Romans 5:10, commentary and pictures

While they were still enemies, without strength and under condemnation, sinners were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, and having been reconciled they will be saved by his living power, with the words much more giving the greatest assurance of that salvation. That reconciling death means Christ as substitute took the sinner's guilt, bore wrath against transgression, suffered the penalty of sin and satisfied justice so that forgiveness and justification are possible through faith in his blood and not earned by works. Salvation by his life rests on the risen Saviour who continues the work after the cross, pleading as High Priest and Advocate, forgiving sin, imputing his righteousness, sympathizing with the tempted and giving grace and power for every need. This reconciliation is received by faith when sinners repent, confess, surrender mind and will, believe in Christ as the atoning sacrifice and obey, and then they are justified, saved from wrath and given peace, adoption, freedom from bondage and joy in God through the atonement. His love toward enemies is the pattern for believers, to love their own enemies with tenderness, mercy and forbearance, to follow him in self-denial and daily obedience, and to carry his pardoning love to others.

Words and Context

When enemies of God, people were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, and having been reconciled they shall be saved by Christ's life, with the words much more giving the greatest assurance of that salvation. This reconciliation is received by faith, not by feeling, and belongs to the experience of those justified by faith who receive reconciliation and rejoice in God. It belongs to the mystery of faith and Christ's righteousness, to emancipation from bondage to sin and every entanglement of Satan with mastery over Satan and self through the ransom paid, and to claiming Christ's righteousness by giving self to God and obeying without reserve. It shows Christ's death reconciling enemies and those reconciled being saved through His life.

The verse stands in the opening of Romans 5 on justification by faith, where there is peace with God through Christ, access by faith into grace, rejoicing in the hope of glory, glorying in tribulation that works patience and hope, reconciliation while enemies through the death of the Son, salvation by His life, and joy in God through receiving the atonement. Romans 5:1-11 shows where the true experience of the child of God begins, as the honest heart reads, marks, learns and inwardly digests Bible teaching, prays, sees the sacrifice, is convicted under condemnation, feels truth's power, receives the Spirit's light to see the Word as never before, and as truth diffuses through the inner person brings thoughts, affections and powers into obedience until the submitted heart is perfected, which is being brought back to God through the death of His Son and being kept and finished by His living power. It completes the promise that being now justified by His blood they shall be saved from wrath through Him, because while yet sinners and without strength Christ died for the ungodly, describing the subjects of the kingdom as those justified by faith who have peace with God, access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of glory and glorying in tribulation knowing tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope, who do not vindicate themselves, whose living experience of grace and truth is to be made known in the call to repent. Faith in Jesus Christ thus brings peace with God, a privilege more valuable than material wealth and unlike anything the world can give or take away.

The surrounding passage explains reconciliation by contrast between one man's sin and disobedience, by which sin and death entered the world and death came to all, and the righteousness and obedience of One, by which the free gift brings justification and makes many righteous. That contrast sets Adam's disobedience bringing sin and death against Christ's obedience bringing righteousness and justification.

The verse belongs to a chapter presenting law and gospel as a perfect whole. It binds law and gospel together in a perfect whole as the truth as it is in Jesus, the testimony to be sounded throughout the length and breadth of the world so all may discern the light and walk in the light. Impressed upon every heart opened to receive it, it gives light and understanding to the simple and contrite, brings power to become sons of God to those who receive Christ with purposeful appropriating faith, and gives grace for grace to share with others. It leads not to mere nominal faith, a theory of truth, or a legal religion, but to believing to a purpose, appropriating the richest gifts of God, pleading for the gift to give to others, and receiving power to become the sons of God.

Those reconciled are yet sinners, without strength, ungodly, under condemnation, estranged from God and enemies to Christ, justified by His blood, saved from wrath, and given peace with God. When the whole world was under condemnation Christ took the sinner's guilt, bore God's wrath for the transgressor, and by suffering sin's penalty ransoms the sinner. While humans were sinners, estranged and enemies, Christ gave Himself in offering to save those very enemies from eternal ruin, clothing divinity with humanity and coming to a world seared and marred with the curse, living a poor self-denying life that fallen sinners might be made rich with eternal treasures, leaving impenitence, coldness, unthankfulness and unholiness without excuse.

Death That Reconciles

Reconciliation by death means that when the whole world lay under condemnation Christ as substitute took upon himself the guilt of the sinner, bore the wrath of God against the transgressor, suffered the penalty of sin, paid all that was owed to God and fully paid the debt, satisfied justice, vindicated the honor of God's law, and by that suffering ransomed the sinner. Through his blood cleansing from sin and bearing the sinner's curse, his sacrifice appeases wrath so that forgiveness and justification are possible through faith in his blood. Salvation is given as a gift through his merit, not earned by penance, ceremonies, good works, or any other human merit, while obedience and good works follow from faith, love, and gratitude.

