“And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4:22–25, KJV 1900)
In life, there are certain times when we need convincing proof. When we moved to North Carolina and purchased a new house, we needed to get our driver’s licenses. At the licensing department, they wanted proof that we were residents at the address of our home. Initially we had no documentation as we were waiting to receive a copy of the official deed to the property. Actually, until I saw that deed, I was holding my breath a bit. We had handed over a lot of money and I needed convincing proof.
We understand that the death of Jesus on the cross took care of our sin problem once and for all. Moreover, we have the convincing proof in the resurrection of Jesus from the grave, that the debt was paid in full.
AS I mentioned in the previous post, Abraham believed God would fulfill His covenant promise, in spite of the way things looked from a human perspective. Abraham’s faith was counted, imputed, to him as righteousness. Yet, there was something greater that went beyond Abraham alone. This imputation of righteousness would be for all who believed in God who raised up Jesus from the dead.
Paul indicates that He was delivered for our transgressions and was raised for our justification. Some theologians see this word justification in a legal sense as God declaring men free from guilt and acceptable to Him (Strong). This because the just requirements of the Law were fulfilled in the atonement. Others indicate that they believe that Paul uses this word in the context of the covenant relationship by which all believers enter by faith. I do not see the value of splitting hairs since both thoughts are connected in Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead puts the seal of affirmation on the person of Jesus Christ and His atoning work. The resurrection proves He is truly God who lived an impeccable human life, fulfilling the just requirements of the law and died for our sins. The resurrection also proves to us that this work was complete, that the debt was paid in full and that we who believe have entered in the covenant promise of God by faith. The resurrection of Jesus gives us a confident hope.
Renewing the Heart 