Helpless

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ dies for the ungodly”   Romans 5:6

Helpless – The Greek word here (asthenon) comes from a combination word meaning not strong (it is the Greek a which means “not” and the word sthenos – strength).  In the New Testament, this word is most often translated by our English word “weakness”.  There are four different senses of weakness in the New Testament.  This word describes physical weakness in the context of the whole person being weak.  It describes sickness as in the case of Jesus healing the sick.  It describes an inner poverty or incapacity.  Finally, it is used of economic poverty.

In this verse, Paul is speaking of our spiritual incapacity to do anything about our condition of separation from God and from ourselves.  The amazing proclamation of the Bible is that God rescued us precisely because we had absolutely no ability to help ourselves.  Anyone who has honestly faced the reality of an addiction knows exactly this feeling of complete powerlessness.  Admitting that we are weak beyond hope in ourselves is the first step of recovery.  It is important to recognize that many of us have experienced all four meanings of this word.  Our addictions left us physically destroyed, spiritually bankrupt, sick and poor.  Yet Christ died to redeem us from each and every one of those conditions.  Helplessness was our pathway to grace.  How can we ever thank Him enough?  He gave us back living.

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