To what can you compare the death of Jesus Christ? Paul's words leave us completely tongue-tied to answer; we are speechless! Christ's death is beyond compare because it is based on God's love beyond com­pare. Already in human terms and experience, Christ's death was unlike any other death. Verse 7 says, "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man some­one might possibly dare to die." What does Paul mean by this? Can we know who this righteous person is? Or who is this good man? And how do they figure into Paul's discussion about the great love of God?

It's rare for someone to give up his life for anyone else. It is very difficult to sacrifice our life for another, for our child, or our Mom or Dad. We love our own life so much. We are deep­ly attached to this world. The apostle constructs a hypothetical situation, a scenario for the sake of discus­sion. There is a righteous man. And let's not think that Paul has in mind someone who is righteous before God, justified by faith. He is thinking of a man belonging to the community. This man is righteous, blameless in the eyes of the law. He is honest in his business practices. He is respectful to­ward others. He is a model citizen. It would be rare, Paul says, for someone to die for him. It might happen, but only because of the character of the righteous man. At least he might be worth dying for. But only a few would offer to die for such a person.

Paul goes on to say that perhaps for a good man someone might pos­sibly dare to die. This good man is dif­ferent from the righteous man. Right­eous men are a dime a dozen; you find them all over. They are both unbeliev­ers and believers. They do what they are obligated to do. But there is some­thing different about the good man. He goes over and above what the laws of the land require. He gives more than just respect to his fellow man, he does what he can to promote the character and honour of his fellow man!

So the righteous man is obedient to the law; he lives above reproach. But the good man does noteworthy, honour-worthy, praise-worthy things! Such a man's goodness would be worth dying for. Someone might be willing, because of their love for this man, to give their life for him. But even that takes great courage.

Paul's point? You'll be hard-pressed to find this kind of self-sac­rificing love among people. It is extremely difficult and very rare for anyone to reach within himself and produce this kind of love for someone else. No one easily gives up his life.

For us, we may not consider our­selves as either good or righteous. We were so far off the mark; we had for­saken fellowship with our God. From our at-one-time-good status before God, we plummeted headlong into the status of "bad," "evil" people. For some­one to die for us — not worth it at all! Yet this is where the love of Christ becomes manifest: While we were still sinners, wicked, evil people, Christ gave him­self up for us. He died to set us free. What amazing love! Christ came into this world to bring not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He came not to seek the good, he came for the lost. Christ died for the powerless and un­godly. Our only hope for salvation is in the love of God, shown in the incompar­able death of Jesus Christ.

This love is beyond compare. The love of God is nothing like the best kind of love that man might know or be able to produce. None of us can say, "I know someone in my life who loves like this." It is divine, unique, in its own category. It is from our sover­eign, gracious God.

Paul wants us to try and compare the love of God so that we might see just how incomparable it really is. Also so that we might grow in our trust and hope in God above, from whom this love flows so remarkably, so overwhelmingly. You won't find it in a righteous man; you won't find it in a good man. It comes from God alone, portrayed in such a unique fashion on the cross, for our sal­vation. What a death! What a love! What a God and Saviour!