Justified by His blood
Published by Olwin Gosal in 2025 · 14 September 2025
Who believes/feels that they are a righteous person?
Having the conviction that we are righteous is not something easy; in fact, we tend to doubt because in our daily lives, we often fall into sin. Essentially, we prefer to satisfy the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes rather than doing the will of God. So the question is, how can we become a righteous person? Because only a righteous (holy) person can see God (Matt 5:8). My prayer is that through today's reflection, the Holy Spirit speaks specifically to each of us, and we return with new understanding and conviction.
Romans 5:9 (NKJV) “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”
Let us start with the Much more then, especially if God loves so much when they were still sinners, how much greater is God's love for those who have now become His children. God will certainly perform special actions for His children.
There are people who ask themselves, does God love me? This question is often planted by the devil in the minds of people. The goal is to make humans not believe, to doubt, and therefore we can not experience God's great love in Christ. In fact, God's main character is love. So it is impossible for Him not to show His love to His children.
Having now been justified
Justified in Greek is δικαιωθέντες (dikaiothentes) from the root word δικαιόω (dikaios) which means "justified," made right, declared not guilty. This is a Verb form, Aorist, Passive, Participle emphasizing that justification has been done once and for all and is accomplished thoroughly and perfectly by God. John 19:30 “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. Then Hebrews 9:28 says “so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
The passive form of the word δικαιωθέντες indicates that the individual who is justified does nothing at all. This means that the justification of sinful humans is entirely the work of God, with no involvement or contribution from humans whatsoever. And it has been completed by God without needing any additional actions from humans. Romans 3:23-24 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Now that they have been justified, Paul emphasizes and affirms that their status has changed to that of the righteous. The work of Christ's justification is very important because it changes the way God views humanity. Initially seen as broken, stained, and blemished humans, because of Christ's justification, God now sees the holy blood of Christ covering human sinfulness. Humankind is once again accepted in fellowship with God and experiences the forgiveness of sins.
by His blood ‘oleh darah-Nya’
In the Old Testament, the people of Israel came to the temple every year to offer animals and their blood as a symbol of the forgiveness of sins before God. Hebrews 9:22 “According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” But the sacrifice of animal blood is only temporary and inadequate to redeem sinful humans. It is actually used as a reminder for humans that they are truly sinful before God and in need of forgiveness.
Animal sacriface is used by God as a depiction that in the future there will be Christ, the Lamb of God who will shed His blood for the work of justification for humanity. We see in several Bible verses John 1:29 “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!.” Ephesians 1:7 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
When a believer trusts and accepts Christ in their heart, at that moment they have become righteous. Righteous not because of their own deeds but because of God's work in Christ Jesus. This belief should always remain in the hearts and minds of believers, as it will serve as a reminder for them to continue striving to live in God's truth. At all times we will face temptations to do things that are not right, but the Holy Spirit will remind and help us to be aware that our focus in life is on God's truth.
we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
This section talks about God's promise or guarantee to every person who believes in Him, who has been justified by the blood of Christ, and will surely be saved. Romans 8:1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”
The phrase 'we shall be saved' uses the Future tense of the Verb, meaning that Christ has already accomplished this, and in the future, believers will certainly experience its impact. This speaks of a certainty that everyone who believes in Him will certainly be glorified in the kingdom of heaven.
While "the wrath of God" exists because of sin. Ultimately, the wrath of God is manifested through eternal punishment in hell for everyone who does not believe in His Son. This punishment is so horrifying, because once a person experiences it, they will suffer forever. Therefore, only those who have received and truly believe in the Lord Jesus in their hearts and have made Him Lord in their lives will receive justification, salvation, and freedom from the wrath of God.
What does God want to teach us all today?
1. God loves His children more than they can imagine and think.
No matter how damaged and broken your life is, God loves you, and when life seems heavy, as if there is no way out, remember that God loves you.
2. Only through the blood of Christ do we obtain true justification.
3. The justification of Christ is more valuable than anything, that is what frees believers from the wrath of God. For what is the use of having all the riches of the world but ultimately losing one's soul?
How can we know and assess ourselves that we are justified by the blood of Christ?
1. The awareness that there is no truth at all within us, and no ability whatsoever to justify ourselves. This awareness is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
2. Having a faithful heart and sincerely surrendering to the Lord Jesus. In Romans 5:1 we are told “Therefore, we who are justified by faith, the Holy Spirit places faith in our hearts, which is an unmatched gift.” So a person who has been given faith cannot remain silent and idle, but has a burning spirit to continue growing in the knowledge of God.
3. Being thankful by living in the truth that God desires. If we have a great desire to live in the truth, then that is a strong indication that we are justified.