Note 16 at Rom. 5:9: This phrase "much more" that is used here and in verse 10 is amazing. It would have been wonderful to think that after salvation, God continued to love us with the same love that was manifested towards us through the death of His Son. But Paul is saying that once a person is justified by grace through faith, God loves him much more. Being loved the same would be great, more would have been awesome, but much more is beyond our ability to comprehend.

Many Christians accept the love of God for the sinner. They extend love towards a drunk or adulterer as long as they are lost, but if the drunk or adulterer receives the forgiveness of God and ever commits one of those sins again, they show no mercy. They are actually believing that God loves us much less now that we are saved. We got by with things before we were saved but now we have to be holy or else.

These verses clearly teach that is not the truth. God loves us much more now than He did before our salvation. And before our salvation, He loved us so much that He died for us. He loves us even more now.

Does this mean that living a holy life is not necessary? It means that our own holiness is not a requirement. We are accepted with God by grace through faith. But a person who is truly born again has had a change of heart. He wants to live holy (1 Jn. 3:3). However, we all fail to be as holy as we want to be. When we fail, this knowledge that God loves us more now than when He sent His Son to die for us, will keep us from being condemned and draw us back to serving God.