Romans 5:6-11

Romans 5:6-1 Kings : . Love and Reconciliation.

Romans 5:6-Ruth : . The helplessness and ill-desert of the objects, and the timeliness of the intervention, go to “ commend God’ s love to us, shown in the death of Christ on our behalf”— a sacrifice enhanced when one considers that “ a righteous man” will “ scarcely “ find another to “ die for him,” though “ it may happen” that a friend “ ventures his life for the good man” (known and loved as such).— God’ s and Christ’ s love are identified ( Romans 5:6; Romans 5:8).

Romans 5:9 f. In the next breath the apostle speaks of God’ s “ anger” : seeming incompatibles meet at the Cross. The joyous hope of Christians amid life’ s troubles is explained: “ justified at the price of Christ’ s blood” ( cf. Romans 8:32, 1 Peter 1:18 f.), “ we need not fear future anger” ; we know that God is our friend. He who has justified sinners, will never condemn the justified (see Romans 8:31-Nahum :). “ To the former enemies, brought into peace with God through His Son’ s death, that Son’ s” risen “ life” ( cf. Romans 6:4 f., Revelation 1:17 f., Hebrews 7:25) “ gives pledge of final salvation.”— To be “ reconciled to God” means not merely to change one’ s disposition toward Him, but to receive forgiveness, to exchange God’ s anger ( Romans 5:9) for His smile. Reconciliation corresponds in point of sentiment to justification in point of status (see 2 Corinthians 5:19; also Matthew 5:24, for the use of the passive verb).

Romans 5:11 . The sense of “ reconciliation” swells again into a rapturous “ exultation in God” ( cf. Romans 5:2).