You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 5:6, NIVArmy Pfc. Garfield McConnell Langhorn, twenty, a devout Christian, was trapped by enemy soldiers in Vietnam. When an enemy grenade landed in front of him and several wounded men, Langhorn didn’t hesitate. He said, “Someone’s got to care!” and he threw himself on the explosive device, absorbing the blast and saving his follow soldiers. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor.1
The Bible says, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8, NIV).
In the Old Testament, Jesus occasionally showed up as the Angel of the Lord, but the New Testament begins with Him actually becoming human, that He might die for us. Think of how you’d feel if you were one of those saved by Pfc. Langhorn’s sacrifice. We should surely feel something akin to that kind of gratitude when we remember what Christ did for us because He cares for us so much.
In love, the Son of God literally gave Himself for me. This puts in personal terms the great transaction of Calvary.
