"Much more then, having now been justified by His blood,
we shall be saved from wrath through Him."
Romans 5:9
The apostle writes about the believer in Christ now and then. Now we have been justified by His blood. That is a reference to the sacrificial death of Christ for our sins at the cross. What Jesus did for us in His death took away the condemnation of all our sins.
We are justified in Christ. That's a legal term used in court. The verdict of an accused criminal was condemnation or justification. To be justified is to be declared innocent of all accusations by the judge. The Judge of all mankind declares the sinner justified through the perfect merits of Christ and His condemnation for our sins.
Now we are justified, but there's much more. We shall be saved. That's future tense. Justified means we were saved in the past. In the future, we shall be saved from wrath through Christ. God's wrath is His judicial judgment against sin. It's not a temporary emotion, but an abiding penalty against those who reject Christ (John 3:36). The choice to receive or reject Christ is ours.
The word saved means to be delivered. The believer is delivered from condemnation and wrath. Being saved is not just becoming religious or joining a church. Those who are saved believe Christ died for their sins. They believe Christ the Lord is risen from the dead. They have called upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save them from condemnation and judgment. "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13).
God, we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord.
