Christ’s Commitment to us
Romans 5:6–12, 18–21
One has to admire the courage of a woman like Esther. We actually know very little about Esther’s faith. We know her name is a Hebrew form of the name for the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. We know she and her family apparently chose not to return to the land of Israel after the exile. And we know that when she faces her most difficult moment, there is no record of her offering sacrifice or even praying.
We just don’t know how faithful Esther was religiously. What we do know though is how courageous she was. At the moment when it was needed, Esther entered the presence of the great king Ahasuerus, without permission and with the knowledge that doing so was supposed to be a capital offense. Why did she do it? She did it to save her people.
Moses had the boldness to stand up not just to a human king like Ahasuerus but to God Himself. When the Israelites refused to enter the promised land as God had commanded, God had finally had enough. He told Moses He would strike the Israelites with plagues and pestilence, wipe them out and create a new people to serve Him.
It was Moses though who said to God, “You can’t kill Your people; You must pardon them.” Why did Moses do this? Why, especially, did Moses do this given the fact that only moments before the Israelites had threatened to stone him? He did it because the Israelites were his people.
Stepping back, why did God let Himself be persuaded by Moses? Why did He pardon the people rather than destroying them? God did so because the Israelites were His people. The pages of Scripture are filled with examples of God’s chasing after the Israelites, rescuing the Israelites, forgiving the Israelites. Why does God do this? Because the Israelites are His people.
Christ proved He was fully committed by dying for us. (6–8)
What God did for His people in the Old Testament, He did again through His Son, Jesus, in the New Testament. The cross is the pinnacle moment of God’s pursuit of His people. Like Moses’ intervention on behalf of the Israelites, Jesus’ death on the cross was not a death on behalf of worthy people. Paul tells us in Romans 5:8 that “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It was at the moment that we were most unworthy, the moment when we were neck-deep in our rebellion against God that Christ went to the cross on our behalf.
Christ was fully committed to reconciling us to God. (9–11)
The death of Jesus that Paul describes is not one that removes God’s wrath but still leaves us alone and separated from Him. On the contrary, Paul argues that if Christ was willing to die for us while we were in active rebellion against Him, He will certainly finish the job by reconciling us to God completely. Christ’s death has not created a mere cessation of hostilities, a move from a hot war to a cold one. The cross has paved the way for true peace and full reconciliation with God.
Christ was fully committed to giving us eternal life. (12, 18–21)
Adam’s sin opened a doorway to death, and all his descendants have followed his lead in walking through that door. Through His death on the cross though, Christ has opened up another door, a door that leads to life not death.
We know in our hearts that our steps run most quickly to Adam’s deathly door. The same commands of God that can be a “light unto our path” serve as a searing spotlight on us when we violate those commands.
We know our need to find a different path. That is why our hearts also feel the tug toward that other door, that door of life and welcome that Christ has opened for us.
By Jeffery M. Leonard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Samford University
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