Imputations: Key to Justification; Gal.
2:16
Galatians 2:16 NASB
“nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but
through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that
we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since
by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”
We can understand that
justification means that God declares us to be absolutely righteous, but while
that is good and it gives a bearing on the subject there is so much more to it
than that. Justification is built on another doctrine: the doctrine of
imputation. Imputation means to reckon something or to credit something to
someone’s account. The Greek word is logizomai
[logizomai] which has to do with an acco0untinmg term where you
would credit something to someone’s account. To really understand justification
we must first understand imputation. To understand imputation (there are seven
different imputations in the Scripture) we have to decide which imputations
apply. In understanding the doctrine of justification we see that there are
three: the imputation of Adam’s original sin to the individual, the imputation
of our sins to the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, and the imputation of His
righteousness to every believer at the moment of faith alone in Christ alone.
Three imputations apply in the doctrine of justification and they all relate to
righteousness. Justification itself comes from the Greek word dikaioo [dikaiow]. It is a legal term, not an experiential term, and
it has to do with what takes place in the courtroom of justice; specifically
the Supreme Court of heaven in relationship to a creature who is fallen and
condemned by sin. The imputation is the imputation of righteousness, the Greek
word dikaiosune [dikaiosunh], and that has to do with righteousness or justice.
But imputation is built on something else. To understand what is imputed to the
believer, which is the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, we have to
understand some things about the righteousness of God.
Romans 1:16, 17 NASB
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation
to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it
{the} righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘BUT THE RIGHTEOUS
{man} SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.’” This gives us the phrase dikaiosune tou theou [dikaiosunh tou qeou], “righteousness
of God.” That is what is imputed to the believer, specifically the
righteousness of Jesus Christ. Imputation is then built on an understanding of
the righteousness and the justice of God which we have come to understand in
conjunction with divine love as the integrity of God.
Remember, justice is the
guardian of divine integrity. God cannot compromise His perfect standard of
absolute righteousness, therefore divine justice is the point of contact
between God and man, and justice and righteousness have to be satisfied before
God can personally love man again. This means that the solution to human sin had
to be first and foremost a solution which satisfies the judicial demands of God
based on His righteousness. This is very important; it is setting a legal
context for understanding salvation. Because the problem is judicial the
solution has to be judicial. Because the problem has to do with the
righteousness of God the solution has to deal with the righteousness of God.
The solution has to satisfy the righteous demands of God.
God’s love and creatures (cont.)
7. With the loss of rapport with God divine love was no
longer the point of contact between man and God.
8. Therefore the
love of God express toward sinful, fallen, unregenerate mankind is impersonal
and unconditional. John 3:16—impersonal love in God emphasises the perfect and
absolute qualities of God rather than the failures of man. Divine impersonal
love does not require compatibility, intimacy, friendliness or attraction with
man in order to be sustained; it is based solely and exclusively on the
stability of God’s own character.
9. Once a person is regenerate then God loves him
personally because now it is based on the imputed righteousness of Christ.
10. In the post-fall world (since Adam’s fall) justice
always precedes love. God’s justice has to be satisfied before His personal
love is free to be exercised on our behalf. As believers in the Lord Jesus
Christ and because we have the imputed righteousness of Christ we are the
beneficiaries of God’s personal love and we can have harmonious rapport with
God in the spiritual life. After salvation His love becomes our point of
reference.
11. Because divine justice is satisfied man can have a
relationship with God. Justice precedes love. Love motivates but justice has to
be satisfied before God can exercise personal love towards man.
12. This also means that God is never impressed with our
good deeds. The issue is not our works. After salvation we can never earn
divine approval or blessing; we already have it. It is ours at the moment of
salvation because we possess the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. So then
we are able to say that what the righteousness of God approves the justice of
God blesses through the love of God and expressed through the grace of God.
The grace of God
1. Grace is God’s policy toward mankind. It is the policy
of God’s integrity in bestowing unmerited favour on sinful humanity. In a
simplified way grace means undeserved favour, undeserved merit; something we
have not earned or deserved. In eternity past God the Father decided that His
policy toward man would be exclusively based on grace because there was nothing
that fallen man could ever do to obtain His approval or His merit.
2. Grace is not only the basis for salvation it the basis
for the spiritual life. The basic categories of grace are: a) Common grace—those
acts of divine benevolence which is common to all mankind, including the
natural bounties of the earth, the restraint of sin by the Holy Spirit, and the
Holy Spirit’s function as a human spirit in the unbeliever at the point of
gospel hearing so that they can understand the nature of the gospel; b)
Efficacious grace—that grace which is effective for salvation. This is a
specific ministry of God the Holy Spirit who acknowledges and transforms the
faith of a spiritually dead person and makes it effective for salvation. Without
the work of the Holy Spirit the volition of an unbeliever would never result in
eternal life; c) Saving grace—that aspect of grace which relates to providing
everything necessary to bring the believer into a permanent relationship with
God the Father. It expends to all the works of God that brings about a permanent
relationship with God; d) Logistical grace—this has to do with basic grace
blessings in providing physical and spiritual sustenance in the life of the
believer. Logistical grace is indispensable in fulfilling the plan of God. It
means that God is going to bless us logistically regardless of obedience or
disobedience; e) Greater grace—there are various stages of greater grace
blessings, according to James chapter four. Greater grace blessings are those
that go to the growing and maturing believer, not because he is obedient but
because as he learns doctrine and as he grows to maturity he develops a
capacity for utilizing those blessings that God has for him. These blessings
are contingent upon the believer’s spiritual growth. God is not going to bless
us beyond our capacity. They are already given to us but we are going to have
to grow to a certain level of maturity in order to utilise them. Until then God
holds them in reserve.
3. No one has any special privileges or position with
God. Remember the justice of God is absolutely impartial and the blessing of
God from the justice of God is based on the perfect righteousness of Christ
which is the same for every single believer. Romans 2:11 NASB “For
there is no partiality with God.”