This morning, as you can see, the title of
my message is The Non-Imputation of Sin, taken from those scriptures
that Randy read. First of all this morning, I
want to clarify that title. The non-imputation of sin here
is referring to God's elect. his people, his sheep, his children,
those for whom Christ died and shed his precious blood for.
Sin is imputed, but not to God's elect. God has determined before
the foundation of this earth not to charge his elect with
their sin, but rather to impute or charge their sin to a son,
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let's take a moment here
to look at that term, imputation, as it relates to God, and God
either imputing or not imputing. We need to ask this question,
is the act of God imputing something physical, or is it something
that has occurred in the eternal mind of God? I think we can safely
conclude that God's imputation is not something that occurs
outside the mind of God. I have to say in this, let it
not be understood, that I do not think the consequences of
imputation are not real. The consequences of imputation
are transient acts, acts of God which take place in time. This
is where the consequences are. such as Christ's incarnation,
his suffering, the wrath of God at his appointed time. These
are all results and the consequences of God impugning sin to Christ
and what Christ had to do in order to take care of this sin
problem. However, sin and righteousness
are not physical properties, but they are all legal principles
that are defined by God and judged by God. Something is deemed righteous
or sinful because God defines it as such. It has nothing to
do with our perspective, but everything to do with God's perspective
and how God sees it. Therefore, imputation must then
be understood as something that occurs in the mind of God. because it's something that he
has defined and determined to either do or not do. The issue
should also never be about the timing of imputation, because
imputation is not something that takes place in time, not something
that takes place in time, as God is not a timely being. Of course, once again, Let me
say this, we must never divorce or separate imputation from its
effects and consequences, like Christ's life and his death,
because without these acts, Christ's life and death, imputation is
impossible, because God decreed imputation to be dependent upon
the blood of Christ at the cross. Let's look at John 6, 37, beginning
at verse 37. Christ says, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. Those that the Father give to
Christ in that everlasting covenant of grace, made before time between
the Godhead. Christ says, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. Now that's sure and certain.
And him that cometh to me, I will no wise cast out. For I came
down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him
that sent me. And this is the Father's will
that has sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should
lose nothing, but raise it up again at the last day." As we
once again look at the imputation, look with me this morning at
the book of Psalm 32. Here in Psalm 32, King David says, blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputeth not iniquity, in whose spirit there is no guile
or no deception at all. And then look what the Apostle
Paul says concerning what David said back in Psalms. Here in Romans 4, beginning at
verse 6, the Apostle Paul says, even as David also describeth
the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness,
without worse, saying, blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Back in Psalms, King David says,
the Lord imputeth not iniquity. Then the Apostle Paul Referring
to what King David said, Paul says in verse eight of Romans
four, the Lord will not impute sin. Either way, the result's
the same. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin, not charge them with their sin. I
want to speak this morning on this subject of the non-imputation
of sin toward God's elect. Now, if you're like me this morning,
as a believer, you understand that God's not imputed any sin
to you, and that all of your sins that you've committed have
actually been charged and accounted to Christ, your Savior. This
means your title is free and clear. You're a free man, a woman
in Christ, clear from any wrongdoing. After you pass from this world,
you will walk through the gates of heaven a justified person.
