Summary of passage: We are reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Saved. Rejoice!
Questions:
10) We are justified by the blood of Jesus, saved from God’s wrath. We are reconciled to God because of Jesus. We are saved through Jesus! We rejoice in God because of this!
11a) According to Webster’s Dictionary, reconciliation means “to settle to friendship or harmony; to settle, resolve.” Zondervan’s definition is “the act of restoring harmony, bringing again into unity or agreement what has been alienated. There is need for reconciliation between God and human beings because of the alienation between them, which is caused by sin but God provided Jesus as the means.”
One more definition: “to put an end to hostility”.
b) We are reconciled to God because it is our sin that created the enmity. We are changed through Christ so we can be reconciled as we become more Christ-like. Reconciliation is of God through Christ to the sinner.
12) Part personal Question. My answer: Christ’s death atoned for our sins, justified us before God as we received Christ’s righteousness through God’s grace. Through Christ’s resurrection, we received eternal life. I will perpetually thank Him and use my life to do His will and shine light to others.
Conclusions: Paul reiterates again how Jesus’s death reconciles us to God so that we can be with Him forever.
End Notes: Humans are enemies of God, not the reverse. Thus the hostility must be removed from humans if reconciliation is to be accomplished. God took the initiative in bringing this about through the death of his Son (verse 11 & Colossians 1:21-22).
We see a parallel here between justify and reconcile:
v9 v10
justified reconciled
by his blood through the death of his Son
shall we be saved shall we be saved
Jesus’s death saves us from God’s righteous wrath.
saved through his life. This refers to the unending life and ministry of the resurrected Christ for his people (Hebrews 7:25) Since we were reconciled while we were God’s enemies, we will be saved because Christ lives to keep us!
Think of what God will do now that we are friends and not His enemy! The blessings! This reconciliation happens right now. God’s wrath towards us is gone, replaced by loving corrections and guidance.
All because of and through Jesus. Period.
