• Romans 4:2-10
  • “Impute” simply means put to one’s account whether in relation to sin or righteousness.
  • All have sinned. Romans 3:23; I John 1:10
    • This leaves us with four possibilities:
      • No escape – not compatible with the love of God
      • Saved in sin – not compatible with justice of God
      • Lived so righteously that he merits forgiveness – not possible
      • God imputes righteousness - Romans 4:4-8
    • This has two possibilities:
      • God imputes righteousness without respect to what one does
      • God imputes righteousness with respect to what one does
    • This has two possibilities:
      • Man lives so good that God counts him righteous because he has merited forgiveness
      • Because of man’s faith in Christ, God forgives him, i.e. imputes righteousness to him (Romans 4:6-8; Psalms 32:1-2)
    • This leaves two possibilities:
      • God counts man righteous even though he is not actually righteous
      • God counts man righteous because God imputes righteousness unto him, forgives him, puts righteousness to his account
    • This leaves one possibility:
      • Man is not saved by his own righteousness, but by the mercy of God (Titus 3:5)
    • Imputed righteousness does not mean that Christ’s personal righteousness is counted as mine. It does mean that my unrighteousness has been seen and forgiven, as made possible by the sinless life and sacrificial death of Christ and by my complete trust and reliance upon Him!
    • Thus God’s amazing grace is seen:
      • In giving the gospel
      • In His continued forgiveness to those who walk in the light (I John 1:7)
    • God has promised. This is the basis of our hope.