My favourite verse in the Bible is Romans 5, verse 8:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
In the previous verse, the Apostle Paul says, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die”.
When I was a kid, I blew up a firecracker in my own face. Dumb! My head was scorched, and my eyes were damaged. It would have been worse except for my thick glasses.
While I was in the hospital, I was told that my grandma had offered to donate her corneas if needed. She would lose her sight so I could be able to see again. That’s what you do for your family. That’s what you do for those you love.
By contrast, my favourite verse shows the magnitude of God’s love – that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
Jesus didn’t die for friends. He didn’t die for good people, who were trying hard to be on God’s side. No. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Before we’d made any move to turn back to God or clean up our act, he loved us.
One of the Bible’s big summary words for the result of this is “justification”. You see it in Romans 5, verses 1 and 9: “since we have been justified…”
To be justified means to be declared not guilty. It’s what happens when the accused is declared innocent. In our case, God’s love means we are forgiven despite being sinners. Jesus’ blood covers all our sins. Everything.
And this justification has benefits now. Verse 1 of chapter 5 says it means we have peace with God. He is not cranky with us for our past. Instead, says verse 2, we have access into grace. We can stand without fear before God and enjoy his presence and pleasure.
Even better, this justification has benefits forever. This is the point of verses 9 and 10, which says twice in future tense that “we shall be saved”! It’s referring to the final day of judgment, when we all have to give God an account for our lives. Every single sin. But if you’ve trusted Jesus and his blood, you have been justified by faith.
And your past justification means that when the heavenly court comes into its final session, future tense, you will be saved. You will be pronounced not guilty for every past sin, and every future sin you are still to commit in this life. The disappointments in discipleship! The struggles with doubt! Whatever it is, Jesus will step forward and say, “I died for this one”.
Romans 5:8 means there is no sin you can commit to make God stop loving you, and there’s no good deed you can do to make him love you any more than he already did at the outset, because he died for us at our worst.
This is what he has done for those he loves. For us.
As we move into 2026, we should preach this gospel to ourselves every day!
The Very Rev Sandy Grant is Dean of St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney.
