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.

Anything that soils our robes of righteousness is a sin.

That is my definition of sin, not something anyone else has to agree with. So let us move on to the issue of having a right standing before God the Father.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Given this is true, how can I say that I even have a robe of righteousness?

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Paul in his letter to the Romans has laid out some very rational arguments between Romans 3:10 and 3:20 that states why we are not righteous but here in verse 20 he adds a qualifying word that makes everything right in God’s eyes. That word is justified. Justification Is an accounting term where the ledger of debt is paid moving us out of the red (debt) and into the black.

No deed of the law, including total obedience to the law, brings us into a relationship with God the Father that is acceptable in His eyes. If we think that obeying all the law will bring about righteousness, we are mistaken. So how do we obtain these robes of righteousness?

Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

God provides the robes of righteousness to prepare us for the wedding. 

Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

So faith in Christ is how we will be issued robes of righteousness, to become betrothed to the Son. God would not create a law that He Himself would not keep.

Exodus 21:9 And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters.

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

Wearing those robes only makes us look righteous in God’s eyes. Underneath our flesh still touches these robes and soils them because we have not been translated into our incorruptible state of being. Yet!