For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For.
Ezekiel 16:4-8 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all…
Ephesians 2:1-5 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; …
Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
without.
Lamentations 1:6 And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.
Daniel 11:15 So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.
in due time.
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
1 Peter 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Christ.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
ungodly.
Romans 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Romans 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Psalm 1:1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
while we were still powerless
This phrase highlights human inability to achieve righteousness or salvation through our own efforts. The term "powerless" underscores the spiritual helplessness of humanity due to sin. Ephesians 2:1-5 describes humanity as "dead in transgressions and sins," further illustrating our incapacity to save ourselves. This condition necessitates divine intervention, underscoring the need for a Savior. The concept of human powerlessness is a recurring theme in Scripture, emphasizing that salvation is a gift from God, not a result of human works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Christ died for the ungodly
This statement encapsulates the core of the Gospel message: Christ's sacrificial death on behalf of sinners. The term "ungodly" refers to those who are opposed to God, highlighting the depth of God's love and grace. Romans 5:8 further elaborates on this by stating that God demonstrates His love for us in that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." This act of substitutionary atonement is central to Christian theology, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies such as Isaiah 53, which speaks of the suffering servant who bears the sins of many. Christ's death is the ultimate expression of God's love and the means by which reconciliation with God is made possible.
• God’s timing is never accidental. Just as Galatians 4:4 says, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son,” so Romans 5:6 reminds us that the Father orchestrated history so Christ would arrive, live, and die precisely when humanity most needed Him.
• This perfect timing underscores divine sovereignty; the same hand that formed history (Ephesians 1:10) arranged the moment of redemption.
• The verse highlights human inability. Before Jesus intervened, we were “dead in [our] trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), utterly incapable of rescuing ourselves.
• Our moral and spiritual weakness meant we could not earn favor or initiate reconciliation. As Jesus taught, “apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
• The heart of the gospel is substitutionary sacrifice. Paul elsewhere confirms, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3), fulfilling Isaiah 53:5’s prophecy that He was “pierced for our transgressions.”
• His death was not a tragic accident but a deliberate, loving act (John 10:18), satisfying God’s justice and opening the way for forgiveness (1 Peter 3:18).
• The beneficiaries are not the righteous but sinners. Romans 4:5 calls God the One “who justifies the wicked,” and Jesus stated His mission plainly: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17).
• By naming us “ungodly,” Scripture removes any illusion of merit. Grace targets those least deserving, magnifying God’s love (Titus 3:5).
Romans 5:6 announces that at God’s perfectly chosen moment, when we had no strength to save ourselves, Jesus willingly died in our place to rescue the undeserving. This single sentence celebrates divine sovereignty, exposes human helplessness, exalts Christ’s sacrificial love, and assures every sinner that grace is available, not because we are worthy, but because He is.
(6-11) Exposition showing how the love of God comes to have this cogency. That love was evidenced in the death of Christ. And consider what that death was. It is rare enough for one man to die for another--even for a good man. Christ died not for good men, but for sinners, and while they were sinners. If then His death had the power to save us from punishment, it is an easy thing to believe that His life will lead us to glory.(6) For when we were yet . . .--The reading at the beginning of this verse is doubtful. The reading of the Vatican MS. is very attractive, "If at least," "If, as we know to be the fact, Christ died," &c. But, unfortunately, this has not much further external support. If we keep the common reading we must either translate "For, moreover," or we may suppose that there is some confusion between two constructions, and the word translated "yet" came to be repeated.
Without strength.--Powerless to work out our own salvation.
In due time.--Or, in due season. So the Authorised version, rightly. Just at the moment when the forbearance of God (Romans 3:25) had come to an end, His love interposed, through the death of Christ, to save sinners from their merited destruction.
For the ungodly.--The force of the preposition here is "for the benefit of," not "instead of." St. Paul, it is true, holds the doctrine of the vicarious sacrifice of Christ, but this is expressed by such terms as the "propitiation" of Romans 3:25, or the "offering, and sacrifice for us" of Ephesians 5:2, and especially the "ransom for all" of 1Timothy 2:6, not by the use of the preposition. . . .
Verses 6, 7. - For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet (literally,for) peradventure for the good man some would even dare to die. The general purport of ver. 7 is obvious, viz. to show how Christ's death for the ungodly transcends all human instances of self-sacrifice for others. But the exact import of the language used is not equally plain. That of the first clause, indeed, and its connection with what precedes, presents no difficulty. The meaning is that Christ's dying for the ungodly is a proof of love beyond what is common among men. The second clause seems to be added as a concession of what some men may perhaps sometimes be capable cf. It is introduced by a second γὰρ (this being the reading of all the manuscripts), which may be meant as exceptive, "I do not press this without exception," being understood. So Alford; and in this case the "yet" of the Authorized Version, or though, may give its meaning. Or it may be connected with μόλις, thus: "Scarcely, I say, for there may possibly be cases," etc. But what is the distinction between δικαίου in the first clause and τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ in the second? Some interpreters say that there is none, the intention being simply to express the possibility of human self-sacrifice for one that is good or righteous in some rare cases. But the change of the word, which would, according to this view, be purposeless, and still more the insertion of the article before ἀγαθοῦ, forbids this interpretation. One view is that τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ is neuter, meaning that, though for a righteous individual one can hardly be found to be willing to die, yet for the cause of good, for what a man regards as the highest good, or pro bone publico (it might be), such self-sacrifice may be possible; This view is tenable, though against it is the fact that death in behalf of persons is being spoken of all along. The remaining and most commonly accepted view is that by "the good man" (the article pointing him out generally as a well-known type of character) is meant the beneficent - one who inspires attachment and devotion - as opposed to one who is merely just. Cicero ('De Off.,' 3:15) is quoted in support of this distinction between the words: "Si vir bonus is est qui prodest quibus potest, nemini nocet, recte justum virum, bonum non facile reperiemus." Tholuck quotes, as a Greek instance, Κῦρον ἀνακαλοῦντες τὸν εὐεργέτην τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν ἀγαθόν (AElian, 'Var. Histor.,' 3:17). Possibly the term ὁ ἀγαθὸς would have a well-understood meaning to the readers of the Epistle, which is not equally obvious to us.