In last night’s blog, I showed that the popular doctrine of our Lord’s personal righteousness being imputed is false.  The only thing that is imputed to a person who believes and obeys the gospel is a state of no condemnation (Romans 8:1).  Paul, by quoting David, referred to this as the blessed state where lawless deeds are forgiven, and sins are covered (Romans 4:7-8).

Why do so many teach that the personal righteousness of Christ is imputed to believers?  It is because one false doctrine almost always leads to another.  Those who are rooted in the doctrine of Calvinism teach a theory that involves three imputations.  1.  Adam’s sin was imputed to man.  2. Man’s sins are imputed to Christ.  3.  Christ’s righteousness is imputed to man.

We know that the third imputation is false because the first two are false.  The imputation of Christ’s personal righteousness is only taught because of the false doctrines that (a) man is born in sin and (b) Jesus became a sinner for us.

First, the theory that says man inherited Adam’s sin cannot be established by the scriptures, and, if true, would paint a terrible picture of God since He is our Creator.  If I am born in sin, that is the way God created me, making Him the author of sin.  If not, why not?  The truth is, God charging us with the sin of someone else is contrary to the entire teachings of the Bible on personal accountability of sin.

Ezekiel 18:20 (ESV)
²⁰ The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

Anyone can see that this is contrary to the Calvinistic teaching of hereditary sin, but it is in perfect harmony with what Soloman taught in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 (ESV)
²⁹See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.

The word “man” in this passage is the Hebrew word for mankind.  The Holman Christian Standard Bible translates it as “people,” while the Lexham English Bible uses the word “mankind” itself.  So, God did not just create Adam upright, but everyone after Adam as well.  The doctrine that says we are born totally depraved is proven false by scripture.

The second doctrine teaching that Jesus became a sinner is just as easily proven to be false.  First, such a scenario was not even necessary.  The “wages of sin” was not spiritual death, it was physical death.  If spiritual death was the penalty for sin, we would not have needed Christ.  We could all pay that for ourselves.  We needed Christ to do something we could not do for ourselves and that was to pay the price of death while avoiding eternal damnation.  Only a perfect, sinless man could do that.

While spiritual death is the consequence of sin, physical death is the “wages” for it and Jesus paid that price on the cross.  That is why Paul said that Jesus condemned sin in the flesh, an obvious reference to His death on the cross.  Jesus did not condemn sin by becoming a sinner, He did so by paying its price in death.  What washes away our sins?  Was it Christ literally becoming guilty of our sins?  No, nothing but the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9).

Why is it taught that the personal righteousness of Christ was imputed to man?  It is because the adherents of the doctrine believe we were born totally depraved, and that it is simply the other side of our sins being imputed to Christ.  The truth is that all three imputations are no more than the doctrines of man.  I am satisfied with the Bible doctrine of imputation, that is, by faith a state of justification is imputed to all who believe and obey the gospel.  It is undeserved and unmerited, obtained by the grace of God.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.