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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Romans 5:6–21. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The apostle here describes the fountain and foundation of justification, laid in the death of the Lord Jesus. The streams are very sweet, but, if you run them up to the spring-head, you will find it to be Christ's dying for us; it is in the precious stream of Christ's blood that all these privileges come flowing to us: and therefore he enlarges upon this instance of the love of God which is shed abroad. Three things he takes notice of for the explication and illustration of this doctrine: - 1. The persons he died for, Rom 5:6-8. 2. The precious fruits of his death, Rom 5:9-11. 3. The parallel he runs between the communication of sin and death by the first Adam and of righteousness and life by the second Adam, Rom 5:12, to the end.
I.The character we were under when Christ died for us.
1.We were without strength (Rom 5:6), in a sad condition; and, which is worse, altogether unable to help ourselves out of that condition - lost, and no visible way open for our recovery - our condition deplorable, and in a manner desperate; and, therefore our salvation is here said to come in due time. God's time to help and save is when those that are to be saved are without strength, that his own power and grace may be the more magnified, Deu 32:36. It is the manner of God to help at a dead lift,
2.He died for the ungodly; not only helpless creatures, and therefore likely to perish, but guilty sinful creatures, and therefore deserving to perish; not only mean and worthless, but vile and obnoxious, unworthy of such favour with the holy God. Being ungodly, they had need of one to die for them, to satisfy for guilt, and to bring in a righteousness. This he illustrates (Rom 5:7, Rom 5:8) as an unparalleled instance of love; herein God's thoughts and ways were above ours. Compare Joh 15:13, Joh 15:14, Greater love has no man.
(1.)One would hardly die for a righteous man, that is, an innocent man, one that is unjustly condemned; every body will pity such a one, but few will put such a value upon his life as either to hazard, or much less to deposit, their own in his stead.
(2.)It may be, one might perhaps be persuaded to die for a good man, that is, a useful man, who is more than barely a righteous man. Many that are good themselves yet do but little good to others; but those that are useful commonly get themselves well beloved, and meet with some that in a case of necessity would venture to be their antipsuchoi - would engage life for life, would be their bail, body for body. Paul was, in this sense, a very good man, one that was very useful, and he met with some that for his life laid down their own necks, Rom 16:4. And yet observe how he qualifies this: it is but some that would do so, and it is a daring act if they do it, it must be some bold venturing soul; and, after all, it is but a peradventure.
(3.)But Christ died for sinners (Rom 5:8), neither righteous nor good; not only such as were useless, but such as were guilty and obnoxious; not only such as there would be no loss of should they perish, but such whose destruction would greatly redound to the glory of God's justice, being malefactors and criminals that ought to die. Some think he alludes to a common distinction the Jews had of their people into tsaddim - righteous, chesedim - merciful (compare Isa 57:1), and rashim - wicked. Now herein God commended his love, not only proved or evidenced his love (he might have done that at a cheaper rate), but magnified it and made it illustrious. This circumstance did greatly magnify and advance his love, not only put it past dispute, but rendered it the object of the greatest wonder and admiration: "Now my creatures shall see that I love them, I will give them such an instance of it as shall be without parallel." Commendeth his love, as merchants commend their goods when they would put them off. This commending of his love was in order to the shedding abroad of his love in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. He evinces his love in the most winning, affecting, endearing way imaginable. While we were yet sinners, implying that we were not to be always sinners, there should be a change wrought; for he died to save us, not in our sins, but from our sins; but we were yet sinners when he died for us.
(4.)Nay, which is more, we were enemies (Rom 5:10), not only malefactors, but traitors and rebels, in arms against the government; the worst kind of malefactors and of all malefactors the most obnoxious. The carnal mind is not only an enemy to God, but enmity itself, Rom 8:7; Col 1:21. This enmity is a mutual enmity, God loathing the sinner, and the sinner loathing God, Zac 11:8. And that for such as these Christ should die is such a mystery, such a paradox, such an unprecedented instance of love, that it may well be our business to eternity to adore and wonder at it. This is a commendation of love indeed. Justly might he who had thus loved us make it one of the laws of his kingdom that we should love our enemies.
II.The precious fruits of his death.
