Imputations

Imputation is defined as God crediting, charging, reckoning or ascribing something to someone. Imputation is a function of the justice of God motivated by His love for mankind. There are seven imputations in Scripture.

Soul Life to Biological Life

The first imputation is soul life to biological life at birth, creating human life. Biological life begins at conception, but soul life is created by God and joined with biological life, which produces a living human being at birth (human life begins outside the womb). Created by God, the soul is perfect and eternal, but becomes contaminated when it is joined with the human body in which the sin nature resides. The soul can be corrupted because volition (free will) resides in the soul. (Romans 5:12)

Adam’s Original Sin to the Sin Nature

At birth, the justice of God imputes Adam’s original sin to the genetically formed sin nature. Since Adam was the head of the human race and deliberately chose to sin, we “inherit” the sin nature from our “father,” Adam. If this seems unfair or unjust on the part of God, think about what would happen if you were not condemned at birth by the imputation of Adam’s original sin. There would be no opportunity for you to be saved. You would simply live out your life and then go straight to Hell to pay the penalty for your personal sins. (Romans 5:12-14; I Corinthians 15:21-22; I Timothy 2:13-14)

But God, in His magnificent grace, provided a way for us to be condemned so that we could ultimately have the opportunity to be saved. His plan called for the imputation of Adam’s original sin to the sin nature of every human being. As we will see, He also provided the plan of salvation for the entire human race. (Romans 5:18-19; 6:23) If a person had to commit a personal sin before being condemned, no child would go to Heaven that died before committing his first sin. Since God is always fair, He has provided for these children to go to Heaven, as well as, anyone that is unable to make a responsible decision (i.e., mentally handicapped). Because they are already condemned at birth, (and our personal sins contribute nothing to our spiritual death), they qualify for God’s saving grace. We do not earn the wages of sin by committing sin – Adam did. Saving these people is a matter of God’s grace and is still non-meritorious, totally apart from human works. Remember: condemnation must precede salvation. (II Samuel 12:23)

When Adam’s sin is united with the sin nature, the result is spiritual death. Spiritual death means that we are separated from God without the ability to have a relationship with Him. We must be extremely clear here in pointing out that God is not the author of sin, Adam is. God condemns sin wherever He finds it, therefore, not only is He not the author of sin, He does not tempt anyone to sin and He does not sponsor sin.

Since we are born spiritually dead (before we have the opportunity to commit personal sin), it is not our personal sins that condemn us. As a matter of fact, the entire human race was condemned when Adam was condemned, at the Fall. It is, therefore, Adam’s sin that condemns us. We sin personally as a result of being spiritually dead. Hence the phrase, “we sin because we are sinners, we are not sinners because we sin.” (Romans 5:13; II Corinthians 5:19)

Though our personal sins do not condemn us, as believers in Christ, they do take us out of fellowship with God and remove the control of the Holy Spirit. You never get away with sin! Continuing in a lifestyle of sinning (making a practice of certain sins) stifles your spiritual growth and carries you into a state of reversionism (reversing your spiritual momentum). Often called “backsliding,” the slide into reversionism eventuates in scar tissue of the soul and blackout of the soul (the believer becomes indistinguishable from the unbeliever). Once a believer has reached the final stage of reversionism, it is a long road back to spiritual momentum. However, it is possible with God’s help, through the study and application of His Word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. To avoid this pitfall, you must always utilize God’s power system: the control of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance, as a believer in Christ, that you understand and use the Rebound Technique (acknowledging known sins in accordance with I John 1:9) on a consistent basis. (I Corinthians 11:31-32; Hebrews 12:5-11)

Our Personal Sins to Christ

Though our personal sins do not condemn us, they still must be dealt with by the justice of God. God dealt with our sins by imputing them and Adam’s original sin to Christ on the Cross and judging them. Therefore, sin is not the issue in salvation – accepting God’s gift of eternal life by faith in Christ is the only issue. (John 3:17; Romans 5:18; II Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:8-9)

