We Rejoice in God
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation Romans 5:9-11
Paul has explained the need for justification (1:18 – 3:20) and the way of justification (3:21 – 4:25). From the firm foundation of our being ‘justified through faith,’ he is now describing the results of the new status God has given us in Christ in six bold assertions:
(1) we have peace with God (5:1)
(2) we stand in grace (5:2)
(3) we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (5:2)
(4) we rejoice in our sufferings (5:3)
(5) we shall be saved through Christ (5:9,10)
(6) we rejoice in God (5:11)
We have come to the last one:
(6) we rejoice in God (5:11)
‘Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation’ (5:11). This verse rehearses many of the key elements of 5:1-11: ‘boasting/rejoicing,’ the present experience of reconciliation with God and especially, that this boasting/rejoicing and this reconciliation are ‘through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (5:11).
The verse begins with ‘Not only is this so.’ This is a transitional phrase comparing two things. Based on the verse immediately preceding it (which has spoken of our being reconciled and so saved through Christ), the likelihood is that Paul is saying: not only will we be saved but we are those who are rejoicing in God.
In 2:17 Paul wrote of the Jews who reject Christ, ‘You … brag about your relationship with God.’ Though the NIV changes the wording a little, ‘we … rejoice in God’ here uses almost identical wording. The verb, noun and preposition are identical. So what’s the difference between what the Jews did and what Christians do? The boast of the Jews outside of Christ was a boast that God was their exclusive property and that they had a monopoly on Him. In contrast the Christian’s boast (rejoicing) is a recognition that we have no claim on Him at all, simply believing that while we were still enemies, Christ died for us.
The Christian recognises God will finish by grace what He began by grace. We don’t rejoice in our privileges but in His mercies. We don’t rejoice in our possession of Him but in His possession of us. There is no place for any other kind of boasting for the Christian (3:27). We rejoice in our solid hope of sharing God’s glory, in our sufferings and above all, in God Himself. This is all done ‘through our Lord Jesus Christ’ because it is through Him and Him alone that ‘we have now received reconciliation’ (5:11).
It could well be argued from this passage that the mark of a justified believer is joy, especially joy in God Himself. Paul wants those who are faltering or downcast to think again what he or she has in Christ – a new relationship with God (justification, peace with God, reconciliation) that overcomes all adversities (‘rejoicing in affliction’) and that provides absolute security for the life to come (‘rejoicing in the glory of God,’ ‘hope does not disappoint us,’ ‘saved from wrath’).
The new community of Jesus Christ is not to be characterised by self-centred triumphalism but by God-centred worship.