Because not only has your sin been imputed to Christ, who's
paid your sin debt in full by his shed blood on the cross of
Calvary, but also Christ's righteousness, his perfect work on this earth
has been imputed or accounted to you. And all of this took place in
the mind of God, from eternity and fulfilled by Christ in time. After all, God's imputation is
an eternal and imminent act. Some of you might not be familiar
with that, those words, imminent act. That is, here's what it
means, like election, It took place entirely in the mind and
purpose of God in eternity. Nothing new ever entered the
mind of the true and living God that we worship. Now that's hard
to get your mind around. Nothing ever entered, new, ever
entered the mind of God from eternity. Malachi 3 verse 6 says,
for I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. You remember, Jacob have I loved,
Esau have I hated. This world is constantly changing
from one moment to the next. Yet we can rest knowing that
God does not change, and neither is he moved by any event at all
that takes place. As far as God is concerned, from
eternity, as God is eternal and not temporally bound. He had looked upon Christ as the once
and for all substitute and surety for his people. God along with
his people, all of his elect, looked to the entire life of
Christ and his obedience culminating in his death on the cross for
their justification before God. They do not look to any other
event or period in time for their justification. God has no need
to wait until an individual possesses faith before he transfers and
imputes righteousness to their account. Indeed, the very reason
a person has faith is because righteousness has already been
put to their account in the eternal mind of God, and all based on
Christ's suffering and death on the cross. All that God has
purposed for that person for whom Christ died is because of
God's love for that individual. And that love must be conditioned
upon something. and that something is the righteousness
of Christ. A question for individuals that
deny justification from eternity must be, what is God's love conditioned
upon? Is it just a willy-nilly love
that results in an imputed righteousness in the mind of God, or is it
actually based upon God himself? And if God's love is conditioned
upon himself, who is eternal, then how in the world is it possible
for this imputation to occur at the time of faith or at any
other moment in time, since God is eternal and he's not a creature
of time? As we think about the non-imputation
of sin as it relates to the legal aspect of it, the suretorship
of Christ and the everlasting covenant of grace is such an
important part of understanding how that God the Father viewed
his elect as not being charged with their sin, because their
sin was charged to Christ, their substitute and their surety. It stood in their place and took
on all liability for their sin. A surety is one who takes the
place of another in order to pay a debt that they owe. And
since God is a just God, the justification of God's elect
was also based on the transaction between the Father and the Son,
as the Son became surety for the elect. To begin, all sinners,
elect as well as non-elect, deserve eternal condemnation. We deserve
it just as much as those who actually suffer it. But then
to say that there ever was anything like a possibility of the elect
of God ever appointed to suffer condemnation is to deny the eternity
of Christ's surety ship. To say that there ever was anything
like a possibility of the elect of God suffering condemnation
would call into question the binding force of law and the
efficacy of the stewardship of Christ prior to Christ's death. To say that there was a likelihood
of any intellect suffering the wrath of God would be to make
void the eternal covenant and counsel of God. It would also
make it impossible to account for the salvation and the justification
of any of those Old Testament saints who died before Christ
actually come here and died on the cross. And in doing so, it
would draw over portions of scripture, a thick cloud of difficulty being
understood. The reason I point these things
out is that even some sovereign grace preachers have God's elect
condemned and under God's wrath until they are given faith. Think
about what this says about our God, who doesn't change. God's immutable, he changes not. This kind of thinking that has
the elect under God's wrath at any time is why placing imputation
in time creates all kinds of error and confusion. For when the Son of God has the
surety of his people gave his bond and his oath to his father
in the everlasting covenant of grace, in which God the Son freely
surrendered himself to suffer in the state of God's elect and
to take on the full punishment for their sins. And the father
accepted. In that transaction, the elect's
obligation and liability to suffer for those sins belong to Christ
alone. You can't have sin imputed to
Christ and imputed to God's elect at the same time. You can't have
both of them being charged with sin. Either one of them is charged
with sin or the other one. And this is why the suretorship
of Christ is so important, knowing that when Christ obligated Himself
to become the surety for God's elect, and the Father charged
Him with those sins. They didn't belong to the elect,
they belonged to Christ. That's why He came into this
world, is to die for sins of His elect, His people. It follows,
therefore, that if the elect were ever liable to suffer the
wrath of God for their sins, that whatsoever time the elect
were liable to suffer for those sins, at that time, that time,
Jesus could not have engaged as their surety to suffer for
them. And therefore, if God's elect, those Old Testament saints,
were ever liable to suffer for their sins before the cross and
until Christ suffered for them, And this would mean that the
Old Testament saints were only delivered from their liability
to suffer for their sins by the death of Christ or at the time
of the cross. If this be the case, as some
would suggest, this would mean that Christ did not engage to
be surety, the surety of God's elect until the time of his death. Now, this be the case, that is,
that Christ did not assume responsibility of surety until his death on
the cross, every just idea of the eternity of that suretyship
of Christ and the everlasting covenant would cease to exist. But the question is, is the eternity
of Christ's suretyship acknowledged in scripture? Or where is the
validity and the efficacy of Christ's suretyship prior to
his actual death? And how did any of those Old
Testament saints who died before Christ's death ever escape the
damnation of hell? Were none of the Old Testament
saints saved and justified before they departed this world during
those 4,000 years before the crucifixion of Christ? Surely
there were some that entered heaven, and scripture is clear
that there were many that entered heaven. And on what ground did
they enter heaven? It was not due to their own works.
