⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Justified by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ leads to the conclusion that we will be saved from the wrath of God through the One who shed His blood. There will be absolutely no judgmental wrath of God for anyone who has been justified. At some point in his progression of thought, Paul moves from the Jewish objector (who presumably believes the Law is still required for salvation) to fellow believers (noted by his use of the pronoun “we”), those who are already justified. Some might suggest Paul is simply using a rhetorical “we” simply to advance his argument, but it is more natural to see the former because of the personal response in the next verse, “we also exult in God …” (vs. 11).

The whole point of justification is that there is no longer any cause for God’s anger toward those who believe. In fact, our justification gives us a certainty that our future salvation is assured. If the believer’s security were not assured, as some believe, then our justification likewise would not be secure. But the inspired Paul goes further using a typical rabbinical way of reasoning, by arguing from the greater to the lesser. In verse 10 he writes that if the greater, more difficult thing is true, then the lesser thing would also be true. The greater, more difficult thing is that God reconciled us while we were enemies. Then how could He do anything less for us now that we are reconciled? That would be absurd because it would mean that God treats His enemies, those who have not been justified, who have not been reconciled, better than those who have been justified, who have been reconciled.

At this juncture we are introduced to the concept of reconciliation. In the Garden of Eden, we human image-bearers became estranged from God, enemies deserving of His wrath. That truth is what began the apostle’s argument in Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men …” From that point on, God’s story is the quest to reconcile His image-bearers back to Himself. The means of doing that was through Him who “would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom 3:26). And once justified, we are reconciled; once reconciled, our salvation from His wrath at the final judgment is secured.

My Lord Jesus Christ, I exult in You for Your shed blood that brought me back to You and Your Father. I have no fear of anger; instead I bask in Your love.