While we were estranged from God, in an utterly helpless state, Jesus came to our aide at just the right time. It was as if we were on the river outside the Traitors’ Gate, waiting to be ushered in for final judgment. King Jesus came, not to punish us, but to save us…
6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
Romans 5:6-11 NLT
On the Thames, in front of the Tower of London, there is a gate at the water line which reads, “ENTRY TO THE TRAITORS’ GATE.” The Tower was built in 1078 by King William the Conqueror. It became a place famous for torture and beheadings. If you were a traitor to the king, you would be brought to the Tower on the river for entrance through the Traitor’s Gate.
Traitors and enemies of the king were shown no mercy in William the Conqueror’s time. They were tortured, beheaded, and then if they were lucky, their severed heads were covered in tar and put on display was a warning to others. I understand that William Wallace’s head was covered in tar and hung there. There was no mercy for traitors – no grace for those who opposed the king.
This is not the way it is with King Jesus. In fact, we find out that God showed favour to those who opposed him. He planned this before the creation of the world. You see, God knew full well that by granting his creation the ability to have free will and free choice in this world, that we would turn away from him. We would make ourselves is enemies through our choices which went against his perfect will for us. The result of our choices has been an estrangement from fellowship and unity with the God who made us. The incarnation of Jesus was God’s plan to set in motion the redemption and restoration of the created people whom he loved.
While we were in this state, before Jesus, we were utterly helpless. We needed Jesus and he came to our aide just at the right time. It was as if we were on the river outside the Traitors Gate, waiting to be ushered in for our torture and beheading. We were traitors and King Jesus came, not to have us killed, but to save us (John 3:16-17). Most people would not do anything to save a traitor. You can imagine that no one would stand on the bank of Thames arguing for a traitor’s release. To do so would put you at risk of joining the guilty.
God showed his great love for us by sending Jesus while we were still sinners – while we were still his enemies. We are saved from God’s condemnation, saved through the life of his Son. This is cause for rejoicing because Jesus has made us friends of God.
This is good news for traitors like me and traitors like you.
Amen
Marc Kinna
marckinna 