AboutJoe Norman Expertise I can answer questions regarding acceptable worship, organization of the church, or any apsect of the Christian life. I am the son of a preacher and have studied the Bible from cover to cover since I was 12 years old. I am strong in my research skills and do not follow teachings of men. Many will label me as conservative and some might label me as liberal, but I just seek to be biblical. I understand proper exegesis and hermeneutics and apply them. My desire is to share my knowledge of God's Word with others. Please always keep in mind that none of us who are listed as experts here are divinely inspired and therefore it is possible to get incorrect answers from any one of us. Study the Scriptures and decide for yourself if what is taught is true.
Experience I am the 4th generation in my family to be a faithful member of the church of Christ. I was raised by a preacher and have studied the Bible everyday since I was twelve. I am 44 yrs old now. I am not a "scholar", but I am very familiar with the scriptures.
Organizations member of the church of Christ, served as a Deacon for a few years at LakeShore church of Christ in Waco, Tx. I currently live in the North Dallas area and worship with the Lewisville church of Christ.
Question Is the righteousness of Jesus imputed to the obedient believer, or is it his own righteousness?
Answer Hi Ronny,
I really appreciate your asking me this question. It would have helped me to know how to answer if I knew more about the passage in the Bible that prompted your question. The word "impute" is a very interesting one. I don't see it used in very many versions of the Bible though. The two which seem to use it most are the King James and the New King James. I am not clear as to whether you are referring to Jesus' personal righteousness or the way in which He justifies a Christian who responds to the gospel with obedient faith.
The word that is translated as "imputed" in the KJV most often translated as "credited". I believe this to be the most accurate translation of the original Greek. The passage most people refer to when asking about how Jesus "imputes" righteousness upon those who become Christians is found in Romans chapter 4.
Imputation can be used of either "laying responsibility for" or giving credit for". Credit or blame is the result of some action (or inaction) on the part of the person being considered.
The short answer is that Jesus' righteousness is credited to those who have obedient faith in the gospel message. It is impossible for any man to earn their salvation.
Some might see contradiction when they compare Romans to the book of James, but upon careful study it is obvious that Paul was addressing something different than the things that James was addressing. Paul was trying to prove to the Roman Christians that they had no need to obey the Law of Moses or be circumcised to be justified under the New Covenant. James was trying to teach that faith without works of obedient faith to the New Covenant is dead.
To see this best, we compare how both these inspired writers referred to Abraham - the father of us all. Paul showed that Abraham was credited with righteousness prior to there even being circumcision or a Law of Moses. When we look to James, we see he uses the example of Abraham offering his son Isaac to God as an example of obedient faith (James 2:21).
We know that there is "none righteous, no not one", but God "counts us righteous" when by faith we obey his will. We know that the moment a person "puts on Christ Jesus or is IN Jesus is when a person has been water baptized. (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16; Rom.6; Gal.3:27-29; Col.2:12; I Pet.3:21)
Jesus' righteousness is available to all mankind due to His death, burial, and resurrection, but only those who respond to the gospel call with an obedient faith will have His righteousness counted to them.
Here are other passages speaking of the righteousness of Jesus becoming sin, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption which also show that we become the righteousness of God IN Christ Jesus.
1 Cor.1:30
"But from Him you are in Christ Jesus, who for us became wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption."
2Cor 5:21 "He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Also please study these verses.(Rom 3:22, 3:26, 5:17, 10:4, Php 1:11, 3:9) I think it might be helpful as well if you will study all of Galatians chapter 3 carefully.
To conclude, the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed or credited to those who become Christians through an obedient faith in the gospel message. We enter into His righteousness when we have put on Christ Jesus in water baptism for remission of our sins.(Gal.3:27-29).
What does it mean to have His righteousness imputed (credited)? It means that as long as we walk in the light (live an obedient faith as best we can) our short-comings (occasional sins) will not be credited to us but Christ's righteousness is seen by God. This passage is one that I believe really explains what it means to have Christ's righteousness imputed to us.
1 John 1:7-10
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.
I hope that I have answered your question to your satisfaction and it was clear and easy to understand. If I did not understand your question correctly, please let me know. If you have any further questions about this, just let me know. If there are new questions, I will also be more than happy to help you.
