If Christ took our sins on him, why do we still need an imputation of God's righteousness on us?
Upvote:0
Perhaps this illustration can assist you:
Consider a kingdom whose social strata consist of: the king; the royal family (involved in administering the affairs of the kingdom); ordinary subjects; criminals.
While ordinary subjects can be granted an audience with the king, there is a strict rule that no criminals will be admitted to such an audience. Royal family members have familial access to the king and thus requesting an audience is unnecessary for them.
Imagine a criminal is (correctly) convicted of a crime, but after the sentence is pronounced, the crown prince intervenes and bears the penalty instead. As the penalty has been discharged, the criminal is restored to the status of an ordinary subject and can once again petition for audience with the king in case of need, but would not thereby have granted to them the level of access to the king that a royal family member enjoys.
Now imagine that the crown prince elects not just to bear the penalty of the criminal, but additionally bestows his royal clothes and signet ring ensuring that the criminal is not just restored to the status of an ordinary subject, but is elevated to the status of a royal family member.
The latter scenario is in view with the assertion that Christ's righteousness is imputed to the believer. Imputation of our sin to Christ ensures escape from judgment. Imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believer ensures familial access to fellowship with God and the family of God.
Upvote:2
The words ‘righteousness of Christ’ never occur in scripture. What does occur is ‘the righteousness of God’ And that is the answer to your question - why if sins were borne by Christ , do we still need an ‘imputation’ ? That is a very intelligent question; very valid.
The righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel, Romans 1:17. It is revealed at Golgotha. It is revealed when God drew near and resolved all righteousness in the sufferings and death and bloodshed of Jesus Christ, his own beloved Son.
Jesus Christ bore the sins of others, in his body, on the tree, I Peter 2:24. And Jesus Christ was made sin - sin, as such, the thing itself was contained within him, unto death, II Corinthians 5:21. When he died, it was taken away. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, John 1:29.
When one believes this gospel, sees and believes that God’s own righteousness was met and satisfied in Jesus Christ himself as he suffered and died - then God sees that faith and sees, within that faith, his own righteousness.
The righteousness of God is seen within the faith of the believer. And God, seeing that faith, seeing his own righteousness reflected in that faith - God accounts that person to be right. For he is right. He is right to believe that he is a sinner. And he is right to believe in Jesus Christ. And he is right to see that God’s rightness was fully met and satisfied within Christ.
This is a massively important subject. This is the heart of the gospel. The gospel reveals this. Nothing else does.
And I am not ashamed of this gospel; for therein is the righteousness of God revealed - out of faith - unto faith. Romans 1:16.
More post
- 📝 Do Catholics eat the substance of the Father during "communion"?
- 📝 Where is Jesus' body now?
- 📝 How do Unitarians interpret the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20)
- 📝 Did any early Church Fathers record the event of the ceasing of spiritual gifts?
- 📝 What is the purpose if the feast of visitation and on what day of the year is it celebrated?
- 📝 Slavery in the classical ancient Christianity
- 📝 If the earthly sanctuary is a replica of the heavenly sanctuary, can there be death in heaven?
- 📝 How old was Timothy when he became a Christian?
- 📝 Why is "We Three Kings" a Christmas hymn, and not a Lenten one?
- 📝 Given that sin is not a debt - it's a crime against God - why do some say God only had to forgive? What about justice? Is God not just?
- 📝 Is there a standard version of the Bible?
- 📝 What is "sin that leads to death" in 1 John 5:16?
- 📝 Can a novel interpretation of John 15 be supported by art in church history?
- 📝 What constitutes consent to marriage?
- 📝 How does a Catholic church support itself without Tithe?
- 📝 How much authority does Pseudo-Dionysus still have in today's Catholic Church?
- 📝 According to Reformed Theology do non-trinitarians go to hell?
- 📝 Did Jesus perform a single miracle before his fast and temptation?
- 📝 In John 4:1-3, in whose name were Jesus' disciples' baptizing?
- 📝 After how long is a JW called inactive?
- 📝 What are some of the reasons for which Catholics are against gender-neutral secular marriage?
- 📝 In light of the many changes in regulations, what is the purpose of the Roman Catholic altar and is it neccessary for a valid Mass?
- 📝 Revelation 10:4: "Don't write this down....?" (Catholic perspective)
- 📝 When did the practice of bringing non-believers to church originate?
- 📝 How will the earth be cleansed by fire? (LDS perspective)
- 📝 According to the LDS, is Jesus "the Son" or "the Father"?
- 📝 Why are people traditionally buried facing east?
- 📝 According to reformed theology, who or what will the saints reign over during the millenium?
- 📝 What is the "eschatological tension"
- 📝 The seriousness of sin changed?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 If Christ took our sins on him, why do we still need an imputation of God's righteousness on us?
- 📝 Since God provided for the forgiveness of sins in the Old Testament, why do we need Jesus?
- 📝 If baptism cleanses original sin then why do the children of baptised parents still need to be baptised?
- 📝 Since Jesus death paid our sin debt in full, why do Christians still die?
- 📝 Why did Jesus need to die for our sins?
- 📝 According to Protestant interpretations why does God want people to serve Him when He doesn’t need it?
- 📝 Why did Christ need to be the first person to be resurrected?
- 📝 Why did Saul's sins lead to his rejection as King of Israel, but David's sins did not cost him his crown?
- 📝 If Christ Has Been Given All Authority Why Does He Need to Make Intercession For Us?
- 📝 Why not directly confess our sins to God?
- 📝 Could Christ who carried our sins on the cross forgive those same sins?
- 📝 According to Catholicism, if we can thank God for our fortunes why can we not blame him for our misfortunes?
- 📝 Why did the Pharisees need Judas to betray Jesus?
- 📝 Why do Catholics believe transubstantiated host may still affect the gluten sensitive?
- 📝 Does God need our praise and glory?
- 📝 Why were both criminals that were crucified with Jesus abusing him in Mark, and not in Luke?
- 📝 Why did early Christians in Acts still go to the Jewish temple every day?
- 📝 Why did God need to plant the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden in the first place?
- 📝 Why did Daniel consider the allotment of food and wine to be wrong for him to eat?
- 📝 Why are we not seeing miracles in our lives?
- 📝 Why did the people believe that no one would know where the Christ came from?
- 📝 Why does Calvinism need the doctrine of Perseverance of the Saints if it believes in Unconditional Election?
- 📝 Why does the Litany of Saint Joseph call him "terror of demons"?
- 📝 If God doesn't tempt us, why does the Lord's Prayer petition Him to "lead us not into temptation"?
- 📝 According to proponents of penal substitutionary atonement, why do we still die?
- 📝 If you are forgiven through the Grace of God, why do you need an Indulgence?
- 📝 Do Mainline Presbyterians oppose Satisfaction Theory? Is this why "In Christ Alone" was rejected for their Hymnal?
- 📝 According to the LDS church, why was Jesus Christ born when he was born?
- 📝 If the Bible contains all of the word of God and there can be no more, then why do we need the Nicene Creed?
- 📝 What is the name of the belief that each of us is guilty for the sins of our neighbors?