Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. We continue to set forth
our declaration of what we believe the scriptures to teach. We have
set forth who God is, who man is, what is sin, what is redemption
defined in four parts, a purpose, a person, a payment, and a place.
To misunderstand these truths is to miss the gospel. Paul said,
for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures
might have hope. Certainly an understanding of
the doctrines of imputation and justification, when rightly understood,
will give the children of God such hope. What is imputation? Literally, the term impute involves
a numeric transaction. The Greek word used in the New
Testament is often translated count or reckon. We could give
the definition of imputation as a recording in one's account.
When a bookkeeper writes a balance in a ledger or records a credit
in a person's bank account, they are committing an act of imputation.
Now, it does not matter if the money originally belonged to
the person or not. Once it is recorded in that account,
it legally becomes theirs. The scriptures tell us, For as
by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Man has been
judged guilty not simply because he has broken God's law, but
because he was made or accounted to be guilty because of his heritage
from Adam. The sin of Adam is imputed to
us. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Isaiah of old prophesied that
the Messiah would come and would take upon himself the sins of
his people. When he said, but he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was upon him. The good news of the gospel begins
by telling the sons of God that their sin has been laid to the
account of Jesus Christ. For he has made him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him. The Lord Jesus willingly imputed
the sin of his people to his own self. He had no sin of his
own, nor was his person ever tainted by the sin of his elect.
But he took upon himself the curse of their sin and became
in the eyes of the law and his father, a sinner worthy of death. Because their sin was imputed
to him, he died an awful death, separated from everything that
he held dear. For Christ also hath suffered
once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us
to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the
Spirit, who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the
tree. At the same time He was imputing
their sin to Himself, He was also imputing His righteousness
to them. But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus,
who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification
and redemption, that according as it is written, He that glorieth
let him glory in the Lord. His people, who were lawbreakers,
now have His obedience laid to their account, and they are without
reproach in Him. What is justification? Justification
is primarily a legal term. To justify means to pronounce
or declare that someone or some action is acceptable. Justification
is the act of God in declaring that His elect sons are perfectly
righteous and accepted in His sight on the basis of Christ
having borne their sin and its judgment and having imputed His
righteousness to them. The result of justification is
that there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are
in Christ Jesus. There are basically two perspectives
of justification taught in the scriptures. One is that legal
decree which takes place in the court of heaven, wherein the
sons of God are judged and considered as the heirs of heaven, having
fulfilled all of the law's demands because of what Christ has done
in their behalf, without their consent or knowledge, being now
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
The other takes place in the mind and understanding of men,
as God causes men to hear the gospel and believe it. And you
that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath he reconciled. Those who believe are convinced
of their justification through the gift of faith. God is not
angry or disposed to wrath towards any of His elect, since Christ
Jesus has fully paid their debt and interposed His righteousness
in their behalf. He decreed His intention to save
them, and He has accomplished their redemption on Calvary's
hill. He has now sent forth preachers into the earth with the glorious
message of reconciliation, that they might believe in Him and
receive the glorious deliverance for which they were appointed
from the foundation of the world. So then faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the Word of God. For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net.