For scripture's clear that by the deeds of law, no flesh could
be justified before God. Those Old Testament saints were
also not delivered by the actual sufferings in time of Christ,
for that had not taken place before the death of those Old
Testament saints. The only way you can account
for the salvation and justification of those Old Testament saints
is by Christ's promise to the Father in that eternal covenant
engagement as the assurity to self-reform in the fullness of
time. On this ground and this ground
alone, those Old Testament saints received all the fruits and effects
of what Christ accomplished at the cross, and they rose to immortal
glory. God did not charge them with
their sins. for he had charged their sins
to Christ their surety. Let's look again at what King
David said back in Romans four, as Paul wrote in four, six through
eight. Even as David also described
it, the blessings of the man whom God imputed righteousness
without works. Sin blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven. and whose sins are covered. Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. And also Psalm
32, 2, where King David said, blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputed not iniquity. See, King David knew that God
had not charged him with his sin. Some of us here used to
say years ago that God gave God saved those Old Testament saints
on the basis of God viewing what Christ would accomplish for them
in time at the cross. Well, that's what we're saying
now, except we're putting a little more clarity to it as we point
out their standing in Christ, their surety for their sin debt,
and Christ's promise to the Father to come in time and to pay that
sin debt. If such of the elect who died
before the death of Christ had so complete an exemption from
all liability and responsibility to suffer the divine displeasure
for their guilt as to be exalted to heaven and actually placed
in the bosom of God's eternal love, speaking of those Old Testament
saints, can there be any reason why the whole election of grace
should not on the very same ground which is the suretorship of Christ,
have the same exemption? Did not all the elect stand alike
as they were related to Christ, the surety? Did Christ not engage
at once and alike for them all? How then can any man think that
Christ's engagement, the surety, produced more and greater effects
in favor of a part, that is the Old Testament saints, than to
hold, that is, the elect after the cross. And how could, in
any sense, any of God's elect be liable to the wrath of God
one moment after Christ became their surety to come in time
and pay that debt? Some might say, well, how about
Ephesians 2, 3? And were by nature children of wrath? Most people
look at this verse and just overlook the by nature. part of it, which
clarifies what the scripture is talking about. The Apostle
Paul is simply saying that as God's elect are born into this
world, the elect and the non-elect, by nature, are deserving of God's
wrath. But look at what God's word says
here in 1 Thessalonians 5.9. It says, for God hath not appointed
us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. Hear
the apostle speaking to believers where he plainly tells them that
they have not been appointed to wrath. And then, of course,
there in Romans 9, beginning at verse 21, we have the potter
and the clay, where it says, have not the potter power over
the clay of the same lump, same lump of humanity to make one
vessel into honor and the other into dishonor. What if God willing
to show his wrath and to make his power known endure with much
longsuffering, the vessels of wrath fitted for destruction,
and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the
vessels of mercy, which he had aforeprepared unto glory? Now,
these verses are clear. From the beginning, there are
vessels of wrath fitted for destruction, and then there are vessels of
mercy, which God had, from the beginning, prepared to glory.
