Grace Bible Church Gillette, Wyoming

4. The distinction is that the righteousness (dikaiosunē) of God spoken of in Rom 3:21, 22 is the righteousness of Christ, which God imputes to the believing sinner (Rom 4:23-25; 2Co 5:21). “Justification” (dikaioō - Rom 2:13; 3:20, 24, 26, 28, 30) is the act of God whereby He imputes Christ’s righteousness to the believing sinner and then judicially declares him righteous.

B. Meaning of justification

1. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein He [pardons] all our sins, and [accepts] us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

2. “Justification is more than forgiveness, since forgiveness is the cancellation of sin while justification is the imputing of righteousness. Forgiveness is negative (the removal of condemnation), while justification is positive (the bestowing of the merit and standing of Christ).” (Chafer, Lewis Sperry, “Major Bible Themes, p 200)

C. Four aspects of righteousness in Romans

1. Righteousness of God - is that which is inherent and among God’s attributes (Rom 3:26 cp. Ps 145:17; Ps 119:142, 144).

2. Righteousness of man (unrighteousness) - is that which falls short of God’s righteous standard (Rom 3:10, 23).

3. Righteousness of Christ (God) - is Christ’s righteousness that is judicially imputed to the believing sinner (Rom 4:3, 22-24). This is the righteousness Paul refers to in the key verses in Romans (Ro 1:16-17).

4. Righteousness - is that righteousness that the Spirit imparts to the believer during his sanctification (Rom 8:4).

II. THE CONCEPT OF IMPUTATION

A. Meaning of imputation

1. To impute means to attribute or reckon or ascribe something to someone. It is not mere influence but involvement that is at the heart of the concept.(Ryrie, Basic Theology).

2. It is a concept expressed in the OT.

a) The sacrificial system understood the transference of the offender’s sin to the sacrifice (Le 7:18; 17:4).

b) David spoke of the blessedness for those God did not “impute” (chashab - account or reckon) iniquity (Ps 32:2 cf. Ro 4:6-8).

B. Three Imputations

1. Imputation of Adam’s sin to man

a) Adam’s sin was imputed to mankind because all mankind sinned in Adam (Ro 5:12).

b) However, even if a person were to claim that such a concept was unfair, everyone has committed personal sins making them accountable to God.

2. Imputation of man’s sin to Christ

a) When Christ died on the cross, the sin of mankind was laid on Him as our substitute (Isa 53:5-6; 1Pe 2:24).

b) To the one who trusts in Christ’s death on the cross, He forgives and takes away his sins (Jn 1:29; 2Co 5:19).

3. Imputation of Christ’s righteousness to man (2Co 5:21)

a) Christ not only removes the sin and guilt but He also imputes His righteousness to the believing sinner (2Co 5:21).

b) Justification is the divine judicial process whereby God imputes and declares a sinner to possess Christ’s righteousness (Ro 4:5).

THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

I. RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS

A. The connection between “righteousness” and “justification” is that both words have the same Greek root, dikē which means right or justice.

1. “Righteous” is the word dikaios.

2. “Righteousness” is dikaiosunē (noun - the state of being righteous).

3. “Justification” is dikaioō (verb - the act of making or declaring righteous).