Romans 4:23-25 English Standard Version
23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
What is the mechanism for our justification?
- Ephesians 2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
- Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Saving grace is at the heart of our justification. It is the why, not the how. Note in verse 24 above that Jesus was raised from the dead. Why did He have to die?
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Romans 5:19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.
Hebrews 9:17 For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive.
Galatians 3:21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.
Romans 6:10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
1 Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Jesus did not allow Mary to touch Him because at this point He was carrying the weight of the sins of the world. He had not yet gone to the Father to lay His sacrifice on the everlasting altar.
When He returned later He returned in His eternal incorruptible state.