1.Justification and reconciliation are the first and primary fruit of the death of Christ: We are justified by his blood (Rom 5:9), reconciled by his death, Rom 5:10. Sin is pardoned, the sinner accepted as righteous, the quarrel taken up, the enmity slain, an end made of iniquity, and an everlasting righteousness brought in. This is done, that is, Christ has done all that was requisite on his part to be done in order hereunto, and, immediately upon our believing, we are actually put into a state of justification and reconciliation. Justified by his blood. Our justification is ascribed to the blood of Christ because without blood there is no remission Heb 9:22. The blood is the life, and that must go to make atonement. In all the propitiatory sacrifices, the sprinkling of the blood was of the essence of the sacrifice. It was the blood that made an atonement for the soul, Lev 17:11.
2.Hence results salvation from wrath: Saved from wrath (Rom 5:9), saved by his life, Rom 5:10 When that which hinders our salvation is taken away, the salvation must needs follow. Nay, the argument holds very strongly; if God justified and reconciled us when we were enemies, and put himself to so much charge to do it, much more will he save us when we are justified and reconciled. He that has done the greater, which is of enemies to make us friends, will certainly the less, which is when we are friends to use us friendly and to be kind to us. And therefore the apostle, once and again, speaks of it with a much more. He that hath digged so deep to lay the foundation will no doubt build upon that foundation. - We shall be saved from wrath, from hell and damnation. It is the wrath of God that is the fire of hell; the wrath to come, so it is called, Th1 1:10. The final justification and absolution of believers at the great day, together with the fitting and preparing of them for it, are the salvation from wrath here spoken of; it is the perfecting of the work of grace. - Reconciled by his death, saved by his life. His life here spoken of is not to be understood of his life in the flesh, but his life in heaven, that life which ensued after his death. Compare Rom 14:9. He was dead, and is alive, Rev 1:18. We are reconciled by Christ humbled, we are saved by Christ exalted. The dying Jesus laid the foundation, in satisfying for sin, and slaying the enmity, and so making us salvable; thus is the partition-wall broken down, atonement made, and the attainder reversed; but it is the living Jesus that perfects the work: he lives to make intercession, Heb 7:25. It is Christ, in his exaltation, that by his word and Spirit effectually calls, and changes, and reconciles us to God, is our Advocate with the Father, and so completes and consummates our salvation. Compare Rom 4:25 and Rom 8:34. Christ dying was the testator, who bequeathed us the legacy; but Christ living is the executor, who pays it. Now the arguing is very strong. He that puts himself to the charge of purchasing our salvation will not decline the trouble of applying it.
3.All this produces, as a further privilege, our joy in God, Rom 5:11. God is now so far from being a terror to us that he is our joy, and our hope in the day of evil, Jer 17:17. We are reconciled and saved from wrath. Iniquity, blessed be God, shall not be our ruin. And not only so, there is more in it yet, a constant stream of favours; we not only go to heaven, but go to heaven triumphantly; not only get into the harbour, but come in with full sail: We joy in God, not only saved from his wrath, but solacing ourselves in his love, and this through Jesus Christ, who is the Alpha and the Omega, the foundation-stone and the top-stone of all our comforts and hopes - not only our salvation, but our strength and our song; and all this (which he repeats as a string he loved to be harping upon) by virtue of the atonement, for by him we Christians, we believers, have now, now in gospel times, or now in this life, received the atonement, which was typified by the sacrifices under thee law, and is an earnest of our happiness in heaven. True believers do by Jesus Christ receive the atonement. Receiving the atonement is our actual reconciliation to God in justification, grounded upon Christ's satisfaction. To receive the atonement is,
(1.)To give our consent to the atonement, approving of, and agreeing to, those methods which Infinite Wisdom has taken of saving a guilty world by the blood of a crucified Jesus, being willing and glad to be saved in a gospel way and upon gospel terms.
(2.)To take the comfort of the atonement, which is the fountain and the foundation of our joy in God. Now we joy in God, now we do indeed receive the atonement, Kauchōmenoi - glorying in it. God hath received the atonement (Mat 3:17; Mat 17:5; Mat 28:2): if we but receive it, the work is done.
