Romans 5:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."

It may seem that these words contain repetition, but careful reading will not find it. Observe, then.

The Apostle wishes to convince the Romans concerning future blessings. First he persuades them by the thought of the righteous man, saying that he is fully assured that "what God had promised, He was also able to perform" (Rom 4:21).

Then he proves this by the gift of grace. Next he proves it by afflictions, saying that they are able to bring us to hope.

Again he proves it by the fact that God gave us the Spirit, whom we also received. Finally, he proves it by Christ's death and by our former wickedness.

Although, as noted above, it first appears that the same thing is being said, in reality two, three, and more distinct thoughts are revealed.

The first is that Christ died. The second is that He died for the ungodly. The third is that He reconciled, saved, justified, and made us immortal sons and heirs.

Therefore, says the Apostle, we must be strengthened in hope not only by Christ's death, but also by what was granted through that death.

Even the fact that Christ died for us while we were such sinners was the greatest proof of His love.

But when the One who dies is also shown to be the Giver of gifts, and very great gifts for those who did not deserve them, such a benefit surpasses every measure. It should lead even the utterly insensible to faith.

It is not another who wishes to save us, but He who loved us while we were still sinners, even to the point of delivering Himself up for us.

Do you see how here also there is proof concerning hope for the future?

Before this, there were difficulties regarding our salvation: that we were sinners, and that we had to be saved by the death of the Master.

But the latter, before it took place, was unbelievable and required great love in order to occur. Now that it has occurred, the rest has become much easier. For we have become friends, and the Lord's death is no longer needed.

Then He who so spared His enemies that He did not spare His Son, will He not protect those who have become friends, especially when He no longer needs to deliver up His Son?

Someone often does not save because he does not wish to, or because he cannot, even if he wishes. Neither can be said of God after He gave His Son.

That God is also able to save, the Apostle proved by the fact that God justified us when we were sinners.

What obstacle, then, remains for us to attain future blessings? None.

His blood had such a price that the one who unjustly killed Christ for a time, ad tempus, cannot hold in deserved eternal death any of those who have put on Christ, Christo indutum.

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him."

In the Apostle's words, "justified by His blood," "justified" clearly means that we have been freed from all sins. We have been freed from all sins because the Son of God, who had no sin at all, was slain for us.

In the words "we shall be saved from wrath through Him," the Apostle certainly means the wrath of God, which is nothing other than just punishment.

For the wrath of God is not a disturbance of soul, as in man. It is the wrath of Him to whom Holy Scripture says elsewhere, "Though You have strength, You judge with mildness" (Wis 12:18).

If, therefore, just divine punishment has received this name, what else should reconciliation with God mean except that such wrath comes to an end?

We were enemies of God only in the way that sins are enemies of righteousness. When sins are remitted, such enmity comes to an end, and those whom He Himself justifies are reconciled to the Righteous One.

Yet He undoubtedly loved us even as enemies, for "He did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all," when we were still enemies.

Thus the Apostle rightly said first that "if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son," by which remission of sins was accomplished.

Then he said, "much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Thus we, reconciled by death, are saved by life.

For who doubts that He will give His life to His beloved friends, amicis, for whom, when they were enemies, He gave His death?

His death, having blotted out our sins, reconciled us with God. By His life after the resurrection, having been justified, we have become worthy of eternal life and salvation.

The same Apostle says, "He was delivered up for our offenses, and was raised for our justification" (Rom 4:25).

Behold the firm foundation of our hope. Behold the clearest proof that our hope will not put us to shame.

Clearly, having undergone such a shameful death for the wicked and lawless, He will free those who believe in Him from the wrath to come."

Moreover, we are now no longer the former sinners. Therefore we can hope even more in the love of God.

In addition, we are now children of God. In the person of His Son, risen from the dead, we always have a living Intercessor, and we even proclaim to all our reconciliation with God, giving praise to Him and to His Son for all this.

After all this, shall we not be saved?

According to Saint John Chrysostom, "when the One who died, Christ, is shown to be the Giver of gifts, and very great gifts, such a benefit surpasses every measure and leads every insensible person to faith."

Thus the whole force of the Apostle's words is directed toward persuading those who lack faith of the meaning and power of faith.

Yet some believers misuse these and similar words of the Apostle. Repeating that they are saved, they do not do the works required by Christian faith.

Therefore they perish in their vain hope in faith without works, as in a dead faith (Jas 2:17).

Against these self-deceived people speaks the entire inner course of the Apostle's thought. He teaches that Christ died for us when we were weak, but now we are no longer such.

We rejoice in the inner gift of God's love, poured out upon us by the Holy Spirit, and in the closest union with Him. At the same time, do we wish to reserve for ourselves the right to a sinful life?

Even ordinary love is active. All the more must love for God be active.

"Justification, reconciliation, and inheritance are great and lofty blessings. Yet if there were not with them such communion with God, so that God is ours and we are God's, they would be colorless," says Bishop Theophan.

According to the Apostle, we rejoice in God. "To rejoice in God, or by God, means to rejoice in nearness to Him and close communion with Him.

It means rejoicing that He is ours and we are His, that we love Him and are loved by Him, and that in Him we have a ready Defender and Protector."

"Take a guilty servant whom his master has forgiven and received into the house. Tell me, should he and can he think again of being negligent? Is it not the opposite?

So also we, looking upon the great mercy of God manifested in cleansing us from sins, must think not only that we are forgiven. We must also think of becoming worthy of the mercies shown to us."

To waver in this is to overthrow faith, to be ignorant of the value of Christ's blood and of what is poured out through it upon the believer.

When He died out of love and by His death justified us, all the more will He now save from wrath those whom He has already justified.

He has granted us the greater thing, justification. How will He not save us from wrath? And to those saved from wrath He will also grant blessings according to His great love; see blessed Theophylact.

"Clearly, having undergone such a shameful death for the wicked and lawless, He will free those who believe in Him from the future torment. For by wrath the Apostle means the future torment" (blessed Theodoret).