Romans 5:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

NIV: Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

NASB: Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

CSB: How much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath.

NLT: And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.

KJV: Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

NKJV: Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

This and the following verse say very similar things. Paul often repeats words and ideas in his letters to emphasize how important they are. He begins by saying that we have now been justified by Christ's blood. To be "justified" in God's eyes means to be "declared righteous," or to be made right with God. This is important, since earlier verses have made it clear that we are not, actually "righteous" people. Based on our actions and attitudes, we are not "good." In order to be reconciled to God, we need to be forgiven, and "declared" as righteous; this is what it means to be justified.

The way that we were justified is by Christ's blood, by His death for our sin on the cross. In fact, Paul has shown that there is no other way to become right with God than by Christ's death for us. Since that is true, Paul writes that it is even more true that we will be saved by Christ from the wrath of God.

We need to be careful how we read this. Paul is not implying that there is a question about whether those who are in Christ will experience God's wrathful, angry judgment on sin. Those who have expressed saving faith—true believers—absolutely will not. Instead, Paul is simply arguing that the second idea is obvious, once the first is accepted. Writing today, Paul might have said, "Since A is true, then B is really, really true." Both ideas are connected, and both are true.

In other words, those who are justified in God's eyes, through faith in what Christ has done, will certainly never suffer God's wrath for our sin. This is the context of Paul's use of the word "we" in this passage: those who are saved by grace through faith.

Romans 5:1–11 describes the amazing benefits that come with being declared righteous before God by faith in Christ's death for our sin. God has made peace with us. We stand in His grace, and we rejoice in the sure hope that we will share in His glory. Our suffering brings growth, which leads to even more potent hope. God has proven His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We are saved from God's wrath and reconciled to God in Christ.

Romans 5 begins by describing some of the benefits that come with being declared righteous by God because of our faith in Christ. We have peace with God, and we stand in His grace. We rejoice both in the hope of God's glory and in our temporary suffering. We have hope that will not disappoint, because God has already proved His love for us. Paul then compares the work of Adam in bringing sin and death into the world with the work of Christ in dying for sin in order to offer God's free gift of grace to all who believe.

After proving that all men are guilty of sin and incapable of earning salvation, Paul explained how faith—not works—is the means by which God declares us righteous. Romans 5 begins with a powerful, joyful revelation of all that comes with being justified in God's eyes by our faith in Christ. We have peace with God. We stand in God's grace. We have hope for eternal glory and meaning in our current suffering. God has proven His love for us in the death of Christ for our sin while we were still sinners. Adam introduced sin and death to the world, and they continue. Christ, though, by dying for our sin brought God's grace to all who believe. The next chapter begins by refuting a common misconception about salvation by grace through faith.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.