Romans 5:8

8 but God demonstrates his own love for us, [in] that [while] we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8 Meaning and Commentary

Romans 5:8

But God commendeth his love towards us
That is, he hath manifested it, which was before hid in his heart; he has given clear evidence of it, a full proof and demonstration of it; he has so confirmed it by this instance, that there is no room nor reason to doubt of it; he has illustrated and set it off with the greater lustre by this circumstance of it,

in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
God's elect were sinners in Adam, in whom they were naturally and federally, as all mankind were; hence polluted and guilty; and so they are in their own persons whilst unregenerate: they are dead in sin, and live in it, commit it, are slaves unto it, and are under the power and dominion of it; and many of them are the chief and vilest of sinners; and such they were considered when Christ died for them: but are not God's people sinners after conversion? yes; but sin has not the dominion over them; their life is not a course of sinning, as before; and besides, they are openly justified and pardoned, as well as renewed, and sanctified, and live in newness of life; so that their characters now are taken, not from their worse, but better part. And that before conversion is particularly mentioned here, to illustrate the love of God to them, notwithstanding this their character and condition; and to show that the love of God to them was very early; it anteceded their conversion; it was before the death of Christ for them; yea, it was from everlasting: and also to express the freeness of it, and to make it appear, that it did not arise from any loveliness in them; or from any love in them to him; nor from any works of righteousness done by them, but from his own sovereign will and pleasure.

Romans 5:8 In-Context

6 For [while] we were still helpless, yet at the proper time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For only rarely will someone die on behalf of a righteous person (for on behalf of a good person possibly someone might even dare to die),

8 but God demonstrates his own love for us, [in] that [while] we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

9 Therefore, by much more, [because we] have been declared righteous now by his blood, we will be saved through him from the wrath.

10 For if, [while we] were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, by much more, having been reconciled, we will be saved by his life.

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here "[while]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("were") which is understood as temporal