| Does God Give Righteousness To Enable A Person | | | | In other words if the Jewish Law is not kept |
| To | | | | absolutely perfectly from the womb to the tomb |
| Save Himself, Or Does God Account A Person | | | | then the whole Law is broken and a man's debt to |
| Righteous Because Of Christ? | | | | pay what he owes God (perfect obedience) still |
| KJV Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the | | | | stands against him. |
| blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth | | | | The sad truth is that most religious Americans believe |
| righteousness without works | | | | that God "imparts" righteousness to those who are |
| One of the great controversies in Christianity is | | | | saved. In other words, God gives humanity enough |
| whether a person is saved by his own efforts or | | | | grace so that men are righteous enough (that is |
| whether God counts him as righteous freely. Put | | | | "good" enough") on their own, to go to heaven. |
| another way, the question is, does God save a sinner | | | | Is that true? If that is true then what is the purpose |
| without him earning it, or must the sinner do some | | | | of the death of Christ? Why is the word "impart" |
| things "in order" to be finally saved? It is the old | | | | never used in connection with salvation verses in the |
| question of whether righteousness is "imparted" or | | | | Bible? |
| "imputed." | | | | The answer is plain. God does not "impart" grace so |
| Most of us readily understand the word "impart." It | | | | that we can be good enough to enter into heaven. |
| means that someone gives you something. Paul used | | | | No. He "Imputes" righteousness to our account so |
| it in his letter to the Romans. | | | | that our sin debt before God is completely paid, and |
| Romans 1:11 "For I long to see you, that I may | | | | we are justified before Him. |
| impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye | | | | Who paid our sin debt? |
| may be established. . . ." | | | | 2 Corinthians 5:21 says , "For he (God) hath made him |
| In other words Paul wanted to give the Roman | | | | (Christ) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we |
| Christians a spiritual gift by which they would be | | | | might be made the righteousness of God in him." |
| stronger Christians. | | | | When Jesus Christ died on the cross He made a way |
| The word "impute" is a little less known. It means to | | | | for every man's sin debt to be paid in full before |
| apply to one's account. Let me give an illustration to | | | | God. In His death Christ so dealt with all of our sins |
| show the difference between the two words. Let's | | | | so that God's justice being satisfied, He was not free |
| say that you have charged some items at the local | | | | to offer salvation to every man. The payment of our |
| hardware store. When you go in to pay your bill the | | | | sins is an arrangement between Christ, God's Son, |
| cashier says that you do not owe anything. You | | | | and God Himself. |
| reply that there must be some mistake because you | | | | The way that applies to us is twofold. First, we must |
| know you charged certain items. After looking at the | | | | realize that the debt we owe God is massive and |
| records the cashier comes back to you and says, | | | | that we cannot pay. We are not holy or righteous in |
| "Someone came in earlier and paid your bill." "They | | | | our best moments and any effort on our part to |
| gave us the amount of money you owed and we | | | | keep God's Law or "be a good person" in order to go |
| applied it to your account." The cashier could have | | | | to heaven is totally doomed to failure. |
| just as well have said, "They gave us the amount of | | | | And secondly, we must realize that, seeing our |
| money you owed and we imputed it to your | | | | terrible condition, a merciful God has provided the |
| account." | | | | way of salvation through the substitutionary death of |
| In the illustration above, the amount of money paid | | | | Jesus Christ. We must turn from every effort of our |
| on the account was reckoned to be equal to the | | | | own to save ourselves, and totally trust in Christ |
| amount owed on the account and so the debt was | | | | alone for salvation. This is called repentance and faith. |
| paid and the man who had originally owed the debt | | | | It is repentance from sin and dead efforts to save |
| did not have to put out one penny to pay his debt. | | | | one's self and faith in the finished work of Christ. Paul |
| Someone else had done the deed for him. | | | | the Apostle put it this way: |
| That is the word "impute." | | | | Romans 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward |
| The word impart is completely different. Thinking | | | | not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him |
| about our illustration above, let's say that you have | | | | that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth |
| charged some things at the local hardware store. You | | | | the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. |
| go to work on a certain day and you think to | | | | My friend, are you hoping to make it to heaven by |
| yourself, "After I am paid today I am going to go in | | | | your good works? Till the day you stand before the |
| and pay my bill at the hardware store." Quitting time | | | | judgment bar of God you will be in debt. God's just |
| comes and the boss comes around with your check. | | | | nature demands more than you can pay. In the end |
| He gives or "imparts" your check to you. You leave | | | | you will hear Him say, "Depart from me I never |
| your job and head straight to the bank to cash your | | | | knew you." |
| check. You put your money in your pocket and head | | | | But if you have been made willing by the Holy Spirit |
| down the street for the hardware store fully | | | | to forsake your own good works and your own |
| intending to pay your bill. But on the way something | | | | empty resolutions, and your own self righteousness, |
| happens. Your stomach growls and you are reminded | | | | and you have come to know deeply that you cannot |
| that you haven't eaten yet so you stop in the local | | | | save yourself, then there is great hope for you. |
| diner and order your dinner. After you have eaten | | | | That hope is in Christ alone and what he did. Does |
| you continue your trip to the hardware store. On the | | | | that mean that there will be no good works in the |
| way down the street you remember that you need | | | | life of a Christian? Can a man who has "imputed" |
| to pick up some medicine at the drug store so you | | | | righteousness live a life of sin and still claim to be |
| stop in and pay for that. Along the way you also | | | | saved? No! Again listen to the Apostle Paul. |
| pass the bank where your mortgage is owed. You | | | | "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that |
| remember that it is due so you go in to pay. By the | | | | not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of |
| time you get to the hardware store you are ready | | | | works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his |
| to pay up and go home. The cashier tells you the | | | | workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good |
| amount you owe and you begin to count out the | | | | works, which God hath before ordained that we |
| money but to your dismay you realize you do not | | | | should walk in them." |
| have enough money left in order to pay what you | | | | Those who trust the grace of God in Christ alone are |
| owe. You owe a debt you cannot pay and though | | | | made righteous before God. Their debt is paid and |
| you had your check given (imparted) to you, you | | | | the righteousness of Christ is placed on their account. |
| have already spent too much and you cannot pay | | | | They are fully paid up before God and have an |
| your debt. | | | | infinite amount of righteousness left over (after all, it |
| You and I owe God a great debt. God says "Be ye | | | | is the righteousness of Christ Himself that is applied |
| holy; for I am holy." The standard is that we be as | | | | to their account). |
| holy a man or woman as God! | | | | And that new relationship with God, because of what |
| Paul the Apostle said, "For I testify again to every | | | | Christ accomplished on the cross, results in a life of |
| man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the | | | | good works which God has planned before hand for |
| whole law." | | | | all believer who are being saved by grace alone! You |
| He is saying that anyone who hopes that keeping | | | | can never work enough good works in order to be |
| the ritual of circumcision, the sigh of the Jewish | | | | saved, but a genuinely saved person will delight in |
| religion, will save him, is also a debtor to keep every | | | | good works and a God honoring life once you have |
| other ritual and precept of the Jewish law. If being | | | | been saved. |
| saved is by keeping the Law then every part of the | | | | That Is the New Testament truth. Anything else falls |
| Law without exception must be kept for someone | | | | far short of biblical salvation. |
| to be saved. | | | | So what will it be? Will you continue in a futile effort |
| The Apostle James said, "For whosoever shall keep | | | | to save yourself or will you submit to the |
| the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is | | | | righteousness that comes from God alone? |
| guilty of all." | | | | |