Rom. 4:25 tells us that Jesus was raised for our justification. Paul usually associates justification with Christ’s death. However, our justification is closely connected with Jesus’ resurrection.

I like to point this out because many think of the resurrection primarily as related to our bodily or resurrection or our regeneration. While also true, we will lose out on a key aspect of the resurrection, if we do not realize that Jesus was raised for our justification.

Pierre Du Bosc (1623-1692) was a French Reformed minister at Caen in France. He ministered there until the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. From thence, he settled in Rotterdam and continued to preach and teach. Here is a selection from his sermon “Jesus Raised for our Justification.” You can read the entire sermon here. May the Lord cause you to appreciate the greatness and completeness of our justification in Christ as we celebrate His resurrection. Du Bosc said:

The word “justification” is one of those words that Scripture uses to signify the grace of God, and this word has caused debate among Christians, some understanding it one way and others another. For there are some who refer it to the inherent righteousness which is infused in our souls in order to sanctify us and deliver us from the habits of vice. Others refer it to imputed righteousness, which is the righteousness of Jesus Christ that God grants to us in order to mercifully pardon our sins and deliver us from the punishment of our crimes.

You are too accustomed to the style of Scripture and particularly to the language of St. Paul to be unaware that the latter is the true sense and that justification properly means the remission of sins that God accords to us in His Son who has been made sin for us so that we might be the righteousness of God in Him. Thus, when the Apostle says here that Christ was raised for our justification, he wants to attribute to His blessed resurrection the forgiveness of our offences.

But you will say, does this not confuse things? Isn’t it to the death of Christ that this great benefit of the pardon of our sins is due, since it is that which is the punishment that we have merited, which has satisfied divine justice, that has paid our debt, that has turned away the curse from us, that has torn up and abolished the obligation that was contrary to us having been nailed to the cross, and that has caused a sweet-smelling odor of appeasement to ascend to the heavenly Father by the propitiatory sacrifice of the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world? Did St. Paul not just say that He was delivered for our offenses? So, it is properly from His death that pardon of our offenses and remission of our sins comes.

It is true, my Brothers, one cannot be mistaken about it. But we must admit, however, that His resurrection also has a part in it, not truly in its quality of meritorious cause, for that belongs only to the death of our Savior, and there is nothing to add to it in this regard. But it does have a part in its quality as the certifying cause of justification, which assures us of the validity of His death and that God has accepted it for our salvation.

This can be explained by a familiar comparison. The death of Jesus Christ is the payment of our debt. His resurrection is the receipt. Does a receipt add more to the payment? No. It presupposes it as made and accomplished. What does it do, then? It certifies the payment, attests to it, and convinces everyone of the payment. It shuts the mouth of those who would like to contest it.

It is the same with the resurrection of the Savior. It does not add any merit or any satisfactory virtue to His death. But it’s an authentic document that powerfully attests that God has received the payment of our Surety, that He has agreed to it, that He is content with it, that we should not fear the investigations of His justice or the condemnations of His tribunal. And if the devil or our consciences present our sins again to us, this admirable receipt shuts their mouths and forces them to be silent.

This is just like what we say with a receipt of payment. It releases a debtor, although it is not itself the payment of the debt. In the same way, Paul is right to say that Christ was raised for our justification, for the remission of our sins, although this is not what obtained the pardon.

That’s why we see the holy Apostle opposing the resurrection of the Lord to the condemnation that we are worthy of in ourselves. Who is it, he says, who will condemn? Christ, he adds, is the one who has died and who is also risen, as if He was saying, what would you fear, O Christian, and what can make you doubt your reconciliation with Heaven? Do you fear the number and enormity of our sins? But there is a Surety who has answered for you and who has satisfied the Judge, Christ is the one who has died. Do you fear that God has not accepted His payment and that He has not received your release? There is a receipt plain and most valuable that assures you of it, Christ is the one who was raised. Rejoice, then, with a perfect repose, provided that you are in Jesus Christ, and that by a sincere faith you have recourse to His merit.

Wes White is a Teaching Elder in the Presbyterian Church in America. He is currently serving as the Pastor of New Covenant Spearfish Presbyterian Church, Spearfish, South Dakota. This article originally appeared on his web site http://weswhite.net and is used with permission.