Romans 5:8f
‘God commends His love toward us — in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, now being justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him!’ Romans 5:8-9.
Calvin comments: “The verb sunisteesi (‘commends’) has more than one meaning. The more suitable here, is that of confirming.
“It is not the Apostle’s object to arouse us to give thanks, but to establish the confidence and security of our souls. God, therefore, ‘confirms’ — i.e., declares His love toward us to be most certain and true, because He did not spare Christ His Son for the sake of the ungodly.
“Herein is His love manifested. That, without being influenced by any love of ours — He first loved us of His Own good pleasure. As John (3:16) tells us.
“The word ‘sinners’…means those who are wholly corrupt and given to sin…. This appears more clearly from the contrast which immediately follows — ‘being justified by His blood.’ Since he (Paul) contrasts these two things, and refers to those who are delivered from the guilt of sin as ‘justified’ — it necessarily follows that ‘sinners’ means those who are condemned for their evil deeds.
“The sum of the whole, is that if Christ has attained righteousness for sinners by His death — He will now much more protect them from destruction — when they are justified!…
“It would not have been enough for Christ to have once procured salvation for us, were He not to maintain it safe and secure to the end. This is what the Apostle now asserts, declaring that we have no need to fear that Christ will terminate the bestowal of His grace upon us, before we have come to our appointed end.
“Such is our condition, since He has reconciled us to the Father…. He purposes to extend His grace to us more effectively — and to increase it, day by day!”
Calvin also says in his Institutes II:16:4 & III:11:21: “God…’has chosen us in Him, before the foundation of the world’ (Ephesians 1:3-4)…. It was ‘when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son’ (Romans 5:10)…. God commends His love toward us — in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!’ (Romans 5:8).
“Therefore, He had this love toward us even when — exercising enmity toward Him! — we were the workers of iniquity…. The Apostle shows that man is at enmity with God, until he is restored to favour by Christ (Romans 5:8-10).” 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!’
(Romans 5:10).
God loved us, in that Christ died for us — while we were yet sinners! Do you so believe?
