. She even continued to care for them if they were readmitted. "How can you keep on loving them?" the reporter asked. "They don't seem to appreciate all you've done for them." The judge explained that she didn't love them because she wanted to receive their thanks. She simply loved them, expecting nothing in return.
Isn't that how God loves us? The Bible tells us that He loved the world so much that He gave His Son to die for us (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Though sinful and ungrateful, every man, woman, and child is the object of His love. Yes, He longs for our loving obedience. But when that doesn't happen, He continues to love us no matter how unlovable we are.
Dear Father, enable us to love others the way that You love us. —Vernon Grounds (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be. —Matheson
Nothing is more powerful than God's love.
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W.D.J.D. - Have you seen the W.W.J.D. bracelets? They remind us to ask "What Would Jesus Do?" A few years ago, a Holland, Michigan, youth group was reading the classic In His Steps by Charles Sheldon. One person came up with the idea of making W.W.J.D. bracelets to remind believers of the key question in that book: What would Jesus do in any given situation? Those bracelets have prompted thousands to pause and ponder that question.
As I think about the importance of this question in living a God-pleasing life, I wonder how many people need to ask a more basic question: W.D.J.D.--What Did Jesus Do?
Before contemplating the W.W.J.D. questions of life, we must first understand what Jesus did. He died on the cross to provide a sacrifice for us. Although innocent of any wrongdoing, He was crucified, taking upon Himself the punishment for our sin. He provided the only way to establish a relationship with a holy God.
What did Jesus do? He gave His life to give us life. Even if we were to live perfectly by the maxim W.W.J.D., we could never be good enough to reach heaven without Jesus' sacrifice. For that, we have to depend on what Jesus did.
Have you put your faith in what Jesus did? — Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
To follow Christ in all we do
Can be a worthy goal
If first we've put our trust in Him
To save our sinful soul. --Sper
If you've never met Christ, you can't follow Him
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The Power Of Demonstration- "If I can make a point with an explosion, I do." That's the motto of chemistry teacher Susan Willson, 1995 Science Teacher of the Year in Texas. Al Balmer, her colleague at McNeil High School in Round Rock, won the same award in 1996. His classroom ceiling bears the marks of numerous soda-bottle "missile" launches, and the walls are pockmarked from being struck by mousetrap-propelled cars.
These enthusiastic educators use creative ways to demonstrate the scientific principles they're trying to teach. "I've tried to show these kids how I fell in love with physics," Balmer says, and "how it relates to their life."
A true passion doesn't confine itself to words alone. We see this vividly in God's dealings with us. Paul wrote, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). God gave us His Son to show us the extent of His love. Jesus Christ came into this world to die on the cross, freely giving His life to pay the penalty for our sin. God said, "I love you!" and showed it through the most remarkable demonstration the world has ever seen. Has it moved your heart to trust Him as your Savior? — David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
God sent His Son to die for us;
No other life would do.
So why not trust in Christ today--
Accept His gift to you.
-J D Branon
Nails could not have kept Jesus on the cross had love not held Him there.
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Why Did Jesus Die? (Read Isa 53:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) - The atoning death of Christ is a truth so profound that scholars have been unable to fully plumb its depths. Think of it—Jesus, God's Son, died to pay the penalty for our sins! Various theories have been advanced to explain what happened, but Scripture teaches that substitution lies closest to the heart of this great mystery. One innocent man bore the sins of all humanity.
Cliff Barrows tells of the time his two young children did something wrong. Although they were gently warned, they repeated the offense and needed to be disciplined. Cliff's tender heart was pained at the thought of having to punish the ones he loved. So he called Bobby and Bettie into his room, removed his belt and shirt, and with bare back he knelt by his bed. He told each child to whip him 10 times. Oh, how they cried! But the penalty had to be paid. The children sobbed as they lashed their daddy's back. Then Cliff hugged and kissed them, and they prayed together. "It hurt," he recalls, "but I never had to spank them again."
Are you haunted by the memory of some cowardly, selfish, or shameful acts? Jesus took the lashes for all our sins. Now He invites us to accept His forgiveness and devote the rest of our lives to Him. He wants us to know the greatness of His Father's love. That's why He died! — Dennis J. De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
The Lamb of God was crucified,
The penalty for sin was paid,
God's holiness was satisfied,
For all our sins on Christ were laid. —Sper
God the judge not only declared us guilty but also paid our penalty.
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Everybody Needs Love - From the cradle to the grave, we all need love. How vividly this is illustrated in the song "Jesus Loves Me" by Anna B. Warner (1824-1915). She and her sister Susan were gifted novelists. Anna also published many poems. The familiar lines of "Jesus Loves Me" were penned in 1860 as a poem of comfort spoken to a dying child in one of Susan's stories. Today it's sung by children and adults around the world.
