Jacob Robertson

“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” – Romans 4:3

Imputed Righteousness: A Reflection

I am almost ashamed to admit that the meaning of the term imputed, as it relates to biblical righteousness, was lost on me until only a few years ago. At a Christian conference, I wandered into a breakout session titled Righteousness: Imparted or Imputed? I can’t quite recall why I chose that session—perhaps simple curiosity over words I didn’t fully understand.

Though I hardly consider myself a biblical scholar—more simply a student of God’s Word—I had been a Christ-follower for more than fifteen years. Somewhere along the way I had assumed that I grasped the basics of soteriology. But as the lecture unfolded, I quickly discovered how wrong I was. And it was a beautiful realization. That single hour of teaching strengthened and refined my understanding of salvation and deepened my love for the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Justification as the Starting Point

Any discussion of salvation and imputed righteousness must begin with the doctrine of justification. During the 16th-century Reformation, Martin Luther boldly proclaimed that eternal salvation comes by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. His passionate plea for sola Scriptura ignited the Protestant Reformation and shattered the monopoly of the Catholic Church over biblical teaching in Europe.

Scripture itself affirms this truth clearly.

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
—Romans 3:28

Man contributes absolutely nothing to salvation but the surrender of a sinful heart—a surrender initiated by the Holy Spirit. We bring nothing to the table, and yet we leave with everything. This realization ought to humble us and stir us to worship. But it also raises the crucial question: once God declares us “justified,” how is righteousness then applied to the believer?

The Meaning of Imputed Righteousness

To impute is to credit something to the account of another. Romans 4:3 says:

Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

This is the essence of imputation. J. V. Fesko explains it well: Adam’s sin is imputed to all humanity; the believer’s sin is imputed to Christ; and Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers. Luther called this the “glorious exchange”—our sin for Christ’s righteousness.

On the cross, God treated Christ as though He lived our sinful life. Through faith, He now treats us as though we lived Christ’s perfect life. John MacArthur once summarized it:

“That perfect life which Christ lived is credited to the account of every person who trusts Him. On the cross, Jesus dies for my sin. God treats Him as if He lived my life. By faith, God treats me as if I lived His.”

This is the heart of justification and the very center of the gospel. Our sin is removed, and Christ’s righteousness is laid upon us. A bankrupt heart becomes full—clothed in Christ—because of His atoning death and victorious resurrection.

Sanctification and Imputed Righteousness

Historic voices of the faith remind us that justification and sanctification are inseparably linked. Calvin insisted, “Christ justifies no man without also sanctifying him.” B. B. Warfield observed that Romans 6 exists precisely to show that justification and sanctification cannot be separated.

Martin Lloyd-Jones emphasized that while justification happens in a moment, sanctification is lifelong. You cannot receive Christ as justification only, he wrote, and then later decide whether to accept Him as sanctification. True faith produces fruit. As Donald Grey Barnhouse once said, “If holiness does not start, we have the right to suspect that justification never started either.”

Sanctification is the Spirit’s ongoing work of shaping us into Christ’s likeness. Immediately following justification, the Spirit begins this process in every believer. Though it is gradual and lifelong, it is no less certain than our justification.

Summary

• Justification: God declares sinners righteous by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
• Imputation: Our sin is laid on Christ; His righteousness is credited to us.
• Sanctification: Flowing from justification, the Spirit works holiness in us for the rest of our lives.

The doctrine of imputed righteousness is not merely a theological concept—it is the very heart of the gospel. It silences our boasting, humbles our pride, and magnifies the glory of God. Indeed, in salvation from start to finish, it is Soli Deo Gloria—to God alone be the glory.


Footnotes

1. The scholarly term for the doctrine of salvation
2. Referenced from John 1:36
3. The Five Solas of the Reformation (or Doctrines of Grace)
4. J.V. Fesko
5. What is imputed righteousness?
6. Justification and Sanctification
7. Justification and Sanctification
8. Justification and Sanctification
9. Justification and Sanctification