Romans 5:9-10

“ Much rather then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much rather, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ”

The οὖν, then, concludes from the proof of love already received to the proof of love to be hoped for. The πολλῷ μᾶλλον is certainly taken here in the logical sense: much more certainly, and not: much more abundantly.

Meyer is right in saying that the conclusion proceeds not from the least to the most, but from the most to the least. The work already finished is summed up in the words: being now justified by His blood. The word now contrasts the present state of justification, on the one hand, with the former state of condemnation (the: yet sinners of Romans 5:8); and, on the other, with the state of future salvation (we shall be saved). The state in which we now are is greatly more inconsistent with final wrath than that from which we have already been rescued.

But what is that wrath from which we have yet to be delivered? That spoken of by Paul, Romans 2:5-6, in the words: “the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,” the day when “God will render to every one according to his deeds;” comp. 1Th 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:8. Our Lord speaks, Luke 12:47-48, of the punishment in store for the servant who knew the will of his master and did it not: he shall be beaten with many stripes. “To whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required.” A ground this for serious vigilance on the part of the justified man, but not of fear. Paul explains why: there is in Christ more than the expiation (the blood) by which He has introduced us into the state of justification; there is His living person, now glorified, and consequently able to interpose in new ways in behalf of the justified, and to bring to a successful end the work of salvation so well begun in them. Such is the meaning of the words: “we shall be saved through Him (δἰ αὐτοῦ).” Comp. Romans 8:34: “Who died, yea rather, that is risen again; who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us;” Galatians 2:20: “I live, yet not I, but Christ in me;” Hebrews 7:25: “Ever living to make intercession for us;” John 14:19: “Because I live, ye shall live also.” Paul here explains himself clearly regarding the double mediation indicated (Romans 5:1-2) by means of the two διά, through: “ through our Lord...(Romans 5:1), through whom also...(Romans 5:2).” The one expressed in Romans 5:1 was that which was implied here in the words through Him: we are delivered from all fear through Him (as to our future). The other, expressed in Romans 5:2 (“ through whom also we have obtained access”...), was that of His blood, through which we have been justified, delivered from condemnation (as to the past). It is obvious how profoundly the apostle's work is weighed, and that we were not mistaken in alleging that in the words: “We have peace with God,” he had his eyes already turned to the future, the final salvation.