Romans 4:23 - Meaning and Application

At the end of the chapter, Paul applies the whole matter to us. After proving clearly that Abraham was counted righteous by faith, he says that Abraham’s justification was meant to be a pattern for ours: “It was written not for his sake alone.” Scripture did not record this only to honor Abraham or to describe something unique to him. It was not meant to show a special way of being made right with God that belonged only to Abraham as his privilege.

The stories of Old Testament believers were not written only as history to inform us. They were meant to guide us and give us examples for learning (1 Corinthians 10:11), (Romans 15:4). This is especially true of Abraham. It was written for us too, to show what kind of righteousness God requires and accepts for our salvation. It was written for us, who are weak and sinful, and who fall far short of Abraham in both privileges and obedience, for us Gentiles as well as Jews, since the blessing of Abraham comes to the Gentiles through Christ. It was also written for us who live at the end of the world, as well as for the patriarchs, because God’s grace is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Paul’s application is brief, but it is enough to make two main points. First, our shared privilege is that righteousness will be credited to us. The gospel way of being made right with God is by an imputed righteousness, meaning righteousness is counted to us as a gift. Paul uses a future form here to show that this mercy will continue in the church. It is the same now, and it will remain so as long as God has a church in the world and people who need to be justified, because the fountain of grace can never run dry.

Second, our shared duty, and the condition for receiving this privilege, is believing. Faith must rest on a divine revelation. The revelation to Abraham pointed to Christ who was still to come. The revelation to us points to Christ who has already come, but that difference does not change the matter. Abraham believed God’s power in bringing life from Sarah’s dead womb and giving Isaac, and we are to believe that same power shown in a greater way, in raising Christ from the dead. Isaac’s being restored was a picture (Hebrews 11:19), but Christ’s resurrection was real.

So we must believe in the God who raised Christ, not only trusting that he had the power to do it, but also relying on his grace in raising Christ as our surety, that is, the one who stood in our place and took responsibility for our debt. Paul explains this in Romans 4:25, where he gives a short summary of the meaning of Christ’s death and resurrection, the two great hinges on which the door of salvation turns.

First, “he was delivered for our offenses.” The Father handed him over, and Christ also gave himself up as a sacrifice for sin. He died like a criminal because he died for sin, but not for his own sin, only for the sins of the people. He died to make atonement, that is, to make payment for our sins, remove our guilt, and satisfy divine justice.

Second, “he was raised again for our justification,” that is, to complete and confirm our being made right with God. By the merit of his death, he paid our debt. In his resurrection, he received our release. When he was buried, he lay in prison, so to speak, under execution for the debt he had taken on as our surety. On the third day an angel rolled away the stone and set the prisoner free, which was the strongest possible proof that God’s justice had been satisfied and the debt paid. Otherwise, he would never have been released. That is why Paul places such emphasis on Christ’s resurrection: “It is Christ who died, yes, rather, who was raised again” (Romans 8:34).

So the whole matter makes this clear: we are not made right with God by the merit of our own works, but by trusting and obeying Jesus Christ and depending on his righteousness. That is the condition on our side for receiving pardon and salvation, and it is the truth Paul has been proving in this chapter and the one before it as the great foundation of all our comfort.