III.The parallel that the apostle runs between the communication of sin and death by the first Adam and of righteousness and life by the second Adam (Rom 5:12, to the end), which not only illustrates the truth he is discoursing of, but tends very much to the commending of the love of God and the comforting of the hearts of true believers, in showing a correspondence between our fall and our recovery, and not only a like, but a much greater power in the second Adam to make us happy, than there was in the first to make us miserable. Now, for the opening of this, observe,
1.A general truth laid down as the foundation of his discourse - that Adam was a type of Christ (Rom 5:14): Who is the figure of him that was to come. Christ is therefore called the last Adam, Co1 15:45. Compare Co1 15:22. In this Adam was a type of Christ, that in the covenant-transactions that were between God and him, and in the consequent events of those transactions, Adam was a public person. God dealt with Adam and Adam acted as such a one, as a common father and factor, root and representative, of and for all his posterity; so that what he did in that station, as agent for us, we may be said to have done in him, and what was done to him may be said to have been done to us in him. Thus Jesus Christ, the Mediator, acted as a public person, the head of all the elect, dealt with God for them, as their father, factor, root, and representative - died for them, rose for them, entered within the veil for them, did all for them. When Adam failed, we failed with him; when Christ performed, he performed for us. Thus was Adam tupos tou mellontos - the figure of him that was to come, to come to repair that breach which Adam had made.
2.A more particular explication of the parallel, in which observe,
(1.)How Adam, as a public person, communicated sin and death to all his posterity (Rom 5:12): By one man sin entered. We see the world under a deluge of sin and death, full of iniquities and full of calamities. Now, it is worth while to enquire what is the spring that feeds it, and you will find it to be the general corruption of nature; and at what gap it entered, and you will find it to have been Adam's first sin. It was by one man, and he the first man (for if any had been before him they would have been free), that one man from whom, as from the root, we all spring.
[1.]By him sin entered. When God pronounced all very good (Gen 1:31) there was no sin in the world; it was when Adam ate forbidden fruit that sin made its entry. Sin had before entered into the world of angels, when many of them revolted from their allegiance and left their first estate; but it never entered into the world of mankind till Adam sinned. Then it entered as an enemy, to kill and destroy, as a thief, to rob and despoil; and a dismal entry it was. Then entered the guilt of Adam's sin imputed to posterity, and a general corruption and depravedness of nature. Eph' hō - for that (so we read it), rather in whom, all have sinned. Sin entered into the world by Adam, for in him we all sinned. As, Co1 15:22, in Adam all die; so here, in him all have sinned; for it is agreeable to the law of all nations that the acts of a public person be accounted theirs whom they represent; and what a whole body does every member of the same body may be said to do. Now Adam acted thus as a public person, by the sovereign ordination and appointment of God, and yet that founded upon a natural necessity; for God, as the author of nature, had made this the law of nature, that man should beget in his own likeness, and so the other creatures. In Adam therefore, as in a common receptacle, the whole nature of man was reposited, from him to flow down in a channel to his posterity; for all mankind are made of one blood (Act 17:26), so that according as this nature proves through his standing or falling, before he puts it out of his hands, accordingly it is propagated from him. Adam therefore sinning and falling, the nature became guilty and corrupt, and is so derived. Thus in him all have sinned.
[2.]Death by sin, for death is the wages of sin. Sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. When sin came, of course death came with it. Death is here put for all that misery which is the due desert of sin, temporal, spiritual, eternal death. If Adam had not sinned, he had not died; the threatening was, In the day thou eatest thou shall surely die, Gen 2:17.
[3.]So death passed, that is, a sentence of death was passed, as upon a criminal, diēlthen - passed through all men, as an infectious disease passes through a town, so that none escape it. It is the universal fate, without exception: death passes upon all. There are common calamities incident to human life which do abundantly prove this. Death reigned, Rom 5:14. He speaks of death as a mighty prince, and his monarchy the most absolute, universal, and lasting monarchy. None are exempted from its sceptre; it is a monarchy that will survive all other earthly rule, authority, and power, for it is the last enemy, Co1 15:26. Those sons of Belial that will be subject to no other rule cannot avoid being subject to this. Now all this we may thank Adam for; from him sin and death descend. Well may we say, as that good man, observing the change that a fit of sickness had made in his countenance, O Adam! what hast thou done?
