But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
This passage shows us that we are sinners deserving of judgement, AND we are loved by God. Are you fully convinced of both statements? If we aren't convinced of both, we nullify the work of Christ. When we say we aren't loved, we say we weren't worth dying for. When we think we have it all together, we say that Christ didn't need to die.
Christ needed to die because of sin. Without the shedding of blood there isn't remission or forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22). We are a mess and sinful. We are aware that we aren't perfect, but are we convinced that we sinful and deserve the consequences of sin? God is a righteous judge, and we are worthy of His judgement because He is holy and we are not.
Christ needed to die and Christ desired to die. He wanted to give His life for our sins because of His love toward us. God loved us while we were sinners. There isn't anything that you need to do to make yourself presentable or acceptable for this love. You are loved in your sin and in your mess. His mercy endures forever. There is nothing we can do that will separate us from the love of Christ.
If we aren't convinced of sin, we fall victim to pride. If we aren't convinced of His love, we succumb to low self worth.
Yes, God is a judge, but He is merciful.
We are sinners, but redeemed sinners by His love.
-Sheyonna Watson