There are two kinds of justification taught by Paul in Romans 4. The first type of justification we find is stated in v22. "That is why his (Abraham's) faith was 'counted to him as righteousness.'" This is what we call the doctrine of justification by faith alone. Central to rightly understanding the Gospel, revived during the Protestant Reformation, justification by faith alone is Paul’s main point in this passage. We are justified by faith in God not by keeping the law of God. Justified, in this sense, means to be counted righteous. It is a legal term. It pictures a courtroom room setting. Even though we are sinners and deserve God’s holy justice, because of the presence of faith in Christ, God declares us to be right with Him. That’s Paul’s main teaching on justification in this passage; it’s by faith not by the law. But there is another kind or type of justification that Paul mentions in this passage. (v25) "who (Jesus) was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."
This is not the same justification as we find in v22. Justification by faith alone is tied to Christ’s work on the cross. This justification here is tied to Christ’s work in His resurrection. So what is exactly is this justification in v25 and what does it mean for us?
The justification of v25 is an act of God, just as the justification of v22 is. So God raised Jesus from the dead and He did so in part FOR OUR justification! It’s ours. It’s for us. Its for our joy. Its for our benefit. Its for our faith. Its ours. What is it? Based on its connection with the resurrection and Paul's similar reasoning concerning the implications of the resurrection found in 1 Cor. 15, I think it is at least these two things.
First, it is God’s affirmation of our salvation. The justification of v22 involves a declaration of God. The justification of v25 is God’s affirmation of our salvation. In other words, when God raised Christ from the dead, He was saying, “I’ll accept that! I accept the offering of My Son as the perfect, final sacrifice for sin. I accept that My Son has paid for and has borne the punishment for the sin of My people. I approve of it. It is good. It is right." The resurrection was God’s “YES!” to the work of salvation accomplished by His Son!
That is really, really good news for us today. God has accepted Christ’s sacrifice for us. If Christ’s work for us is right with God that means we are right with God! That’s what the resurrection means for us. It is God’s “YES!” to our salvation in Him. But there’s something more, I believe.
Second, because the resurrection of Christ is God’s affirmation of our salvation, that means it is also for us a great assurance of our salvation. And that is really, really good news. To use the language of justification, because of the resurrection we are justified in our belief, in our faith, in God. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? If so, you are justified in that belief because of the resurrection. Do you believe that Jesus, the sinless Son of God, died for your sin? If so, you are justified in that belief because of the resurrection. We know that life is in Christ because Christ is alive! We know that we will be raised because Christ was raised. We know that God will make good on every one of His promises to His children because He made good on His promise to His Son. The resurrection of Christ is for our justification.
To sum up, the justification of v22 is a justification by faith. The justification of v25 is a justification of faith. The resurrection is God’s affirmation of our salvation, and it is also the assurance of our salvation. Resurrection as Justification is really, really good news!
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