“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6 ESV).
Different renditions of this text describe the unregenerate state of humanity in a variety of ways. For example, the KJV uses the term “without strength.” Several translations favor the word “helpless.” The Phillips translation employs the word “powerless,” while the ESV uses the term “weak,” as seen above. These translations underscore our collective inability to save ourselves from ourselves.
That brings us to this reference to “at the right time.” We can understand this phrase in several different ways. First, we can apply this concept on a personal level. The idea is that Christ gave his life to rescue us when we couldn’t rescue ourselves. Much like a lifeguard who intervenes to save a drowning person from imminent death, Jesus came to our rescue at the perfect moment. In this sense, “…God’s supreme act of love came when we were at our most undesirable. ” (1)
We can also say that Jesus did not wait for us to reform ourselves or partake in a religious practice or ceremony before He sacrificed His life on our behalf. Nor did He wait for us to make an attempt to prove our righteousness. If that were true, then salvation would be impossible for anyone. If our righteousness had been sufficient, then Jesus’ death would not have occurred “at the right time.” In fact, it would have been just the opposite, for those who are righteous have no need of His atoning death.
We can also look at this statement from a historical perspective. For instance, Jesus’ death was not an isolated incident, for it took place at a predetermined moment in God’s divine agenda. The Apostle Paul discussed this chronology in his epistle to the churches of Galatia…
“But when the right time finally came, God sent his own Son. He came as the son of a human mother and lived under the Jewish Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might become God’s children” (Galatians 4:4-5 GNT).
Through His incarnation, Jesus entered human history at the right time, the time God appointed as revealed through His Old Testament prophets. In the words of John’s Gospel, “…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
There is another aspect to this historical perspective that relates to human cultural development. We’ll examine how those developments aligned with God’s timetable next.
(1) John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ro 5:6.