Some Key Words (7/27/00-7/30/01)

Helpless (asthenes [772]):

without strength, powerless, without ability, weak in a spiritual sense; weak, infirm, feeble; strengthless

Right time (kairos [2540]):

season, time - with the implication of what that time gives opportunity to do, deals with the necessity of the task vs. the convenience of the season, times at which certain foreordained events take place or need to take place; due measure, a fixed and definite time, when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch, opportune time, the right time, a limited period of time, the state of the times; an occasion, set or proper time

Died (apothnesko [599]):

to die away, to die a natural death, to be dead to sin, to die on account of sin, to make an atonement for sin, to be dead to the law; natural death, violent death, to perish by means of something, eternal death, subject to the eternal misery of hell; to die off

Christ (christos [5547]):

anointed, those anointed with the holy oil, the anointed one; the Messiah, the Son of God, anointed; one of Jesus' titles

Ungodly (asebes [765]):

without worship, godless, without reverence of God, one who actively practices the opposite of what the fear of God demands; destitute of reverential awe toward God, condemning God, impious; irreverent or wicked

Righteous (dikaios [1342]):

that which is right, comformable to right, that which is expected by the one who sets the rules, what is claimed as a right because of conformity to God's rules, one who so acts without any deficiency or failure, one whose actions are conformed to his just character by a self-imposed rule, one who conditions his life by God's standard rather than his own; observing divine law, virtuous, keeping God's commands, those who pride themselves in their virtues - whether real or imagined, innocent, faultless, one whose thoughts, feelings, and actions wholly conform to God's will, approved by God, acceptable to God; innocent, holy, equitable in character and act

Good (agathos [18]):

good and benevolent, profitable, useful, constitutionally good but not necessarily benefiting others; of good constitution or nature, useful, agreeable, joyful, excellent, distinguished, upright, honorable; good in any sense

Dare (tolmao [5111]):

not to dread or shun through fear, to bear, endure, to bring oneself to, to be bold, to deal boldly; to venture, to be courageous

Demonstrates (sunistemi [4921]):

to set together with, to stand together with, to consist, to commend, to make acceptable or illustrious, to commit to the car of another, to show, prove, manifest; to set in the same place, band together, stand with, to set one with another by way of introduction, to comprehend, to teach by combining and comparing, to show, to prove, to establish, to unite parts into one whole, to be composed of; to set together, introduce favorably, to exhibit, to stand near, to constitute.

Love (agape [26]):

benevolent love, love that does what is deemed necessary even when opposed to what is desired; brotherly love, good will; affection

Yet (eti [2089]):

still, that which went on formerly that is now different, or beginning to change, that which continues in the present; still

Sinners (hamartolos [268]):

a sinner, a habitual sinner; devoted to sin, not free from sin, especially wicked, all wicked men; a sinner

More (mallon [3123]):

to a greater degree, by far, more willingly, more readily; more, in a greater degree

Justified (dikaioo [1344]):

to show one to be, or make one righteous, to declare righteous as a judicial act; to render righteous, or such as one ought to be, to show one to be righteous, to declare one to be such as he ought to be; to render just or innocent

Blood (haima [129]):

blood as the basis of life, life passing away in bloodshed, life offered up as atonement; the seat of life, bloodshed, murder; blood of man or animal, the atoning blood of Christ, bloodshed, kindred

Saved (sozo [4982]):

material and temporal deliverance from danger and suffering, spiritual and eternal salvation granted to believers by God, the experience of God's power to deliver from the bondage of sin, the deliverance of believers at the Second coming, the deliverance of Israel, all of God's upon man in Christ; to keep safe and sound, rescue from danger, to restore one to health, to preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to deliver from the penalties of Messianic judgement, to save from that which obstructs receiving Christ; to deliver or protect

Wrath (orge [3709]):

anger as a state of mind, desire with grief, the effect of anger - punishment; anger, temper, agitation of the soul, any violent emotion; desire, a reaching forth of the mind, violent passion, ire, abhorrence

Enemies (echthros [2190]):

hated, odious, hateful, hostile, hating and opposing another, opposing God in the mind, a hostile man, a certain enemy, the Devil - as the most bitter enemy of God's government; passively odious or actively hostile, an adversary

Reconciled (katallasso [2644]):

the divine work of redemption, the act of redemption found in God taking upon Himself our sin and becoming the atonement, God as subject withdrawing His [just] wrath from man the object; to exchange as for something of equivalent value, to reconcile those at variance, to return to favor with, to receive one into favor; to change mutually

Death (thanatos [2288]):

natural death, spiritual death, eternal death, plague or pestilence; the death of the body, separation of soul and body, the power of death with its implications of future misery in hell, the misery of the soul arising from sin which outlasts life on earth, the miserable state of those dead in hell; literal or figurative death

Life (zoe [2222]):

life, the principle of life in the spirit and soul, the highest blessedness of the creature; the state of one who has vitality, every living soul, the fulness of life both in essence and ethic which belongs to God, life real and genuine - devoted to God; literal or figurative life

Exult (kauchaomai [2744]):

to glory with or without reason, to glory in or because of a thing; to boast or vaunt

Lord (kurios [2962]):

one wielding authority for good; he to whom a person or thing belongs, master, possessor and disposer, owner, the one in control of a person, sovereign, prince, chief, a title of honor from servant to master, a title of God and Messiah; supreme authority, controller

Jesus (Iesous [2424]):

