Oh δι?! How is Romans 4:25 to be Understood?

摘要

How are we to understand the difficult expression ‘raised for our justification’ (Romans 4:25b)? The clue lies in taking seriously the two διά + accusatives in Romans 4:23. There they express a parallel between the promise of righteousness ‘for him (Abraham)’ and the same kind of promise, still valid ‘for us’. This same emphasis should be taken into 4:25, ‘for us … for us.’ Such a reading is not only backed up by the Isaiah 53 echo and the contents of Romans 5, it also serves to explain the meaning of Romans 4:25b. Abraham was given an opportunity for ‘righteousness-producing faith’ through a tension between ‘under-realized reality’ and God's faithfulness (vv.18–22). Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the same opportunity is now afforded to ‘us’.