Further, to clear this, he shows that sin did not commence with the law of Moses, but was in the world until, or before, that law; therefore that law of Moses is not the only rule of life, for there was a rule, and that rule was transgressed, before the law was given. It likewise intimates that we cannot be justified by our obedience to the law of Moses, any more than we were condemned by and for our disobedience to it. Sin was in the world before the law; witness Cain's murder, the apostasy of the old world, the wickedness of Sodom. His inference hence is, Therefore there was a law; for sin is not imputed where there is no law. Original sin is a want of conformity to, and actual sin is a transgression of, the law of God: therefore all were under some law. His proof of it is, Death reigned from Adam to Moses, Rom 5:14. It is certain that death could not have reigned if sin had not set up the throne for him. This proves that sin was in the world before the law, and original sin, for death reigned over those that had not sinned any actual sin, that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, never sinned in their own persons as Adam did - which is to be understood of infants, that were never guilty of actual sin, and yet died, because Adam's sin was imputed to them. This reign of death seems especially to refer to those violent and extraordinary judgments which were long before Moses, as the deluge and the destruction of Sodom, which involved infants. It is a great proof of original sin that little children, who were never guilty of any actual transgression, are yet liable to very terrible diseases, casualties, and deaths, which could by no means be reconciled with the justice and righteousness of God if they were not chargeable with guilt.
(2.)How, in correspondence to this, Christ, as a public person, communicates righteousness and life to all true believers, who are his spiritual seed. And in this he shows not only wherein the resemblance holds, but, ex abundanti, wherein the communication of grace and love by Christ goes beyond the communication of guilt and wrath by Adam. Observe,
[1.]Wherein the resemblance holds. This is laid down most fully, Rom 5:18, Rom 5:19.
First, By the offence and disobedience of one many were made sinners, and judgment came upon all men to condemnation. Here observe, 1. That Adam's sin was disobedience, disobedience to a plain and express command: and it was a command of trial. The thing he did was therefore evil because it was forbidden, and not otherwise; but this opened the door to other sins, though itself seemingly small. 2. That the malignity and poison of sin are very strong and spreading, else the guilt of Adam's sin would not have reached so far, nor have been so deep and long a stream. Who would think there should be so much evil in sin? 3. That by Adam's sin many are made sinners: many, that is, all his posterity; said to be many, in opposition to the one that offended, Made sinners, katestathēsan. It denotes the making of us such by a judicial act: we were cast as sinners by due course of law. 4. That judgment is come to condemnation upon all those that by Adam's disobedience were made sinners. Being convicted, we are condemned. All the race of mankind lie under a sentence, like an attainder upon a family. There is judgment given and recorded against us in the court of heaven; and, if the judgment be not reversed, we are likely to sink under it to eternity.
Secondly, In like manner, by the righteousness and obedience of one (and that one is Jesus Christ, the second Adam), are many made righteous, and so the free gift comes upon all. It is observable how the apostle inculcates this truth, and repeats it again and again, as a truth of very great consequence. Here observe, 1. The nature of Christ's righteousness, how it is brought in; it is by his obedience. The disobedience of the first Adam ruined us, the obedience of the second Adam saves us, - his obedience to the law of mediation, which was that he should fulfil all righteousness, and then make his soul an offering for sin. By his obedience to this law he wrought out a righteousness for us, satisfied God's justice, and so made way for us into his favour. 2. The fruit of it. (1.) There is a free gift come upon all men, that is, it is made and offered promiscuously to all. The salvation wrought is a common salvation; the proposals are general, the tender free; whoever will may come, and take of these waters of life. This free gift is to all believers, upon their believing, unto justification of life. It is not only a justification that frees from death, but that entitles to life. (2.) Many shall be made righteous - many compared with one, or as many as belong to the election of grace, which, though but a few as they are scattered up and down in the world, yet will be a great many when they come all together. Katastathēsontai - they shall be constituted righteous, as by letters patent. Now the antithesis between these two, our ruin by Adam and our recovery by Christ, is obvious enough.
