Raised Again For Our Justification

Raised Again For Our Justification

Who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification.

Romans 4:25

We have spent some considerable time, of late, contemplating the resurrection of Christ and the implications of it for us. The Apostle Paul made much of the resurrection. Every text which we have contemplated thus far came from his Holy Spirit-inspired pen. Our text today is the same. Paul writes, ‘who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification.’ Knowing what we know of justification, that ‘justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein He pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone,’  how does Christ’s resurrection relate to this? Contemplate this, please. Justification involves pardon and acceptance. In order for God to pardon us, He must accept Christ’s payment of the penalty which the Law exacts for sin. The proof of God’s acceptance of that payment which Christ rendered by His death on the cross is that God has raised Him from the dead. Therefore Paul could say that Christ was, ‘raised again for our justification’. Because God has accepted Christ’s Sacrifice, and proven His acceptance by raising Christ from the dead, He can, ‘accept us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us and received by faith alone.’ Our justification is utterly dependent upon Christ’s resurrection. This makes the resurrection that much more vital. If there is no resurrection, there is no justification. Praise God, there is Christ’s resurrection and therefore, there is for us, justification. We stand before the Throne of God robed in the Righteousness of the Living Christ. We stand upon Redemption Ground.

Our All-Powerful, Wonder-Working God,
we praise You, for Free and Sovereign grace.
We rejoice today that You accept us upon the merits of Christ,
And that our banner is the LORD our Righteousness.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning