God’s Desire For You

God’s Desire For You

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Romans 5:10

One of the things that the Lord’s Supper shows us is the immense love that Jesus has for his enemies. It is amazing to think that Jesus would offer forgiveness to a man who was not long before mocking him (Luke 7:39-44, cf. Matthew 27:44). Not only that, these same Jews who are shouting “Crucify Him” are being offered forgiveness through him not 50 days later (Acts 2:36-38). Throughout all the demeaning things that happen on the cross, Jesus knows that the reason He goes through it is so that He can die for these people who revile him.

In Romans 5, Paul points out that few die for the righteous, much less their enemies. Jesus went a step further and died for all of those who had been His enemies. As Paul proves in the book of Romans, that includes every single one of us. Since all have sinned against God (Romans 3:23), then all have declared themselves enemies. Thanks to Jesus that he died for us all while knowing that we were His enemies.

There is yet another layer to this passage, however. Sometimes as Christians, we may feel that we are still at enmity with God. This can take many forms. One such way is that we never feel forgiven for the sins we have committed. We view our sins as so vile that God could never truly forgive us. We ignore the fact that Jesus offered forgiveness to those who tried to kill Him personally, but our heart struggles to feel God’s mercy.

Other times Christians feel as though God is never really on their side. That His forgiveness only comes grudgingly, and that he has created a set of intricate rules so He can catch us entangled in sins. We might never explicitly state it this way, knowing that the scriptures speak otherwise. Still, we can feel this way at times.

Paul explicitly tells us that such feelings are not what God desires. If God was willing to die for us while we were actively hostile towards Him, how much more will He be on our side now that we are His adopted children? Our sin was an open rebellion towards God. Why would God be harsher to us now that we have given our allegiance to Him? God’s grace is ever abundant.

Paul clarifies that it should never be an excuse to intentionally sin against God (Romans 6:1), but we should know that God’s desire has always been for our salvation. We are no longer his enemy. God is rooting for us, cheering us on our journey. He supports and encourages us the whole way. His desire is for our success, not our failure. Armed with this knowledge, we can rejoice in His love all the more.

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Romans 5:10