And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:22-25)
Have you used the word impute lately? Probably not. The Greek word is logizomai. It means to take an inventory, estimate, conclude, esteem, number, reason, or reckon. Impute is an accounting term that deals with recording debts and credits that will be reckoned later. It’s a word that describes what happens when you buy something on credit. If you use plastic to purchase an item, the seller runs your card, recording all your information. If he doesn’t run your card, the sale is not charged (imputed) to you.
When Jesus died on the cross, God charged (imputed) our sins to Him. Since Jesus paid for our sins, we don’t have any charges pending before God. Our sin debts have been paid in full, making us righteous in God’s sight.
The Greek word for righteousness is dikaiosune. Righteousness is right standing with God. Because our sins were imputed to Jesus, God sees us and treats us as though we’ve never sinned! Glory to God!
The entire letter to the Romans is Paul’s attempt to dethrone Jewish believers’ exaltation of their efforts to please God. They thought they could do enough to pay for their sins, but every person’s debt of sin was so high, only Jesus could pay it, and He did!
Paul told the Jewish believers they didn’t have to work to earn their righteousness, and they never could. Our sins were imputed to Jesus and by faith, we receive His work on the cross and His glorious resurrection from the dead, proving we are not only in right standing with God, but we also have an eternal future in glory with Him!
Practical Application
Jesus paid for all your sins in His body on the cross, and in Him you are in right standing with God—now and forever if you stay with Him!