Today, I would like you to turn
in your Bible, please, to Romans chapter 4. I'll be bringing the
message from Romans chapter 4, and I would encourage you to
get your Bible, and let's read this verse together. Now, in
Romans chapter 4, I'm going to read just one verse, verse 6. David also describes the blessedness
of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works."
Now, here's the phrase, unto whom God imputeth righteousness. Now, have you ever heard anyone
talk about the importance of the doctrine of imputation? The importance of the doctrine
of imputation. Imputation is one of the many
major important doctrines that is taught throughout Holy Scripture. And it is essential in understanding
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans chapter 4,
there are at least 11 references to this truth of imputation.
In the words we read, reckoned, counted, and imputed. The word reckon or imputed actually
means reckoned over to one's account or given to one's account.
When the Apostle Paul wrote to Philemon concerning what his
runaway slave Onesimus might owe him, he gives us an illustration
of this word. Paul said to Philemon, put that
on my account. That is, if this slave owes you
anything, you just charge it to me. Put it on my account,
and I'll make it good. Now, there are three major imputations
taught in Holy Scripture. And I want to discuss these things
or preach these things to you this morning. The first one we
see is the imputation of sin, the imputation of sin and guilt
and condemnation to all men in Adam, in Adam's fall, in Adam's
ruin. Now, here's the scripture, Romans
5.12. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon
all men, for that all sin, or in whom all sin." Now there we
see the imputation of sin and guilt and condemnation in Adam's
fall, in Adam's ruin. When Adam stood before God, created
in holiness, had fellowship with God, The whole human race stood
in him without sin. You see, Adam stood as a representative
man, a federal head of his race. However, when he sinned and rebelled
against God, judgment was passed upon not only Adam, but also
the whole human race. All men sinned in that first
man, Adam. Judgment was passed upon all
men to condemnation. We read, "...in whom all sinned."
Adam's sin and guilt and spiritual death was imputed to all men. We read in 1 Corinthians 15,
verse 22, "...in Adam all died." Now that's what happened in the
garden. We are made sinful, not by imitation,
but by imputation. We are born with a sinful nature
inherited from our father, and imputed to us because of sin
and guilt in our representative man, Adam. David stated it this
way in Psalm 51 verse 4, born in sin, shapen in iniquity. Man, because of his depraved
nature, will not seek, believe, love, nor worship God. Now listen to these two scriptures,
and this tells us something of our ruined nature that we have
imputed given to us in Adam. Now, here's John 3, 19. This
is condemnation, that light is coming to the world, and men
love darkness rather than a light because their deeds were evil.
Again, in the book of John, chapter 5, verse 39 and 40, we read,
search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal
life. They are they which testify of me, and ye will not come to
me that ye might have life. Men, the whole human race, are
totally depraved. And we got that way by imputed
sin, guilt, and a ruined nature in Adam. Now, that's the truth.
