“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” – Romans 5:6 NLT
On August 5, 2010, a cave-in at the San José copper-gold mine in northern Chile trapped thirty-three miners about 2,300 feet underground. They were completely cut off, with limited food and water, no sunlight, and no way to escape or call for help. Their situation seemed hopeless until a complex international rescue effort was launched. Thankfully, after sixty-nine days, all thirty-three miners were brought out alive. This became one of the most extraordinary rescue operations in modern history.
You must understand that just like those miners couldn’t save themselves and had to be rescued, humanity couldn’t climb out of sin or death on its own without intervention. God had to intervene through Christ.
It all started when Adam disobeyed God (Genesis 3). As a result, sin entered the world, causing every human descendant of Adam to share in the same consequence (Romans 5:12).
However, sin goes beyond breaking a rule; it is a different reality. It is the rupture of man’s relationship with God (Isaiah 59:2), the corruption of human nature (Romans 7:18), and the introduction of death, both spiritually and physically (Romans 6:23, Genesis 3:19). Sin isn’t just an action; it’s a condition. Sin means to miss the mark. We didn’t just fall; we fell short. The Greek word for sin, hamartia, literally means “to miss the mark”—like an arrow missing its target. This implies being off course, off purpose and lost from God’s intended design. This is the reality of anyone without Christ.
This is why grace had to show up in the person of Jesus (Titus 2:11). Our efforts can’t save us. If anything, they only keep proving how utterly helpless we are. Can a dead man raise himself from the dead? No. He’ll require a life-giving Saviour to quicken his spirit, and no one else gives life but God Himself.
So, what does salvation mean? It is God’s sovereign intervention, despite man’s utter helplessness, to save us from the power and penalty of sin through Christ alone, unto eternal life (Romans 5:6-11).
Through Adam, humanity was condemned to death and eternal separation from God. But through Christ, we are made righteous and eternally saved from the consequences and power of sin (Romans 5:17–20; Romans 6:14; 8:1–2; Titus 3:5–7).
Until a person acknowledges their helplessness, they can’t value the life Christ offers. Until man admits that he is lost, he won’t embrace the One who came to find him. We all missed the mark, but Christ hit the bullseye on our behalf. The only hope humanity has is Christ alone (Acts 4:12, John 14:6).
Bible Reading Plan: 2 Samuel 1-3; Mark 13:1-31