[2.]Wherein the communication of grace and love by Christ goes beyond the communication of guilt and wrath by Adam; and this he shows, Rom 5:15-17. It is designed for the magnifying of the riches of Christ's love, and for the comfort and encouragement of believers, who, considering what a wound Adam's sin has made, might begin to despair of a proportionable remedy. His expressions are a little intricate, but this he seems to intend: - First, If guilt and wrath be communicated, much more shall grace and love; for it is agreeable to the idea we have of the divine goodness to suppose that he should be more ready to save upon an imputed righteousness than to condemn upon an imputed guilt: Much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace. God's goodness is, of all his attributes, in a special manner his glory, and it is that grace that is the root (his favour to us in Christ), and the gift is by grace. We know that God is rather inclined to show mercy; punishing is his strange work. Secondly, If there was so much power and efficacy, as it seems there was, in the sin of a man, who was of the earth, earthy, to condemn us, much more are there power and efficacy in the righteousness and grace of Christ, who is the Lord from heaven, to justify and save us. The one man that saves us is Jesus Christ. Surely Adam could not propagate so strong a poison but Jesus Christ could propagate as strong an antidote, and much stronger. 3. It is but the guilt of one single offence of Adam's that is laid to our charge: The judgment was ex henos eis katakrima, by one, that is, by one offence, Rom 5:16, Rom 5:17. Margin. But from Jesus Christ we receive and derive an abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness. The stream of grace and righteousness is deeper and broader than the stream of guilt; for this righteousness does not only take away the guilt of that one offence, but of many other offences, even of all. God in Christ forgives all trespasses, Col 2:13. 4. By Adam's sin death reigned; but by Christ's righteousness there is not only a period put to the reign of death, but believers are preferred to reign of life, Rom 5:17. In and by the righteousness of Christ we have not only a charter of pardon, but a patent of honour, are not only freed from our chains, but, like Joseph, advanced to the second chariot, and made unto our God kings and priests - not only pardoned, but preferred. See this observed, Rev 1:5, Rev 1:6; Rev 5:9, Rev 5:10. We are by Christ and his righteousness entitled to, and instated in, more and greater privileges than we lost by the offence of Adam. The plaster is wider than the wound, and more healing than the wound is killing.
IV.In the last two verses the apostle seems to anticipate an objection which is expressed, Gal 3:19, Wherefore then serveth the law? Answer,
1.The law entered that the offence might abound. Not to make sin to abound the more in itself, otherwise than as sin takes occasion by the commandment, but to discover the abounding sinfulness of it. The glass discovers the spots, but does not cause them. When the commandment came into the world sin revived, as the letting of a clearer light into a room discovers the dust and filth which were there before, but were not seen. It was like the searching of a wound, which is necessary to to the cure. The offence, paraptōma - that offence, the sin of Adam, the extending of the guilt of it to us, and the effect of the corruption in us, are the abounding of that offence which appeared upon the entry of the law.
2.That grace might much more abound - that the terrors of the law might make gospel-comforts so much the sweeter. Sin abounded among the Jews; and, to those of them that were converted to the faith of Christ, did not grace much more abound in the remitting of so much guilt and the subduing of so much corruption? The greater the strength of the enemy, the greater the honour of the conqueror. This abounding of grace he illustrates, Rom 5:21. As the reign of a tyrant and oppressor is a foil to set off the succeeding reign of a just and gentle prince and to make it the more illustrious, so doth the reign of sin set off the reign of grace. Sin reigned unto death; it was a cruel bloody reign. But grace reigns to life, eternal life, and this through righteousness, righteousness imputed to us for justification, implanted in us for sanctification; and both by Jesus Christ our Lord, through the power and efficacy of Christ, the great prophet, priest, and king, of his church.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
5 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
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Paul shows by this that neither our faith without Christ’s blood nor Christ’s blood without our faith can justify us. Yet of either of these Christ’s blood justifies us much more than our faith. That is why, in my opinion, having said above that we are justified by faith, Paul now says that we are justified by his blood “much more.”
