Even then

 

오늘의 묵상 (롬5:6~11)

 

 

6. 우리가 아직 연약할 때에, 그리스도께서 시의 적절할 때에 경건하지 않은 사람들을 위해 죽으셨습니다.

 

7. 의인을 위해 죽는 사람은 거의 없습니다. 간혹 선한 사람을 위해 죽겠다고 나서는 사람이 있을는지는 모르겠습니다.

 

8. 그런데 그리스도께서는 우리가 아직 죄인이었을 때에 우리를 위해 죽으셨습니다. 이것으로써 하나님께서는 우리를 향한 그분의 사랑을 나타내셨습니다.

 

9. 그러므로 우리는 그리스도의 피로 말미암아 의롭다 함을 얻었으므로, 우리가 그리스도를 통해 하나님의 진노로부터 구원을 받을 것은 더욱 확실합니다.

 

10. 우리가 하나님과 원수가 되었을 때도, 그리스도의 죽음을 통해 하나님과 화해하게 되었다면, 이렇게 하나님과 화목을 누리고 있는 사람들이 그분의 생명으로 말미암아 구원을 받게 될 것은 더욱 확실합니다.

 

11. 이뿐만 아니라, 우리는 이제 우리 주 예수 그리스도를 통해 하나님 안에서 즐거워합니다. 예수 그리스도로 말미암아 이제 우리는 하나님과 화해하게 되었습니다.

 

 

 

 

 

EVEN THEN

 

 

But God demonstrates his own love for us: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8)

 

 

There was a time when my life was shattered into so many pieces, I was confounded. I wanted to go to church, but I felt I was just too messed up. I wanted to fix a few things, tidy up my life a bit first. To my dismay, the harder I tried to restore the broken places, the more things fell apart.

 

The love of God drew me to His presence in my demolished condition. I repented and discovered a new start in Him. Areas I had tried to patch together for years were healed and restored. God brought new order, and I am forever grateful to Him for rescuing me from a world of corruption.

 

As I look back on those dark days, I realize that what impacted me the most was the reality of God's love. Standing before Him, feeling unworthy and undone, I was lavished with the most powerful presence of love. My memory was flooded with all my failures. But as I recalled each one, God assured me without hesitation that even then, He loved me.

 

God's love for us is not born when we finally decide to surrender our lives to Him. The psalms speak of God's “unfailing” love, His “eternal” love, and His “enduring” love. Before we knew  Him, when we had wandered far from Him, God loved us—even then.

 

—Jeri Darby

 

 

Cast aside feelings of unworthiness and embrace God's eternal love.