For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE GOSPEL! You can summarize all the Bible into this one paragraph. There a some major points to rejoice over in the above thesis statement:
1. God sent Jesus at the “right time.” God doesn’t do anything by accident. He has a divine design.
2. No one would think of dying for someone else, especially total strangers, especially sinful strangers. But, that is exactly Jesus did!!
3. We have been JUSTIFIED. This is the most amazing word in Romans. We have been made JUST.
4. We have been delivered from God’s wrath. That implies three things, at least. A). God is a God of wrath. B). God demands payment for sin. C). Christ’s death was for that payment, in our stead.
5. We are to REJOICE in these truths that we have received “reconciliation.” Note what Vine has to say about this word:
(Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary) katallage (καταλλαγή, 2643), akin to A, No. 1, primarily “an exchange,” denotes “reconciliation,” a change on the part of one party, induced by an action on the part of another; in the NT, the “reconciliation” of men to God by His grace and love in Christ. The word is used in Rom. 5:11 and 11:15.
We have a change in our condition as result of Christ’s work on our behalf. His death lead to our life. We are free from the wrath of God to fully enjoy the love of God.
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