Therefore (as I had begun to say), when God had determined to send to men a teacher of righteousness, He commanded Him to be born again a second time in the flesh, and to be made in the likeness of man himself, to whom he was about to be a guide, and companion, and teacher. But since God is kind and merciful to His people, He sent Him to those very persons whom He hated, that He might not close the way of salvation against them for ever, but might give them a free opportunity of following God, that they might both gain the reward of life if they should follow Him (which many of them do, and have done), and that they might incur the penalty of death by their fault if they should reject their King. He ordered Him therefore to be born again among them, and of their seed, lest, if He should be born of another nation, they might be able to allege a just excuse from the law for their rejection of Him; and at the same time, that there might be no nation at all under heaven to which the hope of immortality should be denied.
Paul says this, because if God allowed his Son to be killed for sinners’ sake, what will he do for those who have been justified except save them from wrath, that is, preserve them unharmed from the deception of Satan so that they will be safe on the day of judgment, when revenge will begin to destroy the wicked. For since the goodness of God does not want anyone to perish, he has shown mercy on those who deserved death in order to increase the honor and glory of those who understand the grace of God.
And what he has said looks indeed like tautology, but it is not to any one who accurately attends to it. Consider then. He wishes to give them reasons for confidence respecting things to come. And first he gives them a sense of shame from the righteous man's decision, when he says, that he also "was fully persuaded that what God had promised He was able also to perform;" and next from the grace that was given; then from the tribulation, as sufficing to lead us into hopes; and again from the Spirit, whom we have received. Next from death, and from our former viciousness, he maketh this good. And it seems indeed, as I said, that what he had mentioned was one thing, but it is discovered to be two, three, and even many more. First, that "He died:" second, that it was "for the ungodly;" third, that He "reconciled, saved, justified" us, made us immortal, made us sons and heirs. It is not from His Death then only, he says, that we draw strong assertions, but from the gift which was given unto us through His Death. And indeed if He had died only for such creatures as we be, a proof of the greatest love would what He had done be! but when He is seen at once dying, and yielding us a gift, and that such a gift, and to such creatures, what was done casts into shade our highest conceptions, and leads the very dullest on to faith. For there is no one else that will save us, except He Who so loved us when we were sinners, as even to give Himself up for us. Do you see what a ground this topic affords for hope? For before this there were two difficulties in the way of our being saved; our being sinners, and our salvation requiring the Lord's Death, a thing which was quite incredible before it took place, and required exceeding love for it to take place. But now since this hath come about, the other requisites are easier. For we have become friends, and there is no further need of Death.
If Christ loved sinners so much, how much more will he now preserve the righteous! We must be careful not to make him unclean by our sinning, as the apostle himself tells the Hebrews.
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Summary
Romans 5:9 stands as a powerful declaration of the security of a believer's salvation, stemming directly from the finished work of Christ. Building upon the preceding verses that establish peace with God through justification by faith, this verse employs a compelling "much more" argument: if God, in His profound love, justified humanity while still sinful through the sacrificial blood of His Son, then how much more certain is the future deliverance from His righteous wrath for those who are now reconciled to Him through the same Christ. It underscores the unwavering foundation of Christian hope in God's faithfulness and the efficacy of Christ's atonement.
Context
Literary Context
Romans 5:9 is situated within the broader theological exposition of Paul's letter to the Romans, specifically in chapter 5, which elaborates on the glorious benefits of justification by faith. Paul initiates this chapter by declaring that believers, "having been justified by faith, have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). He then proceeds to discuss the believer's access to grace, the hope of glory, and the refining role of suffering. Verses Romans 5:6-8 powerfully underscore the unparalleled nature of Christ's sacrifice, emphasizing that He died for the ungodly and for sinners, thereby demonstrating God's own immense love. Verse 9 serves as a logical extension and powerful conclusion to this line of reasoning, moving from the accomplished fact of justification to the assured promise of future salvation from divine wrath, all grounded in the same redemptive act.