We must remember that Christ was perfect, without a sin nature or personal sin. It is this uniqueness that qualified Him to be our substitute and pay the penalty for our sins. Christ is the “Second Adam,” in that He was born perfect, as Adam was created perfect. By a single act of disobedience, Adam introduced sin into the human race. By a single act of obedience, Christ paid the penalty for that sin for mankind and satisfied the righteousness and justice of God. (John 3:16; Romans 5:15)

However, the substitutionary death of Christ on the Cross is of no value unless appropriated by faith. It is God’s desire for every person to know Christ as Savior and share in the fantastic temporal and eternal blessings that accompany salvation. These blessings are only for the believer and are only potential. If God accomplished the most at salvation (by sending His only Son), how much more can He accomplish in our lives both now and in eternity? (Romans 5:16-17; I Corinthians 2:9; II Peter 3:9)

God’s Righteousness to the Believer

At salvation, God imputes His righteousness to the soul of the believer. In theology we call this act “Justification” (in Greek “Dikaiosune”). “Dikaiosune” is a judicial act of declaring one vindicated or justified. It was a judicial act that condemned us at birth (the imputation of Adam’s sin) and it is another judicial act that justifies us (the imputation of God’s righteousness). It is this act that sets up the potential for divine blessing for the believer.

Please understand that the righteousness that we are referring to is God’s very own righteousness, NOT our self-righteousness. The Bible declares in Isaiah 64:6 that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. We are also told that we all come short of God’s righteousness. The conclusion is that we need God’s righteousness in order to enter Heaven. By Jesus Christ becoming our substitute, any member of the human race can potentially share God’s righteousness. (Romans 3:23; 5:8; II Corinthians 5:21)

Justification has nothing to do with acting righteous and has nothing to do with feelings. At salvation you may or may not feel saved, and especially after salvation, when all the “old sins” continue to plague you. How you feel at the time of faith in Christ has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with your justification. Justification is God’s judicial verdict that you are now positionally righteous, whether you feel righteous or not! (Romans 3:20-28; Galatians 2:16)

Eternal Life to the Believer

At the moment of salvation, God imputes eternal life to the human spirit. This eternal life is one of God’s many attributes, therefore, He is imputing His life to the believer. This imputation from God is permanent and can never be lost because it depends on God’s faithfulness not ours. We call this the Doctrine of Eternal Security. We are eternally secure in Christ, having His righteousness and His life forever! (John 10:28-29; II Timothy 2:13)

Eternal life for believers begins at the very moment of salvation but will not be fully realized with all that it entails until we get to Heaven. It is the life of God, that a believer now possesses, that assures him of receiving a glorified body for the eternal state. God did not give us eternal life so that we could set it on the mantel and admire it. There is a greater purpose than living forever in Heaven. God’s greater purpose for you as a believer in Christ is to enjoy His life while on this earth by executing the Christian Way of Life while sharing the happiness of God. You can accomplish this only as a direct result of making the correct choices. God will never force or coerce you into a course of action. He will, however, guide you to the truth, if you so desire. Once you’ve found truth, it is still up to you to learn it and to apply it to your experience. (John 3:16-18; 10:10; 14:26; 15:11; 16:13; Romans 5:17) 

Divine Blessing to the Believer

God imputes blessing to believers. When a person trusts Jesus Christ as personal Savior, a potential is established for blessing from God. You must understand that salvation is based on the grace of God apart from any human merit. So is the Christian Way of Life. (Titus 2:11-14) Therefore, the potential for blessing is based on the grace of God. As a matter of fact, so are eternal rewards. First of all, let’s get a working definition of blessing: a blessing is a benefit bestowed upon the believer by God.

