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Romans 5:8 Original: συνιστησιν δε την εαυτου αγαπην εις ημας ο θεος οτι ετι αμαρτωλων οντων ημων χριστος υπερ ημων απεθανεν Literal: But God demonstrates His own love to us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ on our behalf died. |
Now Christ died for people who were sinners. They were not asking for salvation and were even opposed to it. It was these people for whom Christ came, gave His life as a substitute, and took the punishment which they deserved.
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Romans 5:9 Original: πολλω ουν μαλλον δικαιωθεντες νυν εν τω αιματι αυτου σωθησομεθα δι αυτου απο της οργης Literal: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved through Him from the wrath. |
Now think about that. If God through Jesus did all this, then is it really conceivable that He would sentence us to hell when we stand before Him on that last great day of judgment? |
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Romans 5:10 Original: ει γαρ εχθροι οντες κατηλλαγημεν τω θεω δια του θανατου του υιου αυτου πολλω μαλλον καταλλαγεντες σωθησομεθα εν τη ζωη αυτου Literal: For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life |
Think about this in another way. We were God’s enemies. We had rebelled against Him, and God’s wrath was perfectly just against us. In spite of that, God sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, to die and to be a sin-offering for His people. Because of Jesus’ death, God’s wrath is now turned away and His perfect justice is satisfied. There is no longer any legal obstacle standing in the way of God saving anyone. Of course, people still hate God and aren’t interested laying aside their enmity against God. For all that, however, God’s wrath and justice has been dealt with once and for all at the cross of Calvary. Now I ask you again; if God did all that for us through Jesus dying, then is it really conceivable that He will not go on to save us by Jesus’ life? And when I say “Jesus’ life”, I mean the powerful kind of life that Jesus had after His resurrection. |
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Romans 5:11 Original: ου μονον δε αλλα και καυχωμενοι εν τω θεω δια του κυριου ημων ιησου | [χριστου] | χριστου | δι ου νυν την καταλλαγην ελαβομεν Literal: and not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. |
and let’s not stop there. Now we can rejoice in God because of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross. Our rejoicing is not only based on what Christ did on the cross in taking away the wrath of God and satisfying His justice, but also that we can now come and lay aside our enmity against God and receive this perfect finished work as a free gift. When we receive lay our hand on this sin-offering, the reconciliation is perfect. God’s anger against us is taken away in the cross of Christ, and our enmity against God is taken away when we come to Christ as a lost and guilty sinner and put or trust in Him. |