Romans 5:6-11 doesn't start well. It calls us powerless, ungodly, sinners, enemies of God. We're spiritually bankrupt, down and out for the count. No amount of effort, morality, or religion can fix this problem.

But here's the beauty: we're more sinful and flawed than we dare believe, yet more loved and accepted in Jesus than we dare hope for.

Jesus doesn't die for His friends, He dies for His enemies. At just the right time, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This wasn't God reacting. From day one, God planned to send His Son to die on the cross to take our sin so we'd be forgiven and made right.

Jai shows how everything in the Old Testament pointed to this moment, with hundreds of prophecies fulfilled. Jesus steps in as our substitute, absorbing the punishment we deserve. Our holy, just God can't shrug at sin. Justice demands payment. Sin creates a debt we can never pay. There's always a cost. Jesus took it on Himself.

The essence of sin is substituting ourselves for God. The essence of salvation is God substituting Himself for us. At the cross, justice and love meet in perfect harmony.

We've been justified by His blood, saved from God's wrath, reconciled. We're no longer enemies,we're children of the King. What do we do? Repent and believe. Receive what's been done for us.