Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Romans 4:25 Christ was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
CHRIST WAS RAISED FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION
Paul is indeed the man who extols Christ in a masterly manner, telling us exactly why and for what purpose he suffered-- namely, that he died for our sins.
But just as it is not sufficient simply to know and believe that Christ has died, so it will not suffice to know and believe that he rose with a glorified body and is now in a state of joy and blessedness, no longer subject to mortality, for all this by itself would profit me nothing or very little. But when I come to understand the fact that all the works God does in Christ are done for me, indeed, they are bestowed upon and given to me, the effect of his resurrection being that I also will arise and live with him; that causes me to rejoice.
This must be brought home to our hearts, and we must not merely hear it with the ears or just confess it with our mouth. When Paul says: "Christ was raised for our justification." his words should come closer home to our hearts and comfort us more. Here the Lamb is truly revealed, of whom John the Baptist testifies, when he says in Jn 1, 29: Behold, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world.
Here is fulfilled that which was spoken to the serpent:
"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: he shall crush your head," which means that for all those who believe in him, hell, death, and the devil and sin have been destroyed. All this is done, I say, by faith. For if you believe that by this Seed the serpent has been slain, then it is slain for you. For each one individually should have crushed the serpent under foot and redeemed himself from the curse, but that would have been too difficult, no, impossible for us. But now it has been done easily, namely, by Christ, who has crushed the serpent once and for all for us.
- Martin Luther
