Romans 5:9-11 “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.”
In verse eight, Paul has told us that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. God commended His great love toward us through the death of His Son. This was according to the will and purpose of God. Surely, knowing that the only begotten Son of God died for us while we were still in sin is more than enough to cause us to love and serve Him all our days.
Then Paul says “I’m not finished!” There is much more to this great love and what Christ accomplished for us on the cross. We are now justified by His blood. Our only justification before God is in the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other way for us to be justified.
The Greek word translated as “justified” means “to render just or innocent (see Strong’s).” The power in the blood of Jesus Christ to cleanse us from sin is such that we are left in a state of complete innocence before God the Father. Now that we stand innocent before the Father, we have no reason to fear the Father’s wrath. The same blood that made us innocent has delivered us from that righteous anger.
Again, the only source for this deliverance is the blood of Jesus Christ. We cannot but it. We cannot produce it. We cannot demand it. All of this has come to us by the love of God through Jesus Christ.
We were reconciled to God. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines the word “reconcile” as “to call back into union.” Since it was not possible for us to call God into union with us, it must be that Christ’s death called us back into union with God. So, by the death of Jesus Christ, God commended His love toward us, we were made innocent before Him, saved from His wrath, and brought back into union (fellowship) with Him. Surely, that is more than enough reason for us to praise Him!
But Paul says, “I’m still not finished!” Paul points us beyond His death. We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. That reconciliation delivers (saves) us by His life. Because He lives in us, we live move and have our being in Him. We are delivered from being afraid to live because He lives!
But wait; there’s more! Being saved by His live, we joy (rejoice) in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of having to cower before His wrath, we rejoice in His great salvation. Rather than being condemned in sin, sin is condemned in the flesh (Romans 8:3) and we are delivered. In that great deliverance, we are fully restored (atonement) unto God.
May we humble ourselves before God in recognition that His love, our innocence, reconciliation, joy, and restoration all come to us only through the death and life of our Lord Jesus Christ!