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 imputed. righteousness without works. Now, here's the phrase unto whom
God imputed 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. and 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 reckoned 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 and 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 Chapter 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 the 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, this 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 may. 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 is 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. He bare their sin in 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 sins 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 are 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 in Romans chapter 4. How is salvation
received? Well, we know the scriptures
teach it is received by faith, not by doing, but by believing. Now here is Romans chapter 4. What shall we say then that Abraham
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? Or 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 reckoning of grace, but of debt. But to
him that worketh not, but believeth. On him that justified the ungodly,
his faith is counted at 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 a 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. Now, 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. 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 Zebulon Baptist
Church, 6088 Zebulon Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky.