“If a person with a gun came in here and said, 'I will kill everyone in this room. However, if someone dies willingly, I won't kill anyone else.”
They continued, “Raise your hand if you are willing to save everyone else here.”
We were about 12 years old and all the boys raised their hands. None of the girls raised their hands and I realized later they were smarter than we were.
“Okay, how many would be willing to save just your friends in this class?”
Once again, all the boys raised their hands.
“What if there were people in this room you didn't like? What if someone in here has been mean to you? Are you willing to die for them?”
Not a single person in the room raised their hands.
“This is what Jesus did. Romans 5:8 says, 'But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' Jesus died for us while we were his enemies.”
Paul conceded that some may be willing to die for a righteous person, although even that would be a rare occurrence. I wish I could say I was noble, but there are much fewer people I would die for now because I have lived long enough to experience some excruciating pain. Dying willingly, especially for someone who doesn't love me, probably ain't happening. Yet, Jesus died for his enemies knowing full well the sins they had already committed and the future sins of those who hadn't been born. Jesus died for his enemies. He died for your enemies and their's.