Hello dear ones,
Today, let’s look at how Paul refers to salvation as both a past event and a future event that is to come:
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
— Romans 5:10
In chapter 5, Paul continues his exposition on the nature and means of salvation. Before this, Paul spent the majority of chapter 4 explaining how justification by faith is not necessarily a new concept. He proves this by going all the way back to Abraham and shows how even the patriarch Abraham was justified by faith.
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
— Romans 4:3
Then later he links this idea from Abraham all the way to the saints living in his time:
Now not for his sake only was it written that it was counted to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be counted, as those who believe upon Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over on account of our transgressions, and was raised on account of our justification.
— Romans 4:23-25
After making his point that indeed justification only comes about through placing our faith in God, he then opens chapter 5 by presenting this justification by faith as a past event. He presents justification for believers as an event that happened when they placed their faith in Christ:
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we boast in hope of the glory of God.
— Romans 5:1-2
The tense that he uses here is past tense. He says “having been justified by faith” which points to a past event that happened sometime in the past, presumably at the time of conversion.
Another way he points to this justification as a past event is the way he presents the benefits of justification. Paul says “we have peace with God”. Again, the way he talks about this peace with God, he presents it as something that was attained in the past and is still present in the current time.
In the verse we’re looking at today, we see this point brought to bear once again where in the first part of the verse he says “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son”. Paul introduces this idea of reconciliation. This is just another way of reiterating that we have peace with God.
Reconciliation means “to change from enmity to friendship”. This is a change in the state of a relationship. In this case, it is the change of the state of our former relationship with God, which was that of enmity with God, to that of friendship with God.
And although you were formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds, but now He reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—
— Colossians 1:21-22
After talking about this event that happened in the past, that is, being reconciled to God, Paul then shifts his reader’s attention to the present. He says “much more, having been reconciled”. This is a cue for us to know that he’s switching gears. What he says after this now points to a future event: “we shall be saved by His life.”
It’s important to slow down and take note of the tenses that Paul chooses to use. He’s using a future tense to indicate that this salvation that he’s referring to now is something that will happen in the future.
This is a very interesting perspective that Paul shares because it is very common for believers to think of salvation as a past event. But here we see Paul going from referencing elements of salvation in the past, present, and then ultimately a future event.
This mindset that confines salvation to some distant past is dangerous because it can easily lead to hopelessness in the life of the believer. This can lead a believer to lose focus because their only reference to salvation is something that has already happened. Paul is unlike this; his writings suggest an enormous level of excitement as he looks forward to this future salvation:
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
— Romans 8:18
It is because of this future salvation that Paul alludes to his present attitude in life when he says things like “to live is Christ, to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Take a look at what he says about his focus in life:
Brothers, I do not consider myself as having laid hold of it yet, but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
— Philippians 3:13-14
As we live our day-to-day lives, let’s remember these truths:
- Salvation is not merely a past event; it is also a current ongoing process and a coming event.
- Don’t settle or get distracted by this current state; we still have a final state which will be revealed to us in the future. This should fill us with hope for what’s to come.
- All that is here now will pass away to make way for a new heaven and a new earth.
Let’s remember to fix our hope in Christ and be purified day after day, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:3)
With love,
Paul
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