Oh What a Great Love I Romans 5:8

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

The death of Jesus on the cross is the most phenomenal event in all of history because that is when eternal salvation was secured for mankind. Death by crucifixion was a brutal form of capital punishment used by the Romans as a deterrent for more serious crimes.

The victim was marched through the street as a public spectacle. The Romans leaders wanted the scene of the crucifixion to be highly visible because it would serve as an example to all people of the fate that would await them if they dared defy the law.

Can you imagine the pain Jesus endured as they marched up to a site called Golgotha-meaning the place of the skull. And the thoughts that raced through his mind–His betrayer, the religious leaders, the crowd, His disciples, and I think he also must have also been thinking about me.

He may have thought back to that night he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane,  and those words he spoke to His Father  “Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.”  Matthew 26: 39

He could have called for 12 legions of Angels to come and rescue him but that would have meant that he would have to let me die in my sin and be eternally separated from God the Father but He could not bear to let me go. If there were any other way by which I could have been saved than by his death, burial and resurrection, I am sure God would have revealed it.

The scripture tells us in Acts 4:12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we must be saved.”

No there was no other way, He must continue forward, in spite of the pain, ridicule and torture, he looked ahead in time and knew that I would need him, so he persisted and went all the way to Calvary just for me. Oh what a love our Savior reveals, he was willing to suffer such pain and disgrace just for you and me. God demonstrated his marvelous love by sending Jesus his Son. Why? Because God knew there was no good in us to merit such a love as this.

Can you imagine we are no longer guilty sinners because of the enormous cost of our Saviors blood, shed for us at Calvary? He paid such a great price to bring us back to favor with God.

God’s love is not based on how lovable we are, but Gods love came when we were the most undesirable. Now that is love! True love! “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13

 Oh what an expression of love! Today I can rejoice because God the creator of the heavens and the earth cared enough about me to make sure that I was loved. I get so excited to think of how much he loved me in fact I think I better go tell someone who does not know of this great love.