How We Know God Loves Us
The Objective Proof in Romans 5:6-8
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
How do you know that someone loves you?
I know my wife loves me because she pays attention to which meals I enjoy, then makes them again simply because she knows I liked them.
I know when someone loves my daughters—they stoop down and speak to them at their level, meeting them where they are.
These people might say "I love you," but they almost don't have to. The classic line rings true: actions speak louder than words.
One of the greatest blessings Christians have is knowing we are loved by God. He cares for us, protects us, and shepherds us through every season of life.
But how do you know that God loves you?
Paul gives us the answer in Romans 5:6-8. While the previous verse speaks of the subjective proof of God's love through the Holy Spirit dwelling in believers, these verses provide something even more concrete: the objective display of God's love is that Christ died for us.
Paul makes his case through three distinct truths that build upon each other:
1. Decent People Are Only Sometimes Worth Dying For
"For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die" (Romans 5:7)
Paul begins with human love at its highest expression. Occasionally—rarely—someone might sacrifice their life for another person. But that person would certainly be righteous, good, or deeply loved by the one making the sacrifice.
You might risk your life for your child, your spouse, or a dear friend. Jesus himself acknowledged this in John 15:13: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."
This is the pinnacle of human love—dying for someone who is worthy, someone who is good, someone who matters deeply to you. It's heroic, but it makes sense. We've all seen the movies about soldiers throwing themselves on grenades to save their comrades. That kind of sacrifice stirs something deep within us because we understand it.
But Paul isn't setting up this comparison to celebrate human love. He's preparing us for something that will turn our understanding upside down.
2. You Weren't Worth Dying For
"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly... while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:6, 8)
Here's where Paul's argument becomes personal. Look at how Scripture describes every person before salvation: "weak, ungodly sinners." Not one of us was good or righteous when Christ died for us.
We Were Weak
Feeble, powerless, utterly helpless, without strength—unable to accomplish our own salvation. Paul's entire argument in Romans has been that no one possesses the righteousness necessary for salvation. The wages of sin is death, and it's a debt we are too weak to pay.
Think of the woman in Mark 5 who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. She had spent everything on physicians but only grew worse. In desperation, she reached out just to touch the fringe of Jesus' garment—and was completely healed. She was weak and helpless. So were you.
We Were Ungodly
The word means godless or impious. This is the spiritual deadness Paul describes in Ephesians 2:1-3—walking "following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air... carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath."
The Westminster Confession puts it starkly: we are "utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil."
We Were Sinners
Not merely flawed or misguided, but as R.C. Sproul described: "utterly vile; worthless; actively disobedient; in a state of rebellion; hostile to God; refusing to submit to, or love, or worship God."
Psalm 14 captures this universal condition: "The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one."
Do you understand who you were?
Weak—unable to save yourself from God's righteous wrath.
Ungodly—disinclined toward goodness, willingly rebellious against your Creator.
Sinner—destined for judgment and condemnation.
Paul's logic is building: decent people are rarely worth dying for, and we were never decent people.
3. Christ Died for You
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
Here is the thunderbolt that changes everything.
As sinners, we deserve to die. "The soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:20). "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). You owe a penalty for your sin—everlasting punishment under God's righteous wrath. And you cannot save yourself.
Without understanding this, the love of God displayed in Christ means nothing.
But here's what happened: "God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him" (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).
Imagine that soldier throwing himself on a grenade—not to save his comrades, but to save enemy soldiers. Not to save the innocent, but to save traitors who had been actively working against him. That's something altogether different. That's the kind of love Paul is describing here.
Christ died not for his friends, but for his enemies. And he did this for you.
As Geoffrey Wilson wrote: "The amazing character of God's love thus lies in the fact that it was exercised towards those whose natural condition was absolutely repugnant to His holiness."
What This Means for You
If Christ died for you—not because you were good, not because you were worthy, but because of God's great love—this demands a response.
Believe and Be Saved
"The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15). The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
Christ died so that you might escape God’s wrath and live. Believe on the Lord Jesus.
Know That This Love Isn't Based on Your Qualities
John Murray reminds us: "The love of which the death of Christ is the expression and provision is a love exercised to you as ungodly. It is not a love constrained by commendable qualities in you, not even by the qualities which you might one day exhibit by the power of God's grace."
Nothing in you beckoned God to save you. Nothing in you keeps him close. Everything the Lord has given you is because of nothing in you and entirely because of his marvelous grace.
Rejoice and Be Glad
Christian, do you see the great love of God for you? "He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:10-12).
Love like this rightly draws forth joy and gladness from the one who receives it.
Turn from Sin and Repent
If you're stuck in sin, let the love of God draw you near to Him in humble repentance. Hear God's call: "Return to me with all your heart... Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love" (Joel 2:12-13).
The Objective Proof
We were not righteous or good; we were weak, ungodly sinners. And yet Christ died for us. This is Paul's goal—for you to see the love of God in the death of Christ.
You don't have to wonder if God loves you. You don't have to search for subjective feelings or mystical experiences. The proof is objective, historical, and unchanging: while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you.