25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
In this one verse, we have an abridgement of the whole gospel, the death and resurrection of Christ declared, and the benefit and advantages of both assigned. 1. For his death; he was delivered for our offences.
Here note, 1. The person delivered: He, that is, Christ Jesus the righteous; the Lord our righteousness.
Note, 2. The person delivering, not expressed, but necessarily implied and understood. Judas delivered him, the Jews delivered him, God the Father delivered him, and Christ himself delivered himself. All these did one and the same act, but not for one and the same end: Judas delivered him for gain, the Jews for envy, the Father delivered him out of love, and Christ delivered himself in great compassion to a lost world.
Note, 3. Unto what he was delivered, namely, Unto death, even the death of the cross. This in “God was an act of the highest justice, in Christ an act of wonderful obedience, in the Jews an act of the highest wickedness.
Note, 4. For whom, and for what he was delivered: for us and for our offences: It notes the vicegerency of his sufferings, not barely for our goods the final cause, and for our sins as the meritorious cause; but for us, in our room, place and stead, dying under an imputation of guilt, and dying as the sacrificed beast for the expiation of that guilt: The original word here for offences signifies great falls, grievous offences, and heinous crimes.
This sacrificed lamb was delivered and died to expiate the guilt of great sins and to make atonement for the greatest sinners.
Note, 5. It is here said, that Christ was delivered, rather than died for our offences, to lead us to the consideration of the first cause of his suffering for us; namely, The determinate counsel of God, according to which the concession or permission given to wicked instruments to shed his blood; his own Father delivering him up to death for our offences.
Learn hence, That our sins were not only the occasions but the moving and impulsive cause of Christ’s sufferings. He died as a sacrifice to atone an offended Deity: As the sacrifices of old were brought to the altar, and there slain, so Christ, substituting himself in our room and stead, was brought to the altar of his cross, and there died as a victim or expiatory sacrifice for our sins. Thus, He was delivered for our offences.
Observe, next, Our Lord’s resurrection asserted, He was raised again; and its end assigned, for our justification. Christ as our surety was under the arrest of death; but having given satisfaction by his sufferings, our discharge was published to the world by his resurrection; As by dying in our stead, he bare the curse of the law; so by rising again as a common person, we receive our acquittal from the hand of a judge. His death was our payment, his resurrection our discharge; He was raised again for our justification.
Learn thence, That Christ’s resurrection was the cause of our justification; not the meritorious cause, for that was his death and bloodshed; but the declarative and perfect cause of our justification.
His resurrection was a declaration of our justification, the justice of God thereby declaring itself satisfied, by its prisoner being released. His resurrection is also the perfective cause of our justification. The work of redemption wrought for us by his death is perfected and made effectual by his resurrection. This makes our redemption complete, which otherwise had been partial and imperfect; nay, none at all. ‘Tis upon Christ, as raised, that our faith must be settled: Had he not been raised from the dead, faith in his death had had no foundation, for it had been an unaccountable thing to believe in one that lay under the power of death.
By Christ’s resurrection, the efficacy of his death was declared to all the world: Therefore, says the apostle, Who shall condemn us, when Christ hath died for us? yea, rather is risen again Ro 8.