When a famous theologian visited a leading US seminary, a student asked him, "What is the greatest single thought that ever crossed your mind?" Expecting a profound theological answer, the class waited breathlessly for his reply. He bowed his head in thought and then slowly lifted his head and said, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
But why is Jesus' love so important? Because His love is not some sentimental, easygoing acceptance of sinners. It's a sacrificial love that absolved us from our guilt and took the burden of our sins when He died on the cross for us (Romans 5:8).
Jesus' love is so important because He is God in the flesh. And only He can meet our deepest longing—our lifelong need for love. — Dennis J. De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven's gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in. —Warner
The cross of Jesus is the supreme evidence of the love of God.
—Oswald Chambers
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How Much Are You Worth? - When a baseball player signed a huge contract that would pay him $8 million a year, he unashamedly declared that he was worth that much. Most of us would disagree. It's hard to understand how anyone can feel he is worth that much money to hit and catch a ball for 6 months.
Yet there is a sense in which this rich outfielder really is worth $8 million--and more. It's not because of his skills, but because of the value that God in His love places on each person. When we consider the worth our God sees in us as His image-bearers for whom He sent Jesus to suffer and die, it's easy to see that we are worth at least that much.
We often estimate our value by how much money we make or by the titles we hold. Or we measure our value by the important things we do for others. Instead, we must realize that our value lies in the importance God places on us. And that value is based on two facts: God created us in His image (Ge 1:27), and God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to earth to die for us (Ro 5:8).
That makes each of us far more valuable than a mere $8 million. When God sees us in His Son, you can't put a price tag on our worth! — Dave Branon (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
Redeemed--how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child, and forever, I am. --Crosby
Our value is not in what we own but to whom we belong.
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C H Spurgeon writes...
If you do not know Jesus Christ, troubles may force you to face a stern reality. Have you ever been on the edge of death? Have you ever had your body racked with pain and the chance of recovery only one in ninety-nine? Have you ever felt that death was near? Have you ever peered into eternity with anxious eyes? Have you ever pictured hell and thought you were there? Have you ever thought of being shut out of heaven?
It is in these times that God’s Holy Spirit works great things. Christ is pleased when you are brought low and forced to cry to God. He is pleased because this is the stepping stone to genuine trust in Him. It is much better to lose an eye or a hand than to lose your soul (Mark 9:47). It is better to go to heaven poor and ragged than to enter hell rich. It is better to melt into heaven with cancer than go down to hell with your bones full of marrow and your muscles full of strength. To God be the glory when trials and troubles bring us to Christ.
Once you prevail with God and believe in Him you will have deliverance. Remember this: the one thing necessary for eternal life is to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16). You know the story. Christ came down from heaven and took your sins on His shoulders (Heb 9:26-note). He died as your substitute (Ro 5:8), and if Christ suffered for you, you cannot suffer that way. Jesus paid your debts, and you are free (Heb 9:28-note). If you believe this, then you are as pure as the angels in heaven.
May God bring you to faith for Jesus’ sake. Amen
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NO GREATER LOVE: A young British soldier, Alexander Russell, was on his way to join his regiment in India when the ship on which he was sailing was torpedoed. Within minutes the lifeboats were crowded to capacity. On the one that Mr. Russell boarded was a young mother with her newborn infant. Anxiously looking for her husband, she suddenly spied him struggling helplessly in the water. Becoming hysterical, she cried out for someone to save him. Exhibiting great courage, Alexander Russell dove overboard, rescued the drowning man, and placed him in the boat. Not one of the frail barks bobbing on the waves could possibly bear the weight of another man, so with strong vigorous strokes the young man swam away to his death.
Alexander Russell died for a fine young husband and father. His heroic act reminds us of what Paul says in Ro 5:7- note, ". . . yet perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die." We admire such selfless courage. What feelings would we entertain, however, if this promising young man had given his life to save a drunkard, a gangster, or a murderer? We might be inclined to say, "That type of person is not worth such a sacrifice!" Yet that was not the attitude displayed by the Lord Jesus. He died for the very people who mocked Him and nailed Him to the cross!
You and I, like those who hated Christ when He was here on earth, are sinners; but despite our enmity, God loved us so much that He was willing to send His Son to die in ignominy and shame to save us. Such compassion surpasses our limited capacity for heroism. It requires a divine love which goes "beyond all human measure." (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)
There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy
For the love of God is broader
Than the measure of man's mind,
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind!
—Faber (play)
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