He was under no obligation to do this, but love alone moved him to pledge voluntarily to bear the punishment due to transgressors. Clothing his divinity with humanity he came to a world seared and marred by the curse and lived a poor, self-denying life on earth, becoming poor that fallen sinners might be made rich with eternal treasures. Step by step he descended in humiliation and suffering, enduring every pang and indignity and the bitter opposition and reproach of his own nation without murmur. Innocent and united with humanity, he suffered in the place of the guilty as their representative, himself undeserving taking the punishment the guilty deserved as man's substitute and surety.

Dying for enemies while they were yet enemies commends God's love and demonstrates his goodness, mercy, kindness, and great mercy, giving his sinless life to save those very enemies from eternal ruin. By this he granted fallen man a probation of test and trial and gave value to fallen man by imputing the merit of his spotless righteousness to every repenting and believing sinner. Such manifest love and mercy leaves impenitence, coldness, unthankfulness, and unholiness without excuse, especially in those who have had great light and for whom so much has been done.

Reconciliation through death removes every obstruction between the sinner and God and secures access to pardoning love, welcoming man so that God can be just and yet pardon the transgressor. Those who accept pardon are counted as reconciled and stand before God and the heavenly universe as innocent though undeserving, set free to return to allegiance to God. This does not excuse continued transgression or give license to continue violating the law, but by bearing guilt and paying man's debt his trials and sufferings impress man with the great sin of breaking the law and bring him to repentance, obedience to that law, surrender of mind and will in cooperation with God, return to loyalty through grace, and acceptance with God.

Reconciliation comes through the Son's obedience and death and acts in both directions through his two natures. Through his human nature reaching to the very depths of human wretchedness and identifying with the weaknesses and necessities of fallen man he reconciles man to God, and through his divine nature grasping the Eternal he reconciles God to man. His sacrifice while men were his enemies was the only way sinners could be pardoned, made also for those who choose worldly pleasures and riches. Holiness is the fruit of this sacrifice, and he longs to save those who have given themselves to the world.

Life That Saves

The words much more express the abundance of the gift, giving the greatest assurance of willingness and yearning longing for all to come, believe, and have eternal life. After enemies were reconciled by death, the reconciled are saved by life, and that life means coming close to the living Helper in every time of need. In sorrow and suffering over loved ones and in trial there is no time for turning away dissatisfied, murmuring, complaining, repining, unbelief, or letting go, but for pressing close to the bleeding side. After reconciliation followers who surrender the heart to indwelling receive the Spirit in fullness.

Salvation rests not on death alone but on the living, risen Saviour as well, for he was raised for justification and continues the saving work after the cross. His death reconciles and his risen ongoing life saves, and the two together secure salvation for every believing child. Trust in the righteousness of his life and the atonement of his death brings assurance of favor, answering sin with love and leading to peace. Trusting wholly in the atonement and merits of the crucified and risen Saviour gives ground of hope and saving strength in darkness and helplessness so that believers will not perish. He bore punishment as substitute, satisfying justice and upholding the honor of the law so sins are pardoned through faith and sinners may return to allegiance, with the risen Saviour as the hope of salvation revealing to the universe that God forgives.

The crucified Lord lives to pray and plead for his people in the presence of the Father at the throne of grace, where he stands as High Priest and advocate. He fences them from Satan, forgives sins, presents feeble progress with grace, and by imputing his righteousness links them to God. He sympathizes as one tempted in all points like humanity and therefore knows how to succor the tempted, with all power in heaven and earth committed to him and his glory and common interest bound up in their success. He refuses to turn from those surprised or deceived into sin to leave them to perish in despair. That reconciliation brings power and sufficiency for every circumstance and trial, with grace measured and proportioned to every emergency, and constant companionship with one who was tempted like humans yet is never surprised, baffled, or overcome by satanic forces. In the sanctuary he pleads in behalf of sinners the efficacy of his blood, making an atoning sacrifice.

His life is also worked out in believers, as perfect obedience develops his life in theirs and in due time perfects the whole being. Being brought back through the death of the Son means being kept and finished by living power, as truth received into the heart diffuses through the inner person bringing thoughts, affections, and powers into obedience until the heart submitted to his will leaves the whole being perfected. Being saved by his life means being clothed with his righteousness of active, complete obedience, which ends sin in the heart, enables perfect obedience to the law, and perfects character after his similitude. Through the gift of the Son in humanity, Christ in his humanity grasps divinity on its behalf, so that human nature having overcome may through faith grasp the divine nature.

