12. Imputed Righteousness
Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.
Romans 4:11…that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.
Romans 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Impute = treat something as if it is possessed by someone. Impute = to attribute something to someone. Because of Christ God imputes righteousness to us. Also, God imputes our sin and guilt to Christ. It is not our own righteousness, but it is imputed to us and accounted to us as if God’s righteousness were our own. In the same way, it is not Christ’s own sin, but our sin is imputed to Christ and He suffers the just penalty for our sin; He took our sin on Himself as if it were His own, and He took it away.
The righteousness imputed to us is not originated, produced or lived by us in any sense; it is God’s; God treats us as if we owned the righteousness although it is alien, that is, strange to us and outside of us, it belongs to us and God counts it so. So also, our sin, inherently ours and produced by us, is alien to Christ He takes it on Himself and counts it as His own, and He pays the price.
Imputed means that it comes from outside and is placed inside. I did not earn it; Christ earned it. Therefore, God imputes it to me without works, but He can legally do so because of what Christ has done for me.
As with all the unconditional promises of God imputed righteousness must be believed because it cannot be seen. That’s why it is seen and received by faith. Faith is supernatural sight granted by the Holy Spirit through the hearing of the Gospel. We need to hear the Gospel often so that faith is maintained without sight, or even without works. Now it is true that with varieties of religious experience it is sometimes felt, but the feeling cannot be relied upon. Therefore we believe the promise according to the Gospel.