Romans Five Ten
Romans 5:10 (AV) “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Much attention is given to the fact that we received forgiveness through the death of Jesus, and it I good and right that we should understand that. But what is it that forgiveness means? Oxford Languages says that “forgive” means to stop feeling resentful toward someone or to cancel a debt. Jesus certainly did all that.
Interestingly, we read a great deal about another thing Jesus did for us through His death. He reconciled us to God. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (AV) tells us, “18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing [counting] their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” Oxford Languages says that “reconcile” means to restore friendly relations, to cause to coexist in harmony, to make compatible.
Reconciliation is a big deal. Without reconciliation we would remain incompatible with God and could not exist in harmony with Him. Father canceled our debt, He forgave our sins, He made us compatible with Him, and He restored our relationship with Him. For this reason we can interact with Him freely and without reservation or fear. Look at what we are told in Colossians 1:20-22 (AV) 20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.”
This says that we are restored to right relationship with God. We are at peace with God. We have been made compatible with God—we are made holy. We are blameless and above reproach in His sight. Whenever scripture says “in His sight” we can be tempted to hear “we are not really that way, He only sees us that way.” Nothing could be further from the truth. God is infinite, perfect, holy. He does not fake Himself out, nor lie to Himself (or us), nor does He view us through some temporary lens until He can get us to heaven and clean us up for real.
Since we have been made so completely compatible—we have indeed become God’s children—we are saved by the life of Jesus. You see, Jesus did not merely die like every other human who ever lived. Jesus rose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit of God. Here is what He said about that in John 14:19 (AV) “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.”
Jesus is our life. In Him we live, and move, and have our being. He lives in us. Our life and His life are compatible and everlasting. That is good news.
