Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Romans 5:11

"and not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." — Romans 5:11 (ASV)

Whereas the preceding paragraph dealt with the depth of the love of God as seen in the cross, the present section moves on to declare the height of that love, namely, its refusal to stop short of effecting final and everlasting salvation in which the enmity created by sin has been completely overcome.

Once again Paul assumes an achieved justification (cf. v.1), repeating the means whereby it was accomplished (“by his [Christ’s] blood”). Then he turns to face the far-reaching effects of this justification on our future. We were reconciled when we were enemies. Surely, then, since God no longer looks on us as enemies subject to his wrath, he will maintain the status quo and not suffer us to lapse back into an unreconciled position and, furthermore, will carry us on to the full end of our salvation. The agency of Christ continues to be crucial, only now with this difference, that, whereas our justification was achieved by his death, our preservation is secured by his life. This is a clear reference to Christ’s postresurrection life rather than to his life in the days of his flesh. Here Paul conjoins justification and salvation as he did when he stated the theme of this letter (1:16–17).

The pivotal word for the right understanding of vv.10–11 is “enemies” (GK 2398), the fourth term Paul has used for those in the unsaved state (see vv.6–8 for the others). Does Paul use “enemies” in an active sense, meaning those who experience enmity toward God (cf. 8:7), or in the passive sense, meaning those who are reckoned as enemies by God? Several reasons dictate that the latter is the intended force of the word. (1) That the word is capable of conveying this meaning is evident from 11:28, where the people of Israel are spoken of as enemies in the reckoning of God and yet loved by him. The enmity there is judicial. (2) The mention of “God’s wrath” in v.9 points to the conclusion that the “enemies” are the objects of his wrath. (3) The whole tenor of the argument leads one to the same conclusion. Paul reasons from the greater to the lesser. If God loved us when he considered us his enemies, now that he has made provision for us at such infinite cost, he will certainly all the more see us through to the final goal of our salvation. (4) Paul not only states that we have been reconciled (v.10) but that we have received the reconciliation (v.11). He avoids saying that we have done anything to effect the reconciliation. God provided it through the death of his Son. The appropriate response is exultation (cf. vv.2–3).