God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
One of Paul’s main goals in writing the letter to the Romans was to help them overcome mistrust, discrimination, and conflict in the church between Jews and Gentiles. And in the first seven chapters the way he tackles that problem is by reminding us that we’re all the same: sinners who deserve God’s judgment but instead were given God’s grace.
As Paul says here in Romans 5:8, even while you were still his enemy, God showed his love for you. He could have said, “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” He could have demanded that you re-pay everything you owe him for your rebellion against him. He could have demanded your life as a payment, but instead he sent his son to pay it for you. He loved you!
And God’s love toward us is what motivates us to show the same kind of love toward the people around us. What is it that makes you not want to love someone? Isn’t it often because you think you’re better than them? Maybe they did something wrong and now you think they don’t deserve your love. Or maybe they’re love-vacuums who keep sucking up your love, time, energy, and generosity, and never give anything back in return. They make you say, “I just can’t give them any more love!” Or maybe they’re just annoying. You think, “I’ll let someone else love them.”
But Romans 5:8 obliterates that kind of thinking. It forces every Christian to say, “If Jesus loved me and gave up his life for me when I was his mortal enemy, then I guess I can love someone who’s just a little bit needy or annoying.” The unnatural love of God toward you empowers you to show unnatural love toward the people around you.