That's what the Scriptures teach. Secondly, here's the second imputation
that's taught in Scripture. The sin of God's elect, certain
people, His sheep, His elect, The sin of God's elect was imputed
to Jesus Christ at Calvary. Now here's the scripture, 1 Peter
3, 18. This is one of many. For Christ
also once suffered for our 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. Now, here we see what happened
at Calvary. The Lord Jesus Christ is also
a representative man, also a federal head. And God dealt with His
elect in Christ Jesus at Calvary. The sin of God's people, the
sin of God's elect were laid on Christ, imputed to Him. And the Lord Jesus Christ, as
the appointed sacrifice of God, made satisfaction for those imputed
sin that was put on Him. You see, God made Him to be sin
for us. who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him." Now, we've seen
all through Scripture our Lord had no sin as this God-man. He did no sin and He knew no
sin. Such a high priest became us
who was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sin, although
He was a real man, identified with our nature. It was not contaminated
nor polluted with the blood and sin of Adam. His human nature
was conceived apart from the aid of any man. He is called
the seed of woman in Genesis 3.15. He's the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth, John 1.14. The only
way He's guilty of sin is by imputation. You see, that's what
happened at Calvary. The sin of God's elect were laid
on Him. their sin and His own body on
the tree. Now, this is a clear teaching
of Scripture. He was made to be sin for us. Now, He had no sin of His own,
but God laid our sin on Him as our substitute. Our blessed Lord,
our substitute, made complete atonement for all the sin of
God's chosen people. Our Lord said in John chapter
10, recorded in verse 15. He said, I lay down my life for
the sheep. And through this sacrifice, the
Lord Jesus Christ made sufficient satisfaction under God's holy
law, under His holy justice. He redeemed us from the curse
of the law, being made a curse for us. And with that sacrifice,
we're set free. You see, God dealt with my sin
in my substitute. Therefore, we read in Romans
chapter 8, there is no condemnation to those who were in Christ Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ took the
sinner's place, that substitution, wounded for our transgression,
bruised for our iniquity. We read in Isaiah 53, Jesus Christ
not only took my place, he took my sin and he took my punishment
and he took the wrath of God. for his people, for his church. He purchased the church with
his own blood. Jesus Christ made perfect satisfaction
of God's holy law. Every precept and every penalty
of that law. Now we see how important is imputation
here, don't we? God imputed the sin of God's
people to the Lord Jesus Christ, that appointed Lamb, and He made
sufficient eternal redemption, atonement for their sin, and
they shall be saved. Now, here's a third imputation
that's taught in Scripture. The imputation of a justifying
righteousness to all those who believe. Every believer receives
salvation the same way Abraham did by and through God-given
faith. Abraham believed God, and it
was counted to him for righteousness. This is how salvation is received
by God-given faith. We read in Ephesians, For by
grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves is
a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Now listen to this reading here.
Romans chapter four, how is salvation received? Well, we know the scriptures
teach it received by faith, not by doing, by believing. And here's
Romans chapter four. What shall we say then that Abraham,
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if
Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof the glory, but
not before God. For what sayeth the scripture?
Abraham believed God. And it was counted, now that's
that same word, imputed unto him for righteousness. Now to
him that worketh is reward, not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is counted, that's the same word, imputed,
reckoned for righteousness. Even as David also talked of
this blessedness of the man unto whom God would impute righteousness
without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are
forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Now you see how important this
is. I have a justifying righteousness in Christ Jesus imputed by the
sovereign grace of God received by faith. Now faith is not our
righteousness. Jesus Christ is our righteousness. He called the Lord our righteousness.
He is the object of faith that justifies. Our Lord, when He
dwelt among men, lived among men, perfectly honored and satisfied
God's holy law in His life. He honored every precept of that
law. What it demanded, He gave. We read in Isaiah 42, the Lord
is well pleased for His righteousness' sake. He will magnify the law
and make it honorable. Now, he didn't need to do that
for himself. He is righteous. But he's doing
that again as a representative man, establishing a perfect righteousness
for God's people. His obedience, which he rendered
unto God, was done in the believer's room instead, and sovereignly
imputed to them without any expected contribution from them. Now, did you hear that? Without any expected contribution. We read it just a moment ago,
blessed is the man to whom God imputeth righteousness without
works. Now here's another scripture,
Romans 5 verse 19. Now listen carefully. For as
by one man's disobedience many were made sinners. Okay, there's
that first imputation. And Adam all died. So by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous. There's that
imputation we have in Christ Jesus. Moreover the law entered
that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace
did much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ." One old preacher of the past said this, in Adam,
we were made sinners through no fault of our own. In Christ
Jesus, we are made righteous through no merit of our own. You see the importance of this
truth? Of imputation. Imputation. Threefold. Adam's
imputed guilt. Secondly, the sin of God's people
imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ as that appointed sacrifice.
And thirdly, the righteousness the believer enjoys received
by faith, that righteousness imputed to those who believe,
and it's the righteousness of Christ given to us. received
by faith. Now I pray the Lord will give
you grace to consider these sayings and to study them in the scriptures. If you would like a copy of this
message to listen to it again and study these sayings, you
can call me at 631-9053 or you can write to me at 1688 Zebulon
Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky.