“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” - Romans 5:8 (NIV)
Take notice in today’s verse that the word “demonstrates” is in the present tense and the word “died” is in the past tense. “God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Why did Paul used the present tense, instead of the past, “God demonstrated?” Was not the death of Christ, when it happened, the ultimate demonstration of God’s love? And did not that demonstration happen in the past? The present tense implies that this demonstrating is an ongoing act that keeps happening today. And will keep happening tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. God continues to demonstrate His love to happen. And so, we should keep this in the front of our minds. Even when things are tough, frightening, confusing and discouraging. God sent Christ to die not after we believed but before, because of His unending love. The past tense “died” implies that the death of Christ happened once for all and will not be repeated. But he also knows that this past love must be experienced as a present reality (today and tomorrow) if we are to have patience and character and hope.
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Material for this blog was gleaned from Dr John Piper’s Desiring God
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