who has been delivered for our offences and has been raised for our justification, it will be reckoned.
Paul ends his long argument about Abraham with two events: Jesus handed over to death, and Jesus raised from the dead. The word "our" ties both to us — so who handed Him over, whose sins were in view, and why is justification tied to the resurrection and not only to the cross?
This verse closes a chapter about Abraham. He believed a promise God had not yet kept; we believe a work God has now finished.
Now God Himself comes forth to raise from the dead the One who was, as believers can say, "delivered for our offences." By the very act of raising Him from the dead, God shows that our sins have been put away for ever… Believing in God, and receiving the testimony He gives to His beloved Son, we are justified. Faith is reckoned for righteousness. God not only clears away our sins; He also counts every believer as a righteous person. That is justification… Abraham was justified when he believed that God would do what He had promised. We are justified when we believe what God has done in raising Jesus our Lord from the dead.
The verse does not say who handed Jesus over to death. That is the first question to settle.
"Was delivered": He was given up to death and judgment. Who delivered Him? God… It was an act of God on our behalf.
Romans speaks of Christ's death here for the first time as being for our sins. Earlier the letter looks at that death from God's side.
Propitiation is what we may call the Godward side of the death of Christ. It deals with the most basic matter of all: meeting God's claims against sin. Meeting the sinner's need must come second to that. So when Paul unfolds the gospel in his letter to the Romans, the first mention of the death of Christ is "a propitiation through faith in His blood" (Romans 3:25). We do not find substitution stated plainly until Romans 4:25, where we read of Him as "delivered for our offences."
Older translations read "our offences" where the ESV reads "our trespasses." Either way, the list is not a partial one, and the timing of the sins makes no difference.
Now let us ask, for what was the precious Saviour delivered? "For our offences." For how many? For all, most surely. When Jesus hung on the cross, all the believer's offences were laid on Him and charged to Him. Yes, all. Every one of them was still future when Christ bore them. Yet with Him who spans eternity as a moment, there is no such distinction as past, present or future… Christ forsaken on the cross because our sins were laid on Him. Christ crowned on the throne because our sins are put away.
The cross paid the debt of sin. The resurrection tells the believer how God received that payment.
The death of Christ paid the mighty debt of sin. God's raising Him from the dead is God's acknowledgement that the debt is paid. The resurrection of Christ proves to the believer that his sins are gone for ever, for He was "raised for our justification." In 1 Corinthians 15:17 we find the opposite: "if Christ has not been raised… you are still in your sins." It does not say, "If Christ has not died," but "if Christ has not been raised." But He is raised. Then what is the blessed conclusion for believers to draw? You are not in your sins.
Does this mean God justified us before we ever believed? One writer answers that plainly.
As surely as He was nailed to that cross to bear our sins, for our offences, so surely God raised Him from the dead for our justification. (It is not correct to say on account of our justification. That would imply we were justified before we believed God. It would contradict the word, "all that believe are justified.")… The title deed of his justification is this: God raised up his Substitute from the dead, to be his righteousness and his justification.
Because He acted as our Representative, His present position settles ours.
"For our justification": these words give the bearing of His resurrection on us who believe. Keep in mind that He represents us, if you want to grasp their meaning. Has He come out free from the dominion of death? Then we are free. Is He cleared in triumph from the burden of our offences? Then we are clear — as clear as He is. We stand or fall by our Representative. His position is our position. If death and judgment are behind Him, they are behind us.
- God gave. God gave Jesus up to death and judgment, and He did it on our behalf.
- God charged. Every offence of the believer — past, present and future — was laid on Christ at the cross.
- God proved. The resurrection is God's acknowledgement that the debt is paid. If Christ were not raised, we would still be in our sins.
- God justifies. The risen Christ is the title deed of justification. Abraham believed a promise; we believe what God has done in raising Jesus.
- God secures. Our Representative is clear of death and judgment, so we stand as clear as He is.
Therefore having been justified on the principle of faith, we have peace towards God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
Commentary for this verse has not been generated yet.