Romans 5:8
" But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
The Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ is really simple...
Man sinned and was left eternally separated from God destined to hell. You may not like hearing that but God is holy and just and our sin prohibits us from being in His presence.
This gap between man and God was there until Jesus died on the cross. God came down in the form of Jesus Christ to show us the way to heaven and to bridge that gap.
John 1:14
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. "
Jesus was to be the final sacrifice for sin. We read this prophecy in Isaiah 53. His death on the cross bridged the gap between man and God. All we have to do is accept His gift and believe in Him.
We see God telling us that the barrier between us and God had been broken in Matthew 27:51 which states that when Jesus died on the cross, there was an earthquake and the veil in the temple that separated man from the presence of God was torn into.
This veil was 4 inches thick and separated the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant used to sit. Only the High Priest could enter once a year to atone for the sins of Israel on Yom Kippur. By this veil being torn into, God was showing us that Jesus had now broken that barrier for us.
Three verses in Romans sum it up pretty good with the last one being the verse of today:
Romans 3:23
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
This tells us that we are ALL sinners and will never live up to God's standard.
Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. "
This tells us that we deserve (what a wage is) death and this is referring to both physical and spiritual death. But the gift (something we don't earn) from God is eternal life in Jesus.
Romans 5:8 " But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
Here is the key: Jesus died for you and me even though we are sinners because He loves us.
Just so there is no confusion on earning your way to heaven by doing good deeds, here is another verse:
Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
See...simple
We sinned, Jesus died, we live if we believe... do you?
Mike
