At this moment I can’t think of a set of verses in all of Scripture that is more packed with the wonder of salvation than the first eleven verses of Romans chapter five. Check this out . . .

“Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God (5:1) . . . we have access by faith into God’s grace (5:2) . . . we rejoice in hope of the glory of God (5:2) . . . the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (5:5)”. What benefits belong to the child of God! Declared righteous . . . at peace with our Maker . . . invited to draw from the limitless wells of His grace . . . implanted with a hope of eternity that is sure and does not fade . . . infused with the immeasurable love of God through the “out of this world” dynamic of the Spirit of God living in us. In my NKJV the word “we” or “our” is found 15 times in these 11 verses. These verses are so much about us, the believer in Jesus Christ. “Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits.” (Ps. 103:1-2)

But, as amazing as these “benefits” of salvation are in this passage, they pale compared the awe factor presented in how these benefits were received . . . now check out the “we’s” in these verses . . . “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly (5:6) . . . God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (5:8) . . . when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son (5:10).”

Christ gave His all for me when I had absolutely nothing to give him . . . weak, infirm, feeble, without strength . . . nothing to offer that would earn a place in His holy presence. And more than that, I was a rebel . . . a breaker of the law . . . not just the ten commandments given Moses, but the moral law written on my heart, impressed upon my conscience. A sinner . . . no other “beat around the bush” word for it . . . and it was while I was still a sinner that Christ died for me. And even more than that, I was an enemy of God . . . oh, I remember that time when in my arrogance I flashed hostility toward the One who made me . . . that time when I stood in opposition to God as I determined that my way was the right way. Oh the grace of God . . . the love of God . . . that He would give His Son to die for me when I was without strength . . . still a sinner . . . set an enmity against Him.

And how was this grace shown . . . how was this love manifested . . . how did this great reconciliation occur? Through Christ . . . “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (5:1) . . . through whom also we have access by faith into this grace (5:2) . . . we shall be saved from wrath through Him (5:9) . . . we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation (5:11).”

We have peace . . . we have access by faith . . . we are saved from wrath . . . we rejoice . . . we have received reconciliation . . . all through the Lord Jesus Christ. The very riches of heaven have been poured out upon this impoverished soul through the Person and Work of the Son of God. That great expanse of separation between God and I has been breached . . . reconciliation accomplished . . . an enemy now at peace . . . a sinner made holy . . . a weakling indwelt with the very power of God Himself. How can I not rejoice . . . through Christ? How can I not sing His praise?

Oh, to chew on these eleven verses is to savor afresh the wonder of salvation . . . to know anew the joy of my salvation . . . and declare again the glory of my Savior . . . amen.