Romans 5:8-11 - How much more - by Ken Clezy

Rom 5:8-11 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

In Ro 5:7 Paul has said how much more we are saved now by the living Christ. He doesn’t waste words, so his expansion on this thought in the following verses 8 to 11 must be important. He says while we were God’s enemies we were reconciled to him by the death of his son. Yet elsewhere he says that in his pre-Christian days he was blameless in respect of the law. He is saying that the contrast is so great that he has no other word but to describe himself as having been God’s enemy. The word ‘we’ is inclusive, so he is saying that those of us who are gentile believers must have been even further from God than he was (unless, I think, we have the priceless blessing of having been brought up in a Christian family.)

He goes on to say we rejoice in God through Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. The word ‘now’ indicates that Paul believes our reconciliation is more than our salvation at some past date; it is ongoing. That is, the living Christ is continuing to save us by praying to the Father for us, giving us wisdom when we ask for it and guiding us by the Holy Spirit. If we are conscious of this huge blessing, virtually on a daily basis, we can say with Paul that we are in Christ.

This isn’t a state for elite Christians but should be the experience of us all. So let us make a habit of thanking God for it.