A Broke Evangelist

November 5, 2024

Romans 5:9-11

Freedom from Wrath with Reconciliation

“9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

This has been quite the day. Today, November 5, 2024, is a presidential election day. It’s also my 65th birthday! This occurs once every 28 years on my birthday. The last time it happened was in 1996, and the time before that was 1968. The next one will occur in 2052, in another 28 years. For those that are interested, my birthday falls on an off-year general election day every 28 years as well, with the next one occurring in 2030. Then it’ll be on 2058…anyway, you get the idea…

I know not everyone is happy…someone is going to be irritated with the result. But regardless of who is in charge, we don’t have to worry about it because Jesus is on the throne of my life and yours, and when you realize it, nothing else matters. Sure it’s good to have your guy in the White House, or your party in control of the Houses of Congress, but there will be times when we’re the ones standing outside looking in, and that’s when our faith gets tested.

After watching results all night tonight, let’s focus on Romans 5:9-11…

Romans 5:9 - Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

The first part of the passage is clear: Since we're justified by the work of Jesus on the cross through his blood, we can rest assured that we’re also saved from God’s wrath through Him. The second part is that question asking us how much we realize how the wrath of God which was dealt upon the ungodliness and unrighteousness for which people engaged (Romans 1:18), was placed on Jesus as our substitute, standing in for the believer. It’s a reminder for those who are hesitant to understand or even doubt the incredible promises of God, thinking, “well, that doesn’t apply quite as much to me.” But God is very clear—if He has given us His love and goodness, it’s much more than we can imagine; we can have much more confidence in Him because of it.

The question we need to ask is “who’s wrath are we saved from?” and we need to know that it’s God’s own righteous wrath. Of course, we need saving as well from the influences of the world, our weaknesses, and even the devil himself, but most importantly, we are saved from God’s wrath as well. When we understand God’s grace, we can experience His glory. In short, we can fully trust that God’s goodness extends beyond our doubts. His grace takes us all the way, from where we are now to the glory He’s promised.

Romans 5:10 - For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

If God poured out such incredible love for us even while we were His enemies, just imagine the blessings we’ll enjoy now that we’re reconciled to Him through Jesus’ death. And if God would do this much for His enemies, just think of how much more He’ll do for us in our lives once we’re saved! We not only have confidence that we can escape God’s wrath, but we can also have a triumphant confidence—a joyful hope in God. By leaning into this joyful hope, knowing that with God as our friend, we have even more to look forward to!

Romans 5:11 - Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The point couldn’t be clearer: what truly matters is what we have through Jesus. Anything we gain through our own efforts just doesn’t measure up and won’t get us where we need to be. It’s all about what Jesus has done for us!

These verses hit home with us in that we now know through Jesus, we receive an unshakable promise. The promise gives us a freedom to live in the hope that our purpose here on Earth is not limited to our time spend here. We have the promise of living eternally once we’re done here. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, we can live in gratitude of not having to endure God’s wrath, but it also means that we don’t have to live in fear of His wrath every day, like some religious people would have us believe. This passage challenges us to grasp the depth of God’s love, asking us to consider just how much more He will do for us now that we’re reconciled to Him. Far beyond escaping wrath, we gain a triumphant, joyful hope in God, knowing that His grace extends beyond our doubts and shortcomings. We can live without worry that our own efforts may fall short, but through Jesus, we are reconciled, embraced, and led into a life filled with God’s goodness and glory. In short, our hope, confidence, and salvation rest fully on what Jesus has done for us, leading us from grace to glory.

More to come…

A Broke Evangelist – November 5, 2024

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