10 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.
The eighth result of justification is God’s provision for our future salvation in eternity. There are three achievements the death of Christ for sins accomplished for those who believe:
Redemption (payment for sins), Ro 3:24
Propitiation (God satisfied by that payment), Ro 3:25
Reconciliation (removal of enmity between us and God), this verse here
Reconciliation is the basis for restoring a relationship with God.
10 For if [since] while we were enemies
The Greek assumes that it is a fact (first class condition) that God reconciled us to Himself by the death of His Son.
“Enemies” suggests that sin put us in complete alienation to God, making us hostile to God. The term “enemies” is the fourth word in this chapter for sinners: “weak,” “ungodly,” “sinners,” and “enemies.”
we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
God accomplished our reconciliation with Himself by the death of His Son. He removed all grounds of hostility between God and man.
“Reconciled” is a term of restored relationship. It took the death of the Son to reconcile us. God did not reconcile us to Himself when we believed but when Christ died on the cross. God applied reconciliation to us when we came to trust the cross for our salvation.
much more,
This is the second “much more” statement in this ongoing argument of the greater to the lesser. If God transitioned us from the penalty of hostility toward God to friendship with God, He will definitely justify us in the end, the final day when we meet Him. If God gives the greater, He will not withhold the lesser. If God justified us, He will certainty put us in definite possession of eternal life.
now that we are reconciled,
The believer’s hostility with God ceased at the point of his justification.
shall we be saved by [in] his life.
Jesus’ eternal life insures our eternal life. This is a salvation that never ends; it is a final or ultimate salvation.
PRINCIPLE:
Jesus’ life is a pledge of our eternal life.
APPLICATION:
If Christ died for His enemies, He will surely save His friends. Justification is more than pardon, for it places us in the same status as God has; God declares us as right as Jesus is right forever.
Since God accepted us by justification through Christ, then it is a simple thing to keep us saved. If Christ did the most for His enemies on the cross, He will do more for those who trust His work on the cross. He will keep us saved.
He 7:25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Jesus continually intercedes for the believer’s ongoing sanctification and He will carry us through until the end, our ultimate sanctification—glorification. This is a consequence of justification.
