Romans 5:9 - Love Finds a Way

Romans 5:9 - Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Message: Saved by grace, from the wrath of God.

Time: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16 year old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. Persecution of Christians wouldn't begin until AD 64. The church was experiencing times of relative peace. From where he wrote, Corinth, was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship.

What the Lord is Saying:

There is more. Verses 6, 7, and 8 are really important for we see the why of verse 5 and that God poured His love out for us. He did it because we are sinners.  But, there is more.

It is not simply that Jesus died for us, though that was huge. But, again, these verses continue to show me the results of justification. And in verse 9, the result of being justified by His blood is I am saved from the wrath of God through Him.

Paul is a repeater. If there is one thing I notice about Paul and this message of Romans is how much he repeats his message. He says it in a multitude of different ways. But, the message is always the same. And the message is always centered on Jesus and what He did and what He did for us and how God now accepts us because of what Jesus did and us believing in that.

And Paul just repeats that over and over. Along the way, he gives me encouragement for many different things. I am encouraged by the trials that I experience. They are there for a reason. I am getting more patient. And Paul later in Romans will talk about many more applications. But, for now, he wants us to see who we are in Christ. And again, it is all about Christ. It is all about being in Him.

I am saved by grace, from the wrath of God. That is what verse 9 is telling me. Chapter 2 was all about God's wrath. And Paul there was telling the Jews that they can't simply escape God's wrath because God chose them as His people, gave them the Law and gave them the command of circumcision and they got themselves circumcised. Those things from God don't mean that they then get a free pass or access card (as Paul will talk about in Romans 4). for God is not partial to any person. God loves us, so He sent Jesus, to die for us because we are sinners.

Now that we have been justified or made right with God by His blood, that was shed on the cross when He died, I am saved from God's wrath. All people will see the wrath of God one day. But some people will experience it differently.

And then Paul throws in another opportunity to speak of Christ, by saying, "through Him." Just looking at that last through Him cracks me up. God wants it to be so clear, over and over, that what saves me from God's wrath is Christ, not me. It is Christ.

Promise: Through Christ's blood, we are forever beyond the divine vengeance against sin.