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul's letter to the Romans was written to a diverse church in Rome, comprising both Jewish and Gentile believers. The concept of "justification" (being declared righteous) was deeply rooted in Old Testament legal and covenantal thought, but Paul redefines it in light of Christ's work, emphasizing that it is by grace through faith, not by adherence to the Mosaic Law. The idea of "wrath" (Greek: orgē) would have been understood by both Jewish and Roman audiences. For Jews, it resonated with the prophetic warnings of God's judgment against sin and idolatry. For Romans, it might evoke the concept of divine retribution or the just anger of the gods. Paul's portrayal of God's wrath is not an arbitrary outburst but a settled, righteous opposition to human rebellion and ungodliness, culminating in a future day of judgment (Romans 1:18 and Romans 2:5). The "blood" of Christ, a potent symbol, would have been immediately understood as a reference to sacrificial atonement, drawing on the sacrificial system of the Old Testament where the shedding of blood was necessary for the expiation of sin (Leviticus 17:11).
Key Themes
This verse significantly contributes to several key themes in Romans. Firstly, it amplifies the theme of Justification by Grace Through Faith, asserting that the believer's righteous standing before God is entirely a gift, secured by Christ's atoning sacrifice, not human merit. Secondly, it highlights the theme of Divine Love and Atonement, demonstrating that God's love is not merely sentimental but actively demonstrated in Christ's willingness to die for humanity's sin, thereby satisfying divine justice. Thirdly, the verse powerfully establishes the Security of Salvation, using the "much more" argument to assure believers that if God has already accomplished the greater work of justifying them in their sinfulness, He will certainly complete the lesser work of preserving them from future wrath. This theme provides immense comfort and confidence, contrasting with any notion of salvation being dependent on ongoing human performance. Finally, it addresses the theme of God's Righteous Wrath, clarifying that while God's wrath is a reality for the ungodly, those in Christ are definitively delivered from its condemnation due to His substitutionary sacrifice.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This verb means "to render (i.e. show or regard as) just or innocent." In a theological context, it signifies being declared righteous, acquitted of guilt, and brought into a right legal standing before God. It is a forensic term, emphasizing a change in status rather than an inherent change in nature at the moment of justification, though the latter follows. This declaration is based solely on Christ's work, not human merit.
This term literally refers to blood but is used figuratively and specially in the New Testament to denote the atoning blood of Christ. It symbolizes His sacrificial death, the means by which reconciliation and forgiveness of sins are achieved. The shedding of blood in the Old Testament sacrificial system prefigured this ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice of Christ.
This word primarily denotes "desire (as a reaching forth or excitement of the mind)," but by analogy, it signifies "violent passion" or "justifiable abhorrence," and by implication, "punishment." In the context of God, orgḗ refers to His settled, righteous, and active opposition to sin and His impending judgment against it, not an uncontrolled emotional outburst. It is the just consequence of human rebellion against a holy God.
Verse Breakdown
"Much more then, being now justified by his blood"
This opening clause functions as a logical progression, an a fortiori argument. The phrase "Much more then" (G4183 polýs and G3123 mâllon combined with G3767 oûn for "then") signifies a deduction from the greater to the lesser. If God has already accomplished the supremely difficult task of justifying (G1344 dikaióō) sinful humanity, declaring them righteous, and bringing them into a right relationship with Him, and if this justification is "now" (G3568 nŷn) a present reality, fully secured "by" (G1722 en, denoting instrumentality or means) "His blood" (G129 haîma, referring to Christ's atoning death), then the subsequent outcome is even more certain. The past act of justification is the unshakeable foundation for future salvation.
"we shall be saved from wrath"
This clause presents the guaranteed future outcome for those who are justified. The verb "shall be saved" (G4982 sṓzō) indicates a future deliverance, a preservation from a specific danger. The danger is "wrath" (G3709 orgḗ), which refers to God's righteous judgment against sin, particularly the eschatological judgment. This is not merely a deliverance from temporal consequences but from the ultimate, eternal condemnation that awaits those outside of Christ. The certainty of this future salvation is emphasized by the "much more" argument.
"through him"
This final phrase succinctly identifies the sole agent and means by which both justification and future salvation from wrath are accomplished. "Through him" (G1223 diá with G846 autós) points exclusively to Jesus Christ. He is the channel, the mediator, the one whose atoning work makes both the present justification and the future salvation from wrath possible and certain. This reiterates the Christ-centered nature of salvation.
