Romans 4:25 tells us Christ was "delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." This raises an important question: Is Jesus's death alone sufficient for our salvation, or does his resurrection play a crucial role too?

The resurrection of Christ relates to our justification in three key ways:

1. The Resurrection Proves Christ's Death Accomplished Its Purpose

• Easter confirms Good Friday's success
• The empty tomb demonstrates God's acceptance of Christ's sacrifice
• As Thomas Goodwin noted, Christ's resurrection shows God is satisfied with the payment

2. Saving Faith Embraces Both Christ's Death and Resurrection

• Romans 4:23-24 shows justifying faith believes in Christ's resurrection
• Romans 10:9 requires belief in both Christ's lordship and resurrection for salvation
• Abraham's justifying faith trusted God who "gives life to the dead" (Romans 4:17)

3. Christ's Resurrection Enables Ongoing Salvation

• Hebrews 7:25 shows Christ "always lives to make intercession" for believers
• Romans 8:34 emphasizes Christ's death and resurrection for our justification
• We have both a "bleeding atonement" and a "living Advocate" (1 John 2:1-2)

Our justification rests not only on Christ's death but also on his resurrection life. While his death paid our debt, his resurrection proves the payment was accepted and enables his ongoing work as our advocate. We can rejoice that Christ both died and rose "for our justification."

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