Imputation

" Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—" (Romans 5:12, ESV)

"If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted; neither shall it be credited (imputed) to him. It is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity." (Leviticus 7:18, ESV)

"that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting (imputing) their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:19, ESV)

The issue of imputation is, at the heart, an action. To help us understand imputation we look to its definition. To impute something is to count or credit one thing to another. Imputation would have us attribute responsibility to something, to credit something to a person or a cause. Linguistically, imputation deals with facts - not with suppositions or assumptions. Biblically, imputation deals with the fact of sin (both originally and specifically) and its effect on the human race. It also deals with the righteousness of Jesus given to those who believe and place their faith in him.

The imputation of sin finds its origin in the fall of Adam. For some, Adam is the representative for the entire human race. Because of this representation, Adam’s sin is transferred to the rest of humanity because of the connection the representative has to the whole. For others, Adam is called the ‘seminal’ father of all. This means that Adam had within himself the ‘seed’ of humanity and thus because Adam sinned, all of humanity is deemed guilty because of the blood relationship to Adam. In either situation the human race has been ‘imputed’ with sin and its consequences (Rom. 5:12). We are declared sinners because of our human connection to Adam and because of our own immoral behaviors.

The imputation of righteousness finds its origin in the atonement made by Jesus. This encompasses his life, death and resurrection. In the propitiation of Jesus we found that he satisfied (or appeased) the righteous and holy justice of God on our behalf. With the placing of our faith in the propitiation of Jesus towards the judgment of God we are then ‘covered’ with the righteousness of Jesus. His righteousness covers our sin nature and covers over our sinful actions.

The biblical metaphor of clothing is a good example of this truth. The Bible refers to those without Christ in this world as people who are ‘naked and ashamed’ (Gen.3), ‘poor, blind, naked’ (Rev.3) as well as people who are covered in filthy rags. (Isa.64/Zech.3). The New Testament refers to believers as ones who have ‘put on’ Christ. (Rom 3 / 1 Cor. 15 / 2 Cor.5 / Eph. 4 / Col.3) They are covered by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus and have been declared justified by God. The distinction is clear; we are not inherently just but are declared justified because of the covering sacrifice of Jesus. We are imputed with the righteousness of Christ even though the sinful nature still remains in us. The sinful nature no longer rules or reigns over us but it still remains with us. That is why we are called ‘just and sinner’. We are saints of God who still sin.

What are some wider implications of this imputation? The issue of imputation deals directly with our understanding of our justification as well as our day to day sanctification and a Biblical concept of grace. First, without imputation we are not justified before a most holy God. Imputation only occurs through faith alone in the atoning work of Jesus and not from a life of ‘good works’. We cannot earn imputation. Second, without imputation, there is no hope for defeating the sinful nature and its influences on our behavior, for without imputation there is no hope of knowing or pleasing God. Imputation helps us understand that our salvation comes with a deep cost. Christ’s once for all death on the cross and our daily surrender to Him as Lord. With this in clear focus, we look at our own sin differently. We view others sinful behavior differently. We should not accept the idea which states because we are under God’s grace we are free to live as we please and desire what we please and seek after what we please. We can no longer rationalize sinful patterns and attitudes. Rather we look upon our salvation with deep gratitude marked with an attitude which reflects a profound respect and willful submission to the word of God. As in the words of Paul, ‘…so you were bought with a price, so glorify God…’

Peace