“Why does God bless or bestow a benefit upon the believer?” Since blessings were given to us in eternity past and based on the grace of God (Ephesians 1:3), it is impossible for the believer to earn or deserve the blessings of God. In other words, God does not bless you because of your works, even if they are legitimate divine production (i.e. witnessing, giving, praying, etc. under the power of the Holy Spirit).  God blesses you on the basis of His righteousness resident in your soul. (Matthew 6:33, II Corinthians 5:21) This allows God to be just and in keeping with His grace policy (even if you are not living your spiritual life). You cannot coerce God into blessing you by what you do or do not do. However, it is your choice to access these blessings. The way to access divine blessing, as a believer in Jesus Christ, is to increase your capacity to receive blessing, which is also a grace function under the filling of the Holy Spirit. And remember this: the production of divine good is in and of itself a divine blessing (if you have ever had the privilege of leading a person to faith in Christ you know that this is true).

Increasing capacity in your life is also a grace function. Under your pastor-teacher, you learn and apply Bible doctrine to your daily life. This produces spiritual growth, which produces capacity. Remember that God is not going to give you more than you can handle. Therefore, divine blessing comes as a result of compliance with God’s system of blessing. Is your volition involved? Absolutely! You are the one who must choose to trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, you must choose to learn and apply God’s Word to your life and you must choose to allow God the Holy Spirit to control your life. Accordingly, God is waiting to send blessings to each of us. (Isaiah 30:18)

In order to understand the concept of increased capacity, we need to briefly review the Royal Priesthood and the Royal Ambassadorship of the believer. Remember our illustration: our spiritual life is represented by the vertical line and is our relationship with God, by means of our Royal Priesthood. The horizontal line represents our Christian life and is our relationship with other people, by means of our Royal Ambassadorship. Combined is the Christian Way of Life.

What we need to understand is that the only way that we will ever increase our capacity to receive God’s blessings is to increase our relationship on the vertical line with God. As a Royal Priest, we represent ourselves before God, which is always a private matter. When we sin and remove ourselves from fellowship with God, we are able to go directly to the throne of God in prayer and utilize I John 1:9. The more time you spend in fellowship with God under the filling of the Holy Spirit, learning and using the Bible doctrine stored in your soul, the faster your capacity will increase. This translates into spiritual advance and eventually leads to spiritual maturity, the goal of believers who choose to live their spiritual lives according to God’s plan. You can advance in the Christian Way of Life only by consistently learning, thinking and applying Bible doctrine,

As a Royal Ambassador, we represent the Lord Jesus Christ to the world. (II Corinthians 5:17) This, of course, involves interaction with others. This representation is a spiritual service and does not contribute to your spiritual growth or your capacity as a believer. It is a result of your spiritual growth. It is a blessing itself and a means for you to be a blessing to others. 

Now, let’s review the grace provisions of God for the church age believer:

1. Life support- God keeps you and me alive for a purpose after salvation. This purpose is to glorify Him as a witness for the Supreme Court of Heaven against Satan and the fallen angels. By trusting Jesus Christ as Savior and fulfilling God’s plan for our life, we demonstrate to Satan and his followers the justice of God. (Psalm 68:19-20)
2. Temporal supply- God has promised every believer, regardless of their spiritual status, certain blessings. Food, clothing and shelter are a few. (Matthew 6:25-34)
3. Security in two stages- God provides physical protection in the devil’s world by means of guardian angels and government entities, to name a couple. He also provides spiritual security by holding us in the hollow of His hand and by giving us the sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 1:14; John 10:28; Ephesians 1:13-14))
4. Spiritual provision- This involves the spiritual blessings of the 40 spiritual assets received at salvation and temporal blessings such as family, finances, jobs, etc. Undeserved suffering is also a spiritual provision, though it may not seem so at first glance, but it is a means of growth and increased dependence upon God. And finally, dying grace where God provides a maximum amount of His grace in a believer’s death, while being a testimony to those you leave behind.

