“ON THAT WOODEN CROSS”

6 “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

Romans 5:6

It's been a week since we started a series that aims to find biblical support for the mantra "God helps those who help themselves." Our fifth and last point should take the message home.

Our fourth statement was this: “God helps us when He sees us trusting in who He is and what He does.”

Now, let’s bring this series to a close and drop our last spiritual nugget:

Jesus died for the helpless.

In today’s verse, the Apostle Paul writes about the transcendence of God’s love. At the right time, Jesus came into the world for the benefit of the helpless. The Greek term “asthenēs” literally means “feeble.” It emphasizes our inability to work out any righteousness for ourselves. Because we were unable to make ourselves right with God, Jesus came to do our bidding. He did so by living a perfect life and shedding His precious blood on the Cross.

Christ did not die because we were good or we did good more than evil; He died while we were helpless, ungodly sinners. We sometimes question God’s love, especially when we go through a rough patch. “If God loves me, why would He do this to me?” is what we often ask. We think that we are somehow entitled to only the best things in life. We forget that we live in a fallen world that has been justly cursed by God because of man’s sin.

It was us who sinned but it was God who made a way to reverse the effects of sin—by sending His only begotten Son to earth. God proved His love by allowing His Son to take our punishment, shame, and guilt on that wooden Cross.

Conclusion

While the saying, “God helps those who help themselves” sounds somewhat biblical, the truth is quite the opposite. God is not a boost; He is God—and outside of Him, we will always find ourselves falling short. We will never measure up to His standards of righteousness.

Thankfully, the salvation that He offers does not depend on our worthiness, but on the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The biggest favor we can do for ourselves is to acknowledge our personal incapacity to be our own Messiah and recognize that God Himself is our greatest need.

Pursue the Savior today!