Imputed righteousness
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Imputed righteousness is a concept in Christian theology that the righteouness of Jesus Christ is given by God's grace to those who trust in the promise that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross atones for their sins. This teaching is a signature doctrine of the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Christianity.
Contents |
[edit] Imputed Righteousness and Justification
"Justification is that step in salvation in which God declares the believer righteous. Protestant theology has emphasized that this includes the imputation of Christ's righteousness (crediting it to the believer's "account")" (Elwell Evangelical Dictionary).
A primary line of argumentation for this doctrine maintains that perfect righteousness or holiness is necessary to be with God. All mankind "fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23) because all their 'righteousness' is like filthy rags (Is 64:6) before the throne of God, and so all are "dead in their trespasses and sins" (Eph 2:1), and as a result "will not come into [God's] light for fear that their evil deeds will be revealed" (John 3:20). All mankind is in this predicament because all are the offspring of Adam and Eve (Rom 5) who originally sinned against God. As a result of Adam's fall, the world was cursed and sin entered the world. But upon confession of one's own sin and faith in Christ's death and resurrection, the sinner is justified and counted as having the righteousness of Christ.
[edit] The Argument Against the Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness
However in Scripture it is 'Faith' that is credited as Righteousness, not Christ, cf. Rom 4:3,4. His perfect obedience and sacrifice on the Cross is the basis of our Justification but Scripture surely does not teach that He obeyed for you or that His righteousness is therefore transfered to the believer, declaring him righteous by proxy.
The teaching of Scripture is quite simple in view of Righteousness. It simply states that he who does what is Right is Righteous. 1 John 3:8-10. He who sins is of the devil. Declaring someone righteous who is not doing the 'right' thing would be against everything God has revealed of His Divine Nature and goodness. Thus the fundemtal view of the imputation doctrine is without support. For no where is it stated in the pages of the Holy writ that Christ's obedience and righteousness is credited or 'imputed' to anyone. Only that Faith (that orginates from an obedient heart of love) is counted for righteousness by God.
Although all of Christianity would agree that Christ is the believer's chief representative and head before the perfect holiness of God, not all would agree that Christ's righteousness is imputed to the believer. In some circles, imputed righteousness is referred to as positive imputation - where the believer receives the righteousness of Christ. It stands in contrast to negative imputation - where the sin and judgment due to the repenting sinner is imputed to Christ. Virtually all would agree with the latter, but not all will agree with the former. The debate turns on a number of Bible verses not the least of which deal with what and whose righteousness was credited to Abraham when he believed God (Genesis 15:5-6). In this the Bible clearly states why Abrahams faith was credited to him as righteousness. Rom4:19-22. Nothing was imputed to him other than his own Justification for his faith was steadfast, confident, enduring and obedient to God. That's why it was credited to him as righteousness.
The faithful then Walk in the Steps of Abraham, Rom4:12. And do the Works of Abraham, John8:32, (the Works of faith)Scrpture states that he patiently endured and then inherited the promise. Heb6:15. Character cannot be transfered but it can turn on wholehearted obedience to truth. Rom6:16-17. Thus Abraham was made righteous by his faith, not because God declared that he was something he was not, but because he obeyed from his heart and followed after God.
Although Protestantism does not stand or fall on this doctrine, it is one of the classic doctrines of Protestantism and traces back through the reformers - chiefly John Calvin and Martin Luther. These men stood against the Roman Catholic doctrine of infused righteousness, whereby the believer is both declared and made totally righteous in initial justification at baptism. For the Catholic, this infused righteousness is sufficient for salvation but is tarnished as the believer sins, the effects of which must be purged in purgatory. In committing a mortal sin the Catholic casts out all infused righteousness and jeopardizes his or her salvation, which can be rectified through repentance, faith, and the Sacrament of Penance. In progressive justification, good works enhance infused righteousness (in quantity, not quality) to merit greater rewards in heaven.
[edit] Lutheran viewpoint
[edit] Reformated viewpoint
[edit] Catholic responses
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Exposing the Errors of Imputed Righteousness: by Mike Desario
- Imputed Righteousness Defended by William Romaine, preached in London, 1759.
- The Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness by John Gill.
- The doctrine of Justification by Faith, through the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ by John Owen.
- Imputed Righteousness: The Evangelical Doctrine by R. C. Sproul.
- Imputation (conservative Calvinist perspective)
 |
This Christianity-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
