Word of life - Rom 4:24-25 

                    Word of life: “We believe in Him that raised up Jesus Christ, our Lord,

                           from the dead, who was delivered up for our sins and rose

  again for our justification.” (Rom 4:24-25 DRA /The Douay-Rheims American Edition 1899/)

What is emphasized?

The emphasis is placed on resurrection. The verses say that the Father raised up Jesus from the dead and at the same time that Jesus Himself rose again by His power. Jesus said: “I and the Father are one.” (Jn 10:30) The Godhead of the Father and Son is one. The Holy Spirit is one and the same Godhead. The Epistle to the Romans (8:11) reads: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” This reminds us of the truth that resurrection is a work of the whole Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are one, one God in three persons – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Resurrection is a sign of God’s power. God in His almightiness created the universe, millions of galaxies and billions of stars. He keeps it all in existence. He created our earth too. He is the sovereign Master and Law-giver. He can intervene in the natural law and such exception is called a miracle. Jesus performed miracles not to cause sensation but to affirm that He is God, since our salvation depends on our belief in Him. The strongest confirmation of the Divinity of Jesus is His resurrection by His divine power. At the same time it is true that He was raised by virtue of divine power of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

His death and resurrection merited justification for us. The condition on our part is faith, spoken of in the whole fourth chapter of Romans.

The Word of life begins with the words: “...we believe in Him...”. In the previous Word of life we were given the example of Abraham who believed God, and this faith was accounted to him for righteousness. The fourth chapter further says that it was not written for his sake alone but that we also are justified by this faith in true God who raised up Christ.

The connection with other verses:

Rom 4:17.22

Practical application:

An example for us is the faith of Abraham who believed that God is almighty. In prayer, realize God’s presence, that God sees you, at least for one minute. Give Him all your sins. Realize that He created the universe and the whole earth, and confess that Jesus died for your sins too and that He now justifies you. Confess your belief that Jesus really rose from the dead because He is God.

                                                                        Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!