Gifts of Reconciliation

Those reconciled are justified by his blood and saved from wrath, and being reconciled they shall be saved by his life. This reconciliation is received by faith, not by feeling, and brings peace with God, rest, relief, and assurance that the confessed and surrendered sinner is received, making trust possible whether feeling is present or not. That peace with God through faith is a privilege more valuable than material wealth and unlike anything the world can give or take away. It completes the promise made to those who were yet sinners and without strength and ungodly, describing those justified by faith as having access by faith into grace, rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, and glorying in tribulation knowing tribulation works patience and patience experience and experience hope, without vindicating and justifying themselves.

Genuine conversion brings not only forgiveness on repentance and confession but adoption as a child of God, membership in the royal family, and heirship as an heir of God and joint-heir with Christ to an immortal inheritance. This reconciliation is emancipation from bondage to sin and every entanglement of Satan, giving mastery over Satan and over self, will and ways to those who accept the ransom paid with his most precious life. The power of Satan is broken, and the person is brought into sacred unity with Christ, made one with him, completely identified with him, sharing all that he is.

Those who have now received the atonement joy in God through Jesus Christ, with thanksgiving in heart and soul and voice, with hope, and with the advantages and happiness found in him. That joy remains even in tribulation as partaking of his sufferings now and his glory hereafter, giving the living experience of grace and truth to be made known to the world in the call to repent because the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Faith is to grasp the assurance, and all querulous complaints and murmurings are to cease.

Trusting wholly in the atonement and merits of the crucified and risen Saviour gives ground of hope and saving strength in darkness and helplessness so believers will not perish. Trust in the righteousness of his life and the atonement of his death brings assurance of favor, for his love answers human sin and leads to peace. That reconciliation brings power and sufficiency for every circumstance and trial, with grace measured and proportioned to every emergency, and constant divine companionship with one who was tempted in all points like humans are yet is never surprised, baffled, or overcome by satanic forces.

Reconciliation declares God's glory, which is his character of love, in a firm declaration to be received personally. It reveals his great kindness and love in giving his life while humans were yet enemies that they might be saved, revealing his mercy, compassion, and power. It makes eternal life possible as his gracious work for his people, joined with justification. Through faith in the substitute who bore punishment, satisfied justice, and upheld the honor of the law, sins are pardoned and people may return to allegiance to God, and this reveals to the universe that God forgives. The gift is to be appreciated, and gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving for it are to be cultivated as precious beyond all the gold and silver of earth.

Faith and Following

Reconciliation is received by faith, not by feeling, when sinners give themselves to God without reserve and obey Him. Repentance, contrition of heart, confession and surrender, belief in Christ as the atoning sacrifice, and the surrender of mind and will in cooperation with God through the Holy Spirit belong to that receiving. Then the sinner may claim Christ's righteousness and know that God is reconciled to him, with the Saviour precious to the soul and trusted for mighty grace and compassion whether feeling is present or not.

The honest heart reads, marks, learns, and inwardly digests Bible teaching, comes to God in prayer, and sees the sacrifice made in his behalf. Convicted and troubled under condemnation, he feels the power of truth in the soul and receives light shed by the Spirit on the mind, so that he sees the meaning of the Word as never before. As truth received into the heart diffuses through the inner man, it brings thoughts and affections and powers into obedience to Christ, and if the heart is submitted to the will of Christ the whole being is in due time perfected, which is being brought back to God through the death of His Son and being kept and finished by His living power.

In sorrow and suffering over loved ones, and in trial, believers are to come close to Him as Helper in every time of need and press close to His bleeding side. There is no time then for turning away dissatisfied, murmuring, complaining, repining, unbelief, or letting go of Jesus. Such nearness rests on His willingness, yearning and longing for all to come, believe, and have eternal life, and on the living Lord who prays and pleads for His people, sympathizes as One tempted as they are, and refuses to abandon those surprised into sin to perish in despair.

This love calls for gratitude, praise, and thanksgiving, precious beyond all the gold and silver of earth. Those reconciled are to imitate His self-denial and self-sacrifice, eagerly practice it, lift the cross, and follow the Lamb in daily life, which brings into the religious life the peace that passes understanding. Those who refuse to follow in this way will not overcome, and followers are not to engage in work for human praise and honor nor to speak a word or do an action that will lower in the minds of others the ideal they have of Him.

His love toward enemies is the pattern for believers in loving their own enemies. It requires sympathy, making the interests of fellow beings and especially brethren their own, treating others as Christ would were He in their place, taking heed how they speak of one another, and revealing tenderness, mercy, love, and forbearance instead of enmity and hatred, severity toward supposed error, sharp criticism, and strife. Those pardoned become channels to communicate pardoning love to others in darkness, laboring in meekness and lowliness of heart for unbelieving friends and neighbors and becoming acquainted with their spiritual needs, as Christ worked for men when they were unbelievers.