What does it mean that Christ's righteousness is 'imputed' to us?
Imputation is the great exchange at the heart of the gospel: our sin laid on Christ at the cross, and His righteousness credited to our account. He took what we deserved; we receive what He earned. It is a legal transaction of grace, and it is the only ground on which a sinner can stand before God.
This question arose from studying What does it mean to be justified? and Does James contradict Paul? Is it faith or works? and What is grace?.
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Not a summary of these passages: the passages themselves. Read them, then come back to the study below.
The study
What the Scripture says
The word is about what is credited to your account
'Imputed' is an accounting word: to reckon, to credit, to charge to an account. The Bible's first use is God crediting righteousness to Abraham: 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' Paul insists it is not a wage for work but a gift received by faith, credited to the one who believes in Him who justifies the ungodly.
He believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
Therefore it also was “reckoned to him for righteousness.”
Left to our own record, we stand condemned
The account we bring to God on our own is a debt, not an asset: all have sinned and fall short of His glory, and the wages of sin is death. If we are judged on what we have done, no one is righteous, no not one. The clearing of that record is not something we can achieve; it must be done for us.
for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
As it is written, “There is no one righteous; no, not one.
Christ came under our charge at the cross
The other half of the exchange is ours to Him: God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf. Isaiah said Yahweh has laid on Him the iniquity of us all, and Peter that He bore our sins in His body on the tree. On the cross our guilt was charged to Christ, not canceled: He paid it, so it could not be charged to us.
For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
who his own self bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.
who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.
His righteousness is credited to our account
Paul's yearning is to be found in Christ, 'not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.' David pronounced blessed the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works, and the prophets even gave the coming King the name 'Yahweh our righteousness.' In Christ, God counts us righteous.
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Even as David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin.”
Now it was not written that it was accounted to him for his sake alone, but for our sake also, to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead,
In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name by which he shall be called: Yahweh our righteousness.
But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
Why it matters: a full standing, no room to boast, real peace
Imputation gives a whole standing before God: not a partial improvement but a complete righteousness received by faith. It rules out boasting, because the righteousness is not our own. And it gives peace: being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who could have held our debt against us has washed the record clean and credited us with His own.
Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
Where then is the boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin.”
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Verses to meditate on
For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and Yahweh has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
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