RIGHTEOUSNESS IMPUTED

Romans 4: 1-12

Christ Covenant Reformed (PCA)

Exposition by Max A Forsythe

  Our two texts today, Romans 4 and Psalm 106, truly demonstrate -- as we shall see -- the essential difference between faith and works.   Our passage in Romans, with its reference to Genesis 15, deals with justification, while the psalm explains good works which are the fruit of faith.  By his life and witness, Martin Luther certainly appreciated and understood the difference between these two passages, when he observed that “God does not accept a person on account of his works, but the works on account of the person, and the person before the works.”

John Calvin observes from a different direction that, “if Abraham was justified by works he has something to boast about; but he does not have anything to boast about before God, and therefore he was not justified by works.”  Certainly, by our calling as Calvinists, we appreciate these things, but it is well that we go on to understand the proper focus of this important passage as it defines the imputation of righteousness through faith.  This week we will focus our lesson on the appreciation aspect.  Next week, in part three, we will consider different teachings on this subject as we try to better understand the full meaning of our text.

Again, the key verse is verse six, which is one of the prime texts used to prove the doctrine of imputation.  Charles Hodge defines it this way:  “To impute is to ascribe to, to reckon to, to lay to one’s charge.”  In order to appreciate how the doctrines of justification and imputation work together for our salvation, we need to talk about two types of imputation, both of which Paul has been very much concerned with establishing in the proper order.  The two forms of imputation are these.

First, there is there is the imputation of Adam’s first sin.  By this doctrine we may understand that all of mankind is sinful from birth and that this nature -- this tendency and this heartfelt focus on sin -- is inherited by all of Adam’s progeny.  To prove this point, Paul has already devoted the better part of the first three chapters in order to conclude that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  This assertion has been affirmed by all Christian churches until this century.  But right now, we dare not dwell too long on the theories and discourses of this doctrine, or we should never get to the focus of chapter four:  imputed righteousness.  But even as we accept the doctrine of original sin inherited from Adam, like Paul we acknowledge the necessity for a God-given means to set our inheritance of sin aside to satisfy His righteous holiness.

That God-given means is the second form of imputation whereby justification is accomplished by the application of God’s righteousness through Jesus Christ.  This is accomplished in two ways, according to A.A. Hodge.  First, our Father in heaven “makes the guilt and legal responsibilities of our sins really Christ’s, and punishes him for them.”  Second, The Father “makes the righteousness of Christ ours...and then treats us as persons legally invested with those rights.” 

Let us consider several passages of sacred text to appreciate the first point.

Isaiah 53: 5 & 11:  “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed....  After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.”

Galatians 3: 13:  “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’”

2 Corinthians 5: 21:  “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

John 1: 29:  “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’”

From these texts we may know that as the guilt -- but not our sin -- was transferred to the Lord’s anointed, He suffered the consequences completely on our behalf.  A few years ago, when the seat belt laws were first being interpreted, one of the young men in our county was drag racing one Sunday morning.  His car was left of center.  As he and his racing mate raced up over a curve, he rammed another car nearly head on.  A nursing baby was killed in the accident.  Vehicular manslaughter was mentioned as a probable charge.  However, in court the defense attorney was able to transfer the guilt to the mother, who had removed the baby from a safety seat to feed it.  Since this was in violation of the new safety laws, the court decided that the fault was hers.  The young man’s charges were reduced, and the parents found themselves charged more seriously than the culprit who had caused the death.

Now, I know that is a poor example of guilt transfer, but on a much grander scale, the guilt for our sins and all of those of the elect are transferred to our Christ.  And the weight of that guilt wore heavily on Jesus during the short hours on the cross.  Little do we appreciate, with our more humane punishments, that  the normal criminal who was crucified might take a day or more to expire.  But our Lord perished in one brief afternoon.  Even the anticipation of the cross had caused Him to sweat blood the night before.  In contrast to the transfer of sorrow and woe which our punishment caused our Lord Jesus Christ, we received by transfer the righteousness of Christ.   The sacred text also witnesses to this point as well:

Romans 4: 6:  “David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works....”

Romans 10: 4:  “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

1 Corinthians 1: 30:  “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God -- that is, our righteousness....”

2 Corinthians 5: 21:  “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Philippians 3: 9:  Paul wants to “be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ -- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

Here we should see, as A.A. Hodge reminds us, that just as Christ was not made a sinner by the imputation to him of our sins, so should we realize that we are not made holy by the imputation of his righteousness to us.  “The transfer is only of guilt from us to him, and of merit from him to us.  He justly suffered the punishment due to our sins, and we justly receive the rewards due to his righteousness.”  The other Hodge, Charles, assures us that “this idea of imputation is one of the most familiar ideas in the Bible and is expressed in numerous instances where the word is not used.”  While you will not find the word “impute” in the New International Version, it is found fourteen times in the old King James Version.  So the Fathers and Doctors of the church have long maintained the principle of imputed transfer.  The purpose of this doctrine, and its importance, is that we might appreciate the cost of sin to our Christ, even as we grow through grace and grow to know the joy of our salvation.  May that appreciation be ours today and always.

Amen.



Resources Used:   The Holy Bible, New International Version

Berkhof, Louis.      Manual of Christian Doctrine.
Hodge, A.A.          Outlines of Theology.
Hodge, Charles.      Romans & Systematic Theology.
Mackenzie, R.        Calvin's New Testament Commentaries: Romans.

McNeill, John T.     Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion.
Murray, John.        New International Commentary: Epistle to Romans.
Pauck, Wilhelm.      Luther: Lectures on Romans.

Places Preached:

Christ Covenant REFORMED (Presbyterian Church in America)
Post Office Box 13926 - Columbus, OH 43213-7926

Rom04b.htm       09 July 95

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