Scripture Reference: Romans 5:1-11

Hope does not put us to shame. The NKJV says, “hope does not disappoint.” If we were to hope for something but then later find that we were never going to get it, our hope would cause us to feel shame or disappointment. But the hope of our salvation will never be put to shame. We will never be disappointed or find that we have rested on a false confidence. How can we be so sure? Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts. The love of God here means His love for us. Verses 6–20 rehearse some of the great proofs of God’s love for us. The Holy Spirit who has been given to us the moment we believe, floods our hearts with these expressions of God’s eternal love, and by these we are assured that He will see us safely home to His heavenly kingdom. After we receive the Spirit, we absolutely sense that God sincerely and truly loves us. This is not a vague, mystical feeling that “Somebody up there” cares about humanity, but the deep-seated conviction that a personal God really loves each of us as an individual.

5. In verses 6–20, Paul argues from the lesser to the greater. His logic is that if God’s love went out to us when we were His ungodly enemies, how much more will He preserve us now that we belong to Him? This brings us to the fifth benefit of our justification; we are most assuredly secure in Christ. In developing this theme, the apostle introduces five “much mores.”

• The “much more” of deliverance from wrath (Romans 5:9).
• The “much more” of preservation by His resurrection life (Romans 5:10).
• The “much more” of the gift of grace (Romans 5:15).
• The “much more” of the believer’s reign in life (Romans 5:17).
• The “much more” of abounding grace (Romans 5:20).

In verses 6 through 8 Paul emphasizes that while we were still weak (without strength – NKJV) while we were still enemies and sinners, yet that is when Christ died for the ungodly. In verses 9 and 10 he emphasizes what we are now (justified by His [Christ’s] blood, reconciled to God by the [Christ’s] death) and the resulting certainty of what the Savior will do for us by delivering us from the wrath of God, and thus preserved or saved [us] by His life.

First we are reminded that we were weak, helpless, without strength, and unable to save ourselves. But at the predetermined time, the right time, the Lord Jesus Christ visited our world and died for men. And He did not die for good men, as some might suppose, but for the ungodly. There was no virtue, no excellence in us to commend us to God. We were utterly unworthy, yet still, Christ died for us anyway.

This act of divine love was unique and unparalleled by anything in human experience. The average man’s life is precious to him, and he would not think of throwing it away for an unworthy person. For example, he would not die for a murderer, an adulterer, or a mobster. In fact, he would be reluctant to die even for a righteous person, one who is honest and dependable but not especially warmhearted. It is possible, in an extreme case, that he would die for a good person, meaning one who is kind, friendly, loving, and lovable.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
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