Romans 5:9

Romans 5:9. Much more therefore. The inference from God's love as displayed in the death of Christ (Romans 5:6-8), is the assurance of full salvation. An argument from the greater to the less. ‘If Christ died for His enemies, He will surely save His friends' (Hodge).

Being now justified, or, ‘having been justified,' at the present time, ‘now,' in contrast with ‘while we were yet sinners' (Romans 5:8).

By his blood, lit., ‘in.' A concrete expression for the atoning death of Christ, which is the meritorious cause of our justification (comp. chap. Romans 3:25).

Saved through him from the wrath. That this means the wrath of God admits of no doubt. The full final escape from wrath, at the last judgment, is suggested, but this is only a negative expression for ‘the hope of the glory of God' (Romans 5:2); there being no middle position between objects of wrath and heirs of glory. The Apostle thus joins together the certainty of salvation with the fact of God's wrath against sin and the certainty of its execution upon unbelieving sinners. As respects the word wrath, ‘it denotes a personal emotion, and not merely an abstract attribute. A divine emotion is a divine attribute in energy. In relation to it, the oblation of Christ is called “propitiation” (1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). The feeling of anger towards sin is not incompatible with the feeling of com-passionate benevolence (Romans 5:7) towards the sinner. The very Being who is displeased, is the very same Being who, through a placatory atonement of His own providing, saves from the displeasure' (Shedd).