(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!
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