Also concerning the suretorship of Christ and that everlasting
covenant, look at what King David says in Samuel 23, verse five. He says, although my house be
not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things, and sure, for this is all my salvation
and all my desire, although we make it not to grow. Now, if
it was ordered, this salvation that King David's talking about,
if it was ordered in all things, it most certainly includes in
its nature the non-imputation of sin to the elect, and the
imputation of their sins to Christ, and the transfer of all liability
to suffer for sins, from the elect to Christ, their surety,
and these all being imminent acts of the divine will, or acts
of God that only take place in his divine mind, The result says
the sins of God's elect and the eternal mind of God was not imputed
to God's people, but was imputed or reckoned and charged to Christ. And therefore, God the Son was
the only person ever liable and responsible to suffer for the
sins of God's elect. If in all things in which that
everlasting covenant made before time was ordered, It was made
sure, and if it contains all salvation, all the elect must
have been eternally secure from all liability to wrath by the
suretorship of Christ. And this occurred as the everlasting
covenant of grace was ratified. It was ratified by the joint
oath of the Holy Trinity before time. Look at Hebrews 6 verse
17. wherein God will him more abundantly
to show unto the heirs the promise." That's his elect. The immutability
of his counsel confirmed it by an oath. Also look at Numbers
23, verse 21. It says, he, or God, hath not
beheld iniquity in Jacob. Neither hath he seen perversionists
in Israel. I agree with John Gill on this
verse. He says, not that there was no sin in them, nor any observed
by the Lord, yet not so as to mark it in strict justice and
punish it. But he forgave it, he hid it
from his face and did not impute it to them. This is true of the
spiritual Israel of God. For though there is sin in all
of us, and which is constantly done by all of us, yet their
sins, the elect, are removed from them and have been laid
on Christ, their surety. And he has borne them and made
reconciliation for them and made an end of them and has redeemed
and saved them from their sin. And God, by imputing Christ's
righteousness to them, has justified them from all their sin. And
he has forgiven all their iniquities and blotted out all their transgressions
and cast them behind his back and into the depths of the sea,
and has removed them as far as the east is from the west. And
when God has said not to see and behold iniquity in his people,
it's not to be understood, it's not to be understood that is
not of his eye of omniscience, all-knowing, with which he sees
not only the sins of all men, but those of his own people,
and he makes notice of them in a providential way, and he chastises. He chastises his people for them,
but of his eye of avenging justice and purity, he regards the article
of justification, which is a full discharge from all sin, and a
perfect covering of it from the justice of God. In closing, our
God is unchangeable in his love and affection to his people. It says in Jeremiah 31 verse
three, the Lord hath appeared of old unto me saying, yea, I've
loved thee with an everlasting love. Therefore, with loving
kindness have I drawn thee. God's love to his children is
from everlasting to everlasting without any variation in his
own heart. No matter how different the manifestations
of it may be, God always rests in his love. And he never alters. Nothing can separate from it.
He is love himself. And it is as unchangeable as
God himself. the same today, yesterday, and
forever. God's love to his elect did not
begin in time. It did not begin with any event
in time. It does not depend on the conversion
of the elect person to the gospel, but upon God's pleasure in his
crucified, buried, and resurrected son. Can you get your mind around
this simple concept? God never ever had any disposition
toward his people except love. It's eternal. It's everlasting. It's foundational. It's unconditional. All of God's acts of kindness
flow from this great love. Election is a fruit of God's
love. Adoption is a fruit of God's
love. Justification is a fruit of God's love. Also, sanctification,
regeneration of faith, assurance, perseverance, and glorification
are all fruits and effects of salvation, which flows from God's
immeasurable love and is evidenced by Christ's perfect work alone
on this earth. As believers, we do believe,
we do repent, for they are all gifts of God. Yet we do the believing
and we do the repenting. However, we do nothing to be
elected. We are elected because God elected
us. We do nothing to be loved. We're loved because God loved
us. We do nothing to be justified.
We're justified because God justified us even though we are by nature
ungodly. Still justified. When did God
elect us? When did God set his love upon
us? When did God justify us? These
are all acts of God before the world began. We're not elected,
we're not loved, and we're not justified based on anything in
us or done by us. Yes, we believe, we repent, we
walk after the spirit, and we perform good works only because
God decreed we would, that we would do so before the world
began. Because he elected us, he loved
us, and he justified us. Man's fall made no difference
in God's love. Though the special objects of
his love fell in Adam, they fell in Adam's transgression, they
fell in the depths of sin and of misery, but they did not fall
out of Christ, their surety, representative. God never imputes sin to his
people. He never charges them with their
sin. All of our sin has been charged to Christ, and this has
been worked out in God's eternal mind and purpose from before
the foundation of the world. God continued His love, and He
manifested it in sending His Son to be the atoning sacrifice
for our sins. And God demonstrated His love
by sending Christ to die and paid the sin debt for his people,
his elect people, his children, even while we were yet ungodly. Well, thank you, Lord, for the
non-imputation of sin towards your elect. Thank you for not
charging your elect with their sins. Thank you.