Before we move into the next section, it is vital that we fully understand the foundational thoughts laid out for us at the beginning of this chapter.  We learned that we were justified, made right with God, by Jesus role in the good news.  We cannot really appreciate the next section, unless we fully grasp what we have received in that justification.

Paul uses the term “in Christ” multiple times in the beginning of this chapter.  We learned that we have access now, that the curtain has been torn, but we need to fully understand that Jesus is the mediator between God and man. That is the channel that the term “through Christ” means. Verses six through eleven continue to unfold the great blessing God gives us…

Romans 5:6-11

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— ⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. ¹¹ More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. – Romans 5:6-11 ESV

Can you name some of the things we receive through Christ?

Verse 1, Verse 2, Verse 9, Verse 10, Verse 11

In verse one we receive peace. Isn’t that a earthly goal we all can never get enough of? If we are going to be on earth and taking on hardships and facing tribulations, we need a lot of peace while we do it.

In verse two we acknowledge that we have received his grace. That is what we did not deserve and safety from what we do deserve.

In verse nine, we realize that we are saved from God’s wrath. Many churches and preachers have gotten away from the topic of God’s wrath. Many people do not even want anything to do with people or messages that talk about God’s judgement, hell, or his wrath.  The sad truth of the matter is that God’s wrath is real.  We need to realize that if God’s wrath is not real, why did Jesus die? If there is no judgement for sin and hell is not real, do you really think that God would kill his son for no reason? It is so important to God and so serious that God sent his son to earth to redeem his adopted children from the wrath sentenced in Genesis chapter 3.

Do not defend the love of God by denying the wrath of God – J.Piper

So many times people have good intentions to share the Gospel with others and to encourage them to follow God, but they characterize God as all loving, non-judgmental, come as you are, just love each other. We need to understand that when we do that we actually diminish the actual love of God.  When we don’t explain the seriousness of sin and hell, we kind of make God look like a fool by allowing Jesus to die.  If there is no wrath, what is God saving us from?

Some people say that Jesus died to save us from ourselves. Let us not discredit God so fast.  We still have free will and can just as easily injure ourselves now as after we accepted Christ as our savior.

In verse ten, we are reconciled and saved by Jesus’ death.  Jesus could not reconcile us to God by killing himself. God had to save us by imputing our sins into Jesus and put them to death. It was so much more than just Jesus dying.  It was the sins of the world that were dissolved in the day on the cross.

Verse 11 puts the bow on the idea of reconciliation. If we don’t realize how far away we were from God, we cannot fathom the idea of reconciliation.

What does it mean to be reconciled to God?

¹⁴ For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us, ¹⁵ By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace. ¹⁶ And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end. – Ephesians 2:14-16 AMP

¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. – Colossians 1:19-20

The Hope of Glory

In verse two the gem is tucked away. The hope of the glory of God. Not the glory of us. Not the glory of our relationship, but all him, God. The glory of God. The hope of the glory of God refers to the promise that Christians will be glorified and perfected at the last day—a hope that results in joy.

²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. – Matthew 16:27 ESV

¹⁶ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. ¹⁸ Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. ¹⁹ For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. – Romans 8:16-19 NLT

²³ And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children,including the new bodies he has promised us. – Romans 8:23 NLT

⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. – Colossians 3:4 ESV

² Dear friends, now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is. – 1 John 3:2 NCV

At night when I reflect on how challenging the day has been. How many times I have made the wrong decisions, what I could have done better, I realize just how powerful and loving God is. It is in those times when I realize how costly my life has been. Not only focusing on my wrongs, but on how immense the reconciliation is by Jesus death on the cross.

How is God’s love for us so amazingly different than any human love?

⁶ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—⁸ but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:6-8 ESV

Have you ever experienced indescribable blessings that you could not expect or even ask for? Has someone shown you love like no other?

What do God’s past actions on our behalf tell us about our future?

How do you do when it comes to loving your enemies? Can you at least pray for your enemies?

Do we fully realize that before we accepted Jesus as our savior, we were his enemy.  Can you see your whole approach to your enemies? We need to grasp the idea that Jesus actually died for his enemies, us. When we struggle to forgive someone or to not respond in negative ways, we need to reflect on the cross.  Jesus did not hang there on the cross for only his friends. Remember, Peter denied him three times on the way to the cross. Jesus died for Peter. He suffered the humiliation and pain for his enemies.  For the same ones that actually tortured him.

If God saved us when we were enemies, surely he will keep on saving us now that we are his children!

⁵⁴ The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!” – Matthew 27:54 NLT

There will be a time when every knee will bow. Our stubborness and our pride tries to indicate that we are in control and that we can deal with life and call upon his name when we get tired and weary. But we must also remember what Jesus preached in Matthew chapter 7, verse 21.

Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’ – Matthew 7:21-23 MSG