Monday, May 18, 2020

Brandon D. Crowe on the Resurrection being the "Justification of Jesus"


Commenting on how the resurrection was the “justification” of Jesus (cf. 1 Tim 3:16), Brandon Crowe noted that:

The resurrection is the great “amen” to the sacrificial life and death of Jesus. It not only demonstrates the veracity of Jesus’s predictions of his own resurrection (Luke 9:22; 18:33; cf. 24:6-7, 26, 46), but also proves that Jesus—and his message—were “in the right.” Therefore, the resurrection is the justification of Jesus because by it Jesus’s punishment and condemnation are overcome, and be is raised to eternal life. (Brandon D. Crowe, The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2020], 108-9, emphasis added)

Here, the concept of Jesus’ “justification” by God is not a mere declaration, but there is also a transformative element, too (i.e., his being raised from death to eternal life). On how this relates to 1 Tim 3:16 and the use of δικαιοω, see:


Refuting Christina Darlington on the Nature of "Justification"