Eternal Rewards to the Believer

Eternal rewards for the believer are in many ways similar to the blessings of this life, but, as we will see, there are some differences. Our working definition for reward is “something given in return for something done.” (I Corinthians 3:1-23)

Eternal rewards are represented in the Bible by: 1) crowns (wreaths) and 2) rulership over cities in eternity. Eternal rewards are in themselves blessings and they are based on the grace of God. God in His grace gives the believer the tools he needs in order to attain these rewards. However, these rewards are given as a result of compliance with the terms of an agreement between the believer and God (something given as a result of something done).

The writers of Scripture were very familiar with the Roman system of rewards for both the military and for athletics. These are primarily the illustrations used throughout the New Testament to represent our eternal rewards as believers. Some were rewards for winners in athletic competition or military accomplishment. Both were for accomplishments at the maximum level and both carried with them immense honor and wealth. Some winners were given land, some were made rulers over cities or estates, some received cash, but all were exempt from paying income taxes for life. 

Let’s take a look at each reward:

1. Rulership of cities – This reward is given to all believers who faithfully fulfill their spiritual lives before God. It is given to those who are advancing in their Christian lives and to those that are consistently taking in God’s Word and making application to their lives. (Luke 19:17; II Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10)
2. Crown of Righteousness – This reward is for all believers who attain spiritual maturity, thus fulfilling the potential of the imputed righteousness of Christ in their souls. In other words, they are making their experience align with their position in Christ. (II Timothy 4:7-8)
3. Crown of Life – This crown is reserved for all believers who pass the test of undeserved suffering or divine testing. This crown is attained by means of using Bible doctrine and applying it to your experience, while in the midst of suffering. Remember that all suffering is not divine discipline. Some suffering is designed for our spiritual growth. (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10)
4. Crown of Joy – This is the soul-winner’s crown, reserved for all believers who consistently share the gospel with others and thereby bear much fruit for the kingdom of God. (Philippians 4:1; I Thessalonians 2:19-20)
5. Crown of Glory – This crown is reserved for certain men with the gift of pastor-teacher. It is given for faithfully fulfilling his gift by using this his gift to teach accurate Bible doctrine to believers. The primary job of the pastor-teacher is to study and teach. (I Peter 5:4)
6. The Winner’s Crown – This crown is given to all believers who advance according to the rules. In other words, doing a right thing in a right way. This crown is for those that exercise self-discipline, diligence and persistence over a long period of time to inculcate a system of doctrinal truth and accurately apply this truth. This, as you already know, requires the utilization of I John 1:9 on a consistent basis, thereby, keeping shorts accounts with God. This, of course, allows you to spend a maximum amount of time in fellowship with God under the filling of the Holy Spirit, which is the only way to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for your life. (II Timothy 2:5; I Corinthians 9:24-27)

“And everyone that strives for the mastery (to win) is temperate (self-disciplined) in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible (perishable) crown; but we an incorruptible (imperishable).” (I Corinthians 9:25)

Divine blessings for time and eternity are the results of a believer’s successful execution of God’s plan. His plan calls for a super abundance of grace blessings. God is waiting to pour out the blessings to His children, if they have the capacity to receive them. God always blesses His righteousness wherever He finds it. These blessings can be minor, such as food, shelter and clothing, or they be can above and beyond anything we can imagine. Just as there will be inequality of blessing in eternity, there will be inequality of blessing on earth. Blessing depends upon you making the right choices from a position of strength. Only advancing believers have the knowledge and wisdom to make the right choices from their storehouse of Bible doctrine in their souls. (Isaiah 30:18; Matthew 6:19-34)

Let us not be satisfied with making it into to Heaven “by the skin of our teeth.” Let’s be the kind of believers who are advancing to the high ground of spiritual maturity, where there awaits divine blessing and capacity for life. There is no greater goal for the believer in Jesus Christ than to become like his Savior and enjoy, as He did, all the riches of God’s grace. God has graciously given us everything that pertains to life and godliness (spirituality). (II Peter 1:2-8)

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