“While we were sinners, Christ died for us” means He has accepted us completely as we are. It doesn’t make sense; it doesn’t seem fair. Why would God accept us completely while still sinners? The answer is cosmically astonishing: Because of His love toward us.
God’s justice was satisfied in Jesus. Jesus’ death merited for us what we could never merit for ourselves. God’s acceptance of us is not rooted in our behavior. Its foundation is the cross.
All that remains for every human is to receive His acceptance by faith. His complete acceptance of us has been fully provided, if we will only receive it. It is tragic that many reject such an amazing gift. But it is also sad that those of us who accept this free gift behave as though it must still be earned.
God’s love is a love that cannot be earned or lost. So we can relax a little. God will never reject us. His love is too great. What to do then? It depends on the perspective we choose.
If we adopt the truth of the Bible as our perspective, we realize that what the world calls “life” is actually “death.” We see that our self-interest is best served by faithful obedience in serving Christ. This is the way to experience our best and most fulfilled life. We know we are accepted, so we now have a foundation from which to pursue what is truly best for ourselves.