Literary Devices
Romans 5:9 powerfully employs an Argument from Greater to Lesser (also known as a fortiori reasoning). Paul's logic is that if God performed the greater act of justifying humanity, His enemies, through the supreme sacrifice of His Son's blood, then it is an even more certain and logical conclusion that He will perform the lesser act of saving those who are now His reconciled children from future wrath. This rhetorical device builds confidence and assurance in the reader. Furthermore, the phrase "his blood" functions as a potent Metonymy and Symbolism, representing not merely a physical substance but the entirety of Christ's sacrificial, atoning death on the cross. It is a concise way to refer to the vicarious suffering and death of Jesus that paid the penalty for sin. The verse also contains an element of Assurance, providing a strong declaration of the believer's secure standing and future destiny, grounded in God's past and present work.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Romans 5:9 is a cornerstone for understanding the security of salvation and the efficacy of Christ's atoning work. It underscores the profound truth that God's love, demonstrated in Christ's death for us while we were still sinners, is not contingent on our merit but is the initiating and sustaining force of our salvation. The "much more" argument provides an unshakeable foundation for Christian assurance, moving from the past accomplishment of justification to the future certainty of deliverance from God's wrath. This wrath is not an arbitrary emotion but the holy and just response of God to sin, from which believers are eternally shielded by Christ's substitutionary sacrifice. The verse thus highlights the finished work of Christ as the complete and sufficient basis for both our present standing with God and our future hope.
Reflection and Application
Romans 5:9 offers profound comfort and unshakable assurance to every believer. To grasp its truth is to be liberated from the burden of earning God's favor or fearing His condemnation. If God, in His infinite love and justice, has already accomplished the ultimate act of justifying us through the perfect sacrifice of His Son's blood, while we were still His enemies, then our future salvation from His righteous wrath is not merely a hope but a divine certainty. This truth should cultivate a deep sense of gratitude for the immeasurable cost of our redemption and an abiding confidence in Christ's finished work. It calls us to live not in fear of judgment, but in joyful obedience and loving response to the One who secured our peace and future. Our security is not based on our fluctuating performance or feelings, but on the immutable character of God and the unchangeable efficacy of Christ's atonement.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the difference between "justification" and "salvation from wrath" in this verse?
While closely related and both stemming from Christ's work, "justification" and "salvation from wrath" refer to distinct aspects of God's redemptive plan. "Justification" (as seen in Romans 5:1) is a past, decisive act where God declares a believing sinner righteous in His sight, acquitting them of guilt and bringing them into a right legal standing. This happens at the moment of faith. "Salvation from wrath," as stated in Romans 5:9, refers to a future deliverance from God's righteous judgment against sin, particularly the eschatological condemnation that awaits the ungodly. Because believers have been justified by Christ's blood, they are guaranteed to be spared from this future outpouring of divine wrath. Justification is the basis for this future salvation.
Why is "blood" emphasized as the means of justification?
The emphasis on "blood" (Greek: haîma) in Romans 5:9 is deeply significant and rooted in biblical theology. In the Old Testament, the shedding of blood was central to the sacrificial system, symbolizing the giving of life as an atonement for sin (Leviticus 17:11). It represented the payment of a penalty, the covering or expiation of sin. Therefore, "His blood" refers to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. It signifies that His death was a substitutionary atonement, where He bore the penalty for our sins, satisfying God's justice and making it possible for God to declare us righteous without compromising His own holiness. It is through this ultimate sacrifice that our justification is secured.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Romans 5:9 finds its ultimate fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is the very heart of this declaration. The "blood" mentioned is not merely a generic symbol but specifically the precious, atoning blood of Christ, shed on Calvary as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:12). He is the "him" through whom we are justified and saved from wrath, embodying the divine love that initiated salvation (as seen in John 3:16). Christ's death on the cross was not just a historical event but a substitutionary act where He bore the full weight of God's righteous wrath against sin, so that those who believe in Him might never face it (1 Peter 2:24). His resurrection further validates His atoning work, demonstrating God's acceptance of His sacrifice and securing our justification (Romans 4:25). Thus, Romans 5:9 powerfully proclaims that salvation, from its initial justification to its ultimate deliverance from wrath, is entirely a Christ-centered reality, secured by His finished work and eternally guaranteed by His ongoing intercession (Hebrews 7:25).