Thoughts about the death of Christ for man's sins
Romans 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: for peradventure for the good man some one would even dare to die.
People do die for others: examples are police, firefighters, or soldiers. They are driven by a sense of duty, not so much for any particular individual but for the community, or for an ideal like democracy or freedom.
Even an average citizen upon seeing someone in the way of an oncoming vehicle, may without thinking, dart out and push the unwary person out of the way. He himself may die in the attempt. Or, someone drowning in freezing water may be rescued by a passerby, who himself drowns.
In all these cases, it is the character of the one dying that is noted -- noble, loving, selfless. But the verse from Romans is not only about the rescuer's motivation but also with the character of the ones who are rescued.
What if the firefighter learns that the trapped person is a wanted drug-lord responsible for the deaths and ruination of scores of kids; that his daughter who succumbed to an addictive life was due to him? Which motive wins, duty or vengeance?
Paul says that one would hardly die for a righteous man. The word righteous in Greek means morally right, but not necessarily loving, or compassionate or beneficent. It simply one who is honest in business affairs and such, or is faithful to his wife and family and is a good citizen. Paul says that someone would hardly die for someone like this.
When Abraham went to fight the kings who stole away the people and goods of Sodom, he did it for his nephew Lot. The bible says Lot was righteous in 2 Peter 2:7; but, it wasn't his primary motivation for hazarding his own life in a war to save him. It was because he was his flesh and blood. Even a mother may sacrifice herself for a son who is a criminal in the eyes of society.
Then Paul says later in Romans 5:7, that one might have the courage to die for a good man. This goodness means moral uprightness with kindness, generosity, love, and innocence. If such a man were in jeopardy, someone may volunteer to die for him.
The Tale of Two Cities uses this idea. Sydney Carton, the cynical lawyer, gives his life for another man named Charles Darnay, a noble aristocrat, who happens to be in love with the same woman that Sydney is in love with. His final line, as he is to die in the place of Darnay is one of the most famous lines in literature: It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.
Charles Dickens idealized what Paul says here in Romans 5:7, that one may have courage to die for a good man. Carton calls it 'a far better thing that I do.' He means that all his life has been a waste except for this final act of selfless sacrifice.
The theme of sacrificial death moves on people. That is why Dickens' book is such a popular classic. All the more then is the true story of Christ's dying for the ungodly.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. The crucial difference is the character of the ones for whom Christ dies. In the sight of God we are more akin to the drug lord than to a good and innocent person. Only God would or could do such a thing. And Christ did not act impulsively as a passerby who might rescue another in danger, but He determined to do so from ages past.
The Father acted decisively to send His Son, for that's how much He loved the world. And the Son went in obedience to complete the mission.
By this divine act of love, God makes friends of his enemies. That's the motive behind the Gospel. |