God is salvation, Joshua, Jesus, son of Eliezer - an ancestor of Christ, Jesus, Son of God - God incarnate; Jesus (Jehoshua) - the name of our Lord

Received (lambano [2983]):

to take in whatever manner, to receive without necessarily signifying a favorable reception; to take with the hand, lay hold of, to take upon oneself, to remove, take away, to take or make one's own, to claim, procure, to seize, lay hold of, to catch, to appropriate to oneself, to reach after, to strive to obtain, to collect a due, to admit, to receive what is offered, not to refuse, to give one access to oneself, to choose, select, to prove anything, experience, to receive what is given, to gain, get, obtain; to take

Reconciliation (katallage [2643]):

to change in the extreme, a reconciliation from a state of enmity to one of friendship; exchange of equivalent value, adjustment of a difference, restoration to favor; exchange, restoration to divine favor

 

Paraphrase: (7/27/00)

6 At the right time, while we were incapable of helping ourselves, while we were still ungodly, Christ died for us. 7 Nobody would consider dying for a righteous man, except perhaps for one who was extremely good - then perhaps one might be willing to die for them. 8 By contrast, God showed us how much He loved us in that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, and couldn't possibly be considered good. 9 If He was willing to do this when we were in such a state, how much more certain can we be that we are safe from His wrath as He has declared us justified? 10 For if we were reconciled to God through His Son's death while we were His enemies, most certainly we shall be saved by His life, in whose death we were reconciled. 11 Further, we have even greater cause to exult in God through our Lord Jesus, through whom this reconciliation has been received by us.

Key Verse: (7/27/00)

5:10 - justified by His death, and saved by His life. This is the foundation of all our hope and strength

People Mentioned: (7/27/00)

N/A

Some Parallel Verses (7/30/00-7/31/01)

5:6

Gal 4:4 - God sent His Son to the world at the right time. Ro 4:25 - Christ died for our sins, and was raised to accomplish our justification. Ro 8:32 - Having delivered His Son to death for us, we can be assured that He will give us all things. Gal 2:20 - Having been crucified with Christ and become dead to sin, the life we now live is by faith in the Son of God who delivered Himself to death for us. Eph 5:2 - Christ loved us and offered Himself up for us as a sacrifice to God.

5:7
5:8

Ro 3:5 - Does our unrighteousness somehow demonstrate God's righteousness? Jn 3:16 - God loved us so much that He was willing to give up His only Son to save us. Jn 15:13 - No greater love can anyone have than to die for a friend. Ro 8:39 - Nothing can separate us from God's love. Nothing. Ro 4:25 - Christ was delivered to death for our sins and raised to life to justify us. Ro 8:32 - If God was willing to give His own Son for us, what won't He do for us? Gal 2:20 - We have died with Christ, and so the life we live is by faith in Christ who died for us. Eph 5:2 - We are to walk in the same love Christ had, who gave Himself up for us as an atoning sacrifice

5:9

Ro 3:25 - God made public display of His Son as the propitiation for our sins. Ro 1:18 - His wrath is revealed against all unrighteousness, and all suppression of the truth. 1Th 1:10 - We await His Son, who was raised from death and who delivers us from God's coming wrath.

5:10

Ro 11:28 - Although at enmity with the Gospel, still the Jews remain God's chosen people. 2Co 5:18 - God reconciled us to Himself, and assigned the ministry of reconciliation in Christ to us. Eph 2:3 - We too used to be sinful children of wrath, Col 1:21 - alienated from God and hostile to Him in our thoughts, engaged in evildoing. Ro 8:34 - Christ who died and was raised again to God's right hand is the one who intercedes for us. Heb 7:25 - He, who lives forever, making intercession for us, is able to save forever those who trust Him. 1Jn 2:1 - When we slip into sin, we have an Advocate [our lawyer] in Christ the righteous.

5:11

Ro 8:23 - Not only does creation hunger for renewal, be we ourselves hunger for the day of our own adoption and redemption. Ro 9:10 - Not only did Sarah have her promised son, but in Rebekah, too, God made his choice of heritage. 2Co 8:19 - Not only was Titus' reputation known to the church, but he was also appointed to missions work to God's glory. Ro 11:15 - Because of Israel's sins, salvation has been made available to the Gentiles, through whom the Jews will be made jealous unto their own salvation. 2Co 5:18-19 - God has reconciled us to Himself in Christ, no longer counting our sins against us. He has also committed to us [the Church] the ministration of this reconciliation to others who have not yet received it.

 

New Thoughts (8/1/00)

Reconciliation. God reaching out to change us. Changing us radically, from being active enemies of all He is to being dear friends of His, even declared as His children! This is what we have in Christ. This is what we are called to give out. The highest purpose of the Church has got to be giving out God's reconciliation This is the adjunct of propitiation - the reason for it. God looked upon us, and knew we could never find it in ourselves to seek Him, that the only reason we couldn't find Him was because we refused to look. So He took upon Himself the responsibility of reconciling us to Himself, of "finding" us. Not that He had lost track of us, He'd been beside us all along. But He made Himself known to us as the Father He is, and we, in our weak understanding, think we have found Him. But it's been You all along, God. You who has been molding and making me, changing me from the inside out. God, why am I so timid in sharing that reconciliation with those around me? Help me to become sensitive to Your leading, Lord, to know the right time and to allow You to speak through me the right Word. This ministry You have left us with, and of course any ministry is a responsibility. You have trusted us to carry Your work forward in this time and place, oh God. Help us, help me, to take that responsibility to heart.