For the past week or so, my morning devotional time has consisted of reading through the Pauline Epistles. I decided that since I'm studying the Pastoral Epistles, I need to get familiar with the Greek of the other Paulines. So I'm fumbling my way through them. Today was time for Rom 5.1-11. This, of course, includes Rom 5.6-8. The indenting below is mine; it is not (directly) based on any syntactic or grammatic theory.

The similarity between the end of v. 6 and the end of v. 8 grabbed me this morning. I've made those parts bold.

ἔτι γὰρ Χριστὸς ὄντων ἡμῶν ἀσθενῶν
   ἔτι κατὰ καιρὸν
      ὑπὲρ ἀσεβῶν ἀπέθανεν.

μόλις γὰρ ὑπὲρ δικαίου τις ἀποθανεῖται·
   ὑπὲρ γὰρ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τάχα τις καὶ τολμᾷ ἀποθανεῖν·

συνίστησιν δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἀγάπην εἰς ἡμᾶς ὁ θεός,
   ὅτι ἔτι ἁμαρτωλῶν ὄντων ἡμῶν
      Χριστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀπέθανεν.

The statement is basically the same, substituting "us" for "(the) ungodly". Here it is in the ESV:

For while we were still weak, 
   at the right time 
      Christ died for the ungodly.

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person— 
   though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—

but God shows his love for us 
   in that while we were still sinners, 
      Christ died for us.

Imagine you're reading this text for the first time. Perhaps you are. Isn't it incredible?

The first bit states that "Christ died for the ungodly", alluding to the fact that we are the ones who are ungodly but not explicitly saying it. A short interlude about how dying on behalf of someone good is thinkable, implying that dying for the ungodly (something Christ has done) is unthinkable.

Then Paul brings it home: Christ did the unthinkable. Christ died for us.

While we were weak, Christ died for us.
While we were ungodly, Christ died for us.
While we were not good, Christ died for us.
While we were sinners, Christ died for us.

We're the ungodly ones he died for. We're the ungodly ones God shows his love to in this incredible way.

To end this post, let's not forget Rom 5.9-11, again in the ESV:

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.