Imputation

 September 6, 2024

“The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.”

—Proverbs 28:1 

I left you yesterday with a clear statement: “If you want to be bold, be righteous,” which begs the question, “What does it mean to be righteous?” 

The first thing most people think when they hear this word is someone who is stuffy and has a “holier-than-thou” attitude. The Biblical word is not as much a moral or ethical term as it is relational. To be righteous is to be in a right relationship with God. This has moral implications, but isn’t something we can attain by trying to be good.

The only way we can be in a right relationship with God is through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. We admit that despite our best efforts, we fall short (Romans 3:23), and place our faith in what Jesus did for us when he took our sins upon himself when he died on the cross in our place. 

The word Paul uses to describe this is “imputation” (Romans 4:5-8). It’s a financial term. I have no money in my account, so someone else puts his money in for me. That’s imputation, and it’s what Jesus did. We were not only bankrupt, we were hopelessly in debt, but God placed Christ’s righteousness in our accounts when we repented and placed our faith in him. That’s righteousness. That’s why we can be bold. We aren’t trusting in our own goodness, wondering if it’s enough. We’re trusting in Christ’s righteousness, which we know is enough.