The Righteousness of God Imputed

(Article for publication week of 8-1-2012 AD)

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” (Romans 3:21-22).

“The righteousness of God” is a phrase that we find many times in the Book of Romans, and is fundamental to our understanding of the doctrine of justification and of salvation. Paul used this expression in chapter one, verse seventeen to introduce his great theme in the Epistle to the Romans. A careful reading of our text today reveals that Paul is not referring to the “righteousness of God” as one of His essential attributes, but rather he is describing the righteousness that is imputed to the believer in Christ. It is the very “righteousness of God” which is accounted to the believer. Judicially, God considers a believer in His Eternal Son to be as righteous as Himself. What a glorious gospel!

This is a most astounding truth of God’s word. Although the believer is in and of himself ungodly (Romans 4:5), God imputes the righteousness of His Son to him, yea, to everyone who believes in Him. God declares every believer in Christ to be righteous. Because of the justifying righteousness of Christ, the believer is in right relation to the law of God. This is the only way a poor sinner can ever have his record right with God, that is by imputed righteousness.

Now, Paul declares here in our text that this way of justification had been witnessed by the Old Testament (“the law and the prophets”). God’s way of salvation has always been the same. Abraham and David, and every other Old Testament saint were justified by the imputed righteousness of Christ (Romans 4:3,6). The Old Testament believers did not have the light that we now have, but they were just as saved as we are. With the coming of Christ and the giving of the New Testament there was a full manifestation of what had always been the gospel of grace. What Abraham and David believed for their salvation is now fully manifest to us. The very righteousness of God is “unto and upon all them that believe.”

   

The righteousness of God is “unto” them that believe. That is, it is a free gift. Salvation is a gift, not an offer. Remember, we have already shown in previous articles that it is God Who justifies (Romans 8:33), and we are justified without any cause in us (Romans 3:24). A poor sinner can do nothing to save himself, or help save himself, so he simply trusts in the merits of Christ for his whole and sole righteousness. So the justifying righteousness of Christ is said to be “unto” the believer.

But notice also that the justifying righteousness of Christ is “upon” the believer. This tells us that the righteousness of Christ covers us. Thus did David say, “blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Romans 4:7). The prophet Isaiah wrote so sweetly (see again how the Old Testament gave the gospel witness), “. He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

Finally, let us see that this righteousness is unto and upon everyone that believeth. Though your sins be as black as the hinges on hell’s gates, the righteousness of Christ is counted as yours through faith in Christ. Remember, God justifies the ungodly. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). My text promises that everyone who believes in Christ for his whole and sole righteousness is right with God, that is justified. May the Holy Spirit draw you to the Saviour, and give you faith to believe in Him for justifying righteousness.

Imputation, not Impartation

(Article for publication week of 7-25-2012 AD)

      “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).

      I told you last week that the same Greek word that is translated “impute” in Romans 4, is also translated “counted” in this great chapter that tells us that believers are justified by the righteousness of Another. Our text this week is one of those places. God counts a believer as righteous as Christ, though the believer in and of himself remains ungodly. God justifies the ungodly! Oh! What a glorious gospel!

      Dear reader if you suppose yourself to be a good person, my text does not apply to you. I would highly recommend that if you think yourself to be righteous, don’t read the Narrow Way any more! Go ahead and turn to the sports section or something else that interests you, for the gospel is only for sinners. But to those who know from the Bible and their own experience that they are helpless sinners, and ungodly in and of themselves, keep reading, for we have a message for the ungodly! The fact is all people are ungodly, but some haven’t found it out yet.

     Now, look again at our text. It says that God justifies the ungodly. This is because the believer is justified by the righteousness of Christ and not his own righteousness. The believer is justified by an alien righteousness, a righteousness not his own. We have no righteousness of our own whatsoever. We must be found as righteous as God to be right with Him. And this we have in the Lord Jesus Christ only.

     The righteousness of a believer is imputed, not imparted. There is an eternity of difference between the two. The righteousness of a believer is imputed to his record, not infused into him. If you will take the time to read and study Romans 3:20- 5:21, you will see that. This is the difference in working for salvation and in believing in Christ for salvation. God justifies a believer, because of Christ alone. I repeat- God justifies the ungodly.

     Now, to be sure, the Holy Spirit surely does impart a new nature to God’s elect when He regenerates them. But this is to be considered under sanctification, not justification, which we will (DV) do in due time. But first we need to see the critical truth of how we may be “just with God” (Job 9:2). A believer’s righteous standing before God, the Righteous Judge is not because of the new nature imparted in regeneration and continued in sanctification, it is because of Christ Alone. Our righteousness with God is not because of the gift of faith the Holy Spirit gives to the elect sinner, but again, because of Christ Alone. The blessed man is the one to whom God imputes righteousness apart from anything in himself, or anything he does. The only righteousness that will ever fit you for heaven is that which is imputed. When you believe that you are a blessed person!

     

Imputed Righteousness

(Article for publication week of 7-18-2012 AD)

      “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, ‘Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin’” (Romans 4:6-8).

      We have shown you in previous articles that none can be saved by their own personal righteousness (Romans 3:10; Isaiah 64:6). We have also proven that God justifies His people by His Own sovereign grace without any cause being found in the ones He justifies (Romans 8:33; 3:24). Justification is an eternal act of God’s free and sovereign grace, whereby He declares a believer righteous in His Own Eyes because of the righteousness of Christ Alone.

     Our text today is a reference from the thirty-second Psalm where David expressed his faith in God’s grace for his righteousness. The fourth chapter of Romans is fundamental to our understanding of justification, for here the Apostle Paul declares plainly that elect sinners are justified by imputed righteousness. The fourth chapter of Romans is clear that all believers are saved the same way, and that is by imputed righteousness.

