GRACE FOR TODAY Radio Message #499
IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS
Pastor Don Fortner
Grace Baptist Church of Danville
2734 Old Stanford Road
Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world
for the purpose of fulfilling all righteousness as the Representative of God's
elect. And he did it! He brought in, established and finished the work of
righteousness for all his people by his obedience to the Father as our Federal
Head. It is this righteousness, the righteousness of God in Christ, that is
proclaimed to sinners in the preaching of the gospel (Rom. 3:24-28).
Until the righteousness of God, which was
accomplished by the faithful obedience of Christ, is plainly declared, the
gospel has not been preached. And any gospel that offers sinners any grounds of
righteousness other than that which Christ has accomplished is a false gospel.
It is this righteousness, accomplished by Christ, which is imputed to us for
justification and acceptance with God. The Word of God speaks of a threefold
imputation.
1.
ADAM'S SIN HAS BEEN
IMPUTED TO ALL MEN (Rom. 5:12, 18, 19).
By God's appointment, Adam was the head and
representative of all men. When he sinned, we all became sinners by imputation.
God laid the charge and guilt of Adam's sin upon us. We became sinners, not by
what we do, but by what Adam, our representative, did.
2.
ALL THE SINS OF
GOD'S ELECT WERE IMUTED TO CHRIST ON THE CROSS (Isa. 53:6, 8).
Our Lord Jesus never committed any act of
sin. But he was made to be sin as our Substitute, by our sins being charged to
his account. Once he was made to be sin, he had to suffer the just consequences
of sin. He died under the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13).
3.
AND THE
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST IS IMPUTED TO EVERY BELIEVER (Rom. 3:23-24; II Cor.
5:21; Rom. 5:19).
We are not made righteous by something we
do, any more than Christ was made to be a sinner by something he did. Christ's
obedience has been charged to the account of all God's elect, those represented
by him, those for whom he lived and died, those who trust him. God looks upon
us in Christ as men and women who are perfectly righteous. He reckons us to be
righteous in his sight. And he shall reward us with the just consequence of
perfect righteousness: ETERNAL LIFE!
AMEN.