Topical Bible: Righteousness Imputed: Our Being Made the Righteousness of God, in Christ

Bible > Topical > Righteousness Imputed

◄ Righteousness Imputed: Our Being Made the Righteousness of God, in Christ ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

Definition and Theological Context:
Righteousness imputed refers to the Christian doctrine that believers are declared righteous before God not on the basis of their own works or merits, but through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which is credited to them by faith. This concept is central to the doctrine of justification, where God pardons sinners and accepts them as righteous solely on account of Christ's righteousness.

Biblical Foundation:
The doctrine of imputed righteousness is primarily derived from the writings of the Apostle Paul. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 , Paul states, "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." This verse encapsulates the essence of imputed righteousness: Christ, who was sinless, took on the sin of humanity, and in exchange, believers receive His righteousness.

Romans 4:5-6 further elucidates this concept: "However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness. And David speaks likewise of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works." Here, Paul emphasizes that righteousness is credited to believers not through their own efforts but through faith in God who justifies the ungodly.

Old Testament Foreshadowing:
The idea of imputed righteousness is foreshadowed in the Old Testament. Genesis 15:6 recounts, "Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Abraham's faith, rather than his works, was the basis for his righteousness before God, setting a precedent for the New Testament understanding of faith and righteousness.

The Role of Faith:
Faith is the means by which believers receive the imputed righteousness of Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 declares, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." Faith is not a work that earns righteousness but is the channel through which God's grace is received.

Theological Implications:
Imputed righteousness underscores the sufficiency of Christ's atoning work on the cross. It affirms that salvation is entirely a work of God's grace, eliminating any grounds for human boasting. This doctrine assures believers of their standing before God, providing a foundation for peace and assurance in their relationship with Him.

Practical Outworking:
The imputation of Christ's righteousness has profound implications for Christian living. It calls believers to live in gratitude and obedience, not to earn God's favor, but as a response to the grace already received. Romans 6:11-13 exhorts believers to "consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" and to "offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life."

Conclusion:
The doctrine of righteousness imputed is a cornerstone of Christian theology, emphasizing the grace of God and the centrality of faith in the believer's life. Through Christ, believers are made the righteousness of God, a truth that transforms both their standing before God and their daily walk with Him.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Corinthians 5:21
For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Righteousness of Christ is not Imputed to us for Righteousness ...
... or of law merit that appellation, or as being the righteousness of ... the obedience
of Christ be said to be imputed to us, and to be our righteousness before God ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 1/article xxiv iv the righteousness.htm

The Lord Our Righteousness
... This is what he elsewhere terms, "our being made the righteousness of God in him ...
itself) shall be called, (having this righteousness imputed to her ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the lord our righteousness.htm

Christ, the Believer's Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and ...
... exclude Christ within, as an evidence of our being his, and ... of God is made unto us
righteousness', does not ... As the obedience of Christ is imputed to believers ...
/.../christ the believers wisdom righteousness.htm

Christ Our Sanctification.
... denotes also here a continued action of being made free from inward ... In addition to
the imputed righteousness and holy works, our sanctification comes next ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/vi christ our sanctification.htm

Righteousness.
... was treated by God as if he were a sinner, our sins being imputed to him ... we might
be treated as if we were righteous, his righteousness being imputed to us ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/righteousness.htm

The Righteousness of Christ, an Everlasting Righteousness
... ask me, what I mean by an imputed righteousness, not to ... two together, and they make
up the righteousness of the ... and says, "Let us make man after our own image ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the righteousness of christ an.htm

The Lord Our Righteousness
... Yes, in its proper place; not as the ground of our acceptance with God ... That is, I
believe God implants righteousness in every one to whom he has imputed it ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 20 the lord our.htm

"That the Righteousness of the Law Might be Fulfilled in Us. "
... is faithful and just to forgive us our sins ... not imputing their sins, because he hath
imputed them already ... he is in Christ, imputing his righteousness to sinners ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xiv that the righteousness.htm

Its Basis
... And by that obedience being imputed to us, is meant no other ... so we "knew" or had
no righteousness of our ... unholy, we are, by virtue of our legal identification ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/the doctrine of justification/4 its basis.htm

Jehovah Tsidkenu: the Lord Our Righteousness
... who are very clear about being saved by ... the root of Jesse, styles him THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS. ... introduced the doctrine of imputed righteousness, I proofed ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/jehovah tsidkenu the lord our.htm