Reflection on Romans 4:25

“Jesus was delivered over to death for our sins

and rose again for our justification.”

What is the focus of this Word of Life? It is on the resurrection. The previous verse says that the Father raised Jesus from the dead (We believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead /v.24/), but we also read in the next verse that Jesus Himself rose again by His own power. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” (Jn 10:30) Jesus shares the same divinity as the Father. So does the Holy Spirit. We read in Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” It tells us that the whole Holy Trinity – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – is involved in the resurrection. The three of them are one, one God in three Persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The resurrection is a manifestation of God’s power. His almighty power created the universe, millions of galaxies, and billions of stars. He sustains it all. He also created our earth. He is the Supreme Lord and Lawgiver. He has the power to intervene in the laws of nature, and we call such an occurrence a miracle. Jesus performed miracles not for the sake of spectacle, but to confirm His divinity, for our salvation depends on faith in Him. The greatest proof that Jesus is God is that He rose from the dead by His own divine power. However, it is also true that He was raised by the divine power of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

His death and resurrection bring us justification. All that is required of us is faith, which is the subject of the entire fourth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans.

Verse 24 begins, “…We believe in Him…” Before that, Romans 4 uses the example of Abraham, who believed God, and this faith was credited to him as righteousness (cf. Rom 4:17.22).

Paul says that it was not written just for Abraham’s benefit, but for our benefit, too, assuring us that we are justified by this faith in the true God who raised Christ from the dead.

Practical application:

An example is Abraham’s faith. He believed that God is almighty. When you pray, become aware for at least one minute of God’s presence – that God sees you. Give Him your sins. Realize that He created the entire universe and this earth, and confess that Jesus died also for your sins and that He now justifies you. Confess your faith that Jesus truly rose from the dead, for He is God.

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