    Imputation is a glorious concept, and the person who is favored to believe it is, as the Psalmist says, truly “blessed.” The same Greek word also is translated here in Romans four as “reckon”, and “counted.” The idea is that God counts, or reckons a believer as truly and perfectly righteous because of the righteousness of Another. The word “impute” means “to charge, attribute, or ascribe.” Theologically, it means to reckon to a person what is not his. You see, God counts a believer as righteous as Christ, although the believer is actually and completely unrighteous himself. The believer has no righteousness of his own, but he has a righteousness that is far better- the righteousness of Christ!

    Now the Psalmist David knew himself to be a wretched sinner, as every true believer in Christ also knows. He knew he could never be saved by his own works because he was such a vile wretch by nature. This every heaven born soul has been taught. The person who boasts of his own righteousness and supposes that he may be justified by something he does, or by some inherent righteousness of his own, is sadly deceived. But to those who have come to the end of themselves, and given up all hope of self-righteousness, the gospel declares the imputed righteousness of Christ for the sinner’s justification.

    Blessed is the man who is justified God’s way. Our text says he is indeed doubly blessed, for God positively declares him righteous, and negatively does not charge him with his sins. Thus we see what a glorious blessing it is to be justified by God by free grace alone in Christ Alone. God does not see any sin His people! All our sins have been covered the text says. The Righteousness of Christ completely covers all our sins!

    Blessed are you if by grace you are enabled to believe this glorious gospel that declares the righteousness of God in His Son that is reckoned to the account of all who believe in Him. Blessed is the believer in Christ!

Justified Freely

(Article for publication week of 7-11-2012 AD)

     “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Last week we showed you that it is God Who justifies a poor sinner (Romans 8:33). Justification is an eternal, sovereign, gracious act of God whereby He absolves an elect sinner of all His sins and declares that sinner righteous. Our text today clearly says that God justifies a person by His Own sovereign grace, and not because of any good that He sees in that person.

     The word “freely” in our text is translated from the Greek word “dorean.” The Holy Spirit used the same Greek word in John 15:25 that is translated in our translation “they hated me (Christ) without a cause.” Most people hated Christ, just as they do today. Only His elect people loved Him, and only they love Him today. But there was not then, nor is there now any reason why anybody should hate Christ. He was and is “holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners”. People hate Christ without any cause, because they love sin and hate righteousness. So, God justifies a sinner “without a cause” in the sinner! If the Holy Spirit would enable you to believe this you would jump for joy! God saves a person without regard to anything in the person himself.

     God does not justify a person because of any righteous act that person performs. God justifies a person “by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). “By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves , it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).We have already seen in previous articles that all our righteousnesses are filthy rags, and there is none good, no not one. God justifies a person by grace through faith, and not because of any act that person performs.

     Nor does God justify a sinner because of some goodness He sees in the sinner, for there is nothing good in any person. In us, that is in our flesh there dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18). “The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint” (Isaiah 1:5).

     Nor does God justify us because of the act of believing. Now, the scriptures plainly declare that no one can be saved apart from faith in Christ, but that faith is in no sense the procuring cause of our justification. Get it now, “God justifies a sinner, and He does it freely (without a cause in the sinner) by His sovereign grace. We shall have much to say in later articles of the necessity of faith in Christ, but this week I want you to see that if you ever have a righteous standing before God, the cause must be completely outside yourself. You must look to God and the grace that is in His Son, and not to yourself for your justification.

    Justification is, again an act of God’s free grace. It is in  no sense a cooperative act between God and sinners. I pray the Lord will bless you and gift you with justifying faith that you may believe this glorious gospel. May the Lord bless you all, my dear readers.

It Is God that Justifieth

Article for publication week of 7-4-2012 AD)

       “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth” (Romans 8:33). For several weeks now we have been considering Job’s tremendous question in Job 9:2, “how shall man be just with God?” We have considered the eternal importance of the question, and shown clearly from the scriptures that man cannot be just with God by his own works or merits. We are now ready to proceed to the doctrine of justification itself.

   

    Our text for this week tells us that it is God Himself that justifies a person. Justification is an act of God. It is God Himself Who acts in justifying a person. We have already proven that a fallen man can perform no act that will give him a righteous standing before God. All our righteousnesses are but filthy rags; we have all sinned and come short of God’s glory; we are unprofitable servants; there are none righteous among the fallen children of Adam. Salvation is of the Lord, and is not a joint effort between God and man.

      Secondly, we see that justification is a covenantal act of the Triune God. Only the God of the Bible can justify a poor sinner. It is God that justifies. That is, the Triune, eternal, immutable, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, sovereign and Thrice Holy God of the Bible justifies His people. Justification is an act of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit Who are One in essence and purpose.

      Thirdly, Justification is a sovereign act of God. God is under no obligation to justify any of us. God will have mercy upon whom He will (Romans 9:15). Our text proclaims the absolute sovereignty of God in justification for it is His elect people that God justifies. Our justification rests on the strong foundation of God’s eternal decree of election.

      Fourthly, justification is an eternal act of God. Since it is God Himself who justifies, justification is something that is completely without a sinner. Indeed, there is no good thing in any sinner (Romans 7:18). Since the grounds for justification resides wholly in the Triune God, and there is no good thing in any of us, we must see that God does not justify us as a response to some act of our own. This is a vital scriptural concept that you need to embrace. Now, if justification is solely an act of God, and nothing is found in the sinner to move God to justify him, then this must be an eternal act of God.

    Finally, justification is a gracious act of God. God justifies us freely by His grace (Romans 3:24). Justification is by grace alone. This is the reason true ministers of the gospel often say “sovereign grace.” Justification is by the unmerited favour of God toward undeserving, ill deserving, hell deserving sinners. It is God that justifies!