When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
These are some crazy amazing verses! AND, when I think about how most of the friendships in my life have materialized and grown…I am even more amazed! As humans, when we consider friendship with others, there is a certain give and take in the relationship that qualifies it as a friendship. A mutual willingness to give to and to receive from the other person. That’s what makes the friendship work. It is what makes it stronger. Healthy even. If only one half of a friendship was willing to give and the other just took and took and took, well, we probably wouldn’t consider that a friendship at all.
But when it comes to our friendship with God – well that kind of thinking, thankfully, goes out the window! Today’s verses remind us that God made the first move in restoring relationship with us, while we were still stuck in the pattern of sin. He didn’t expect us to do anything for Him…instead He did it all – He gave it all – through Jesus. He extends friendship to us, not because of how good we are, or how kind we are (because we aren’t all that good or kind)…but because of how good and kind HE is!
Verse 11. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
