Understanding the word ‘imputed’

‘Righteousness…shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.’ Romans 4:22, 24 NKJV

Picture a transfer of funds from one account to another. Banks do it every day. Now imagine yourself destitute and unable to pay your debts. Then in an astounding act of grace, someone assumes all your debts and then transfers to your account such abundance that you never have to work or worry for the rest of your life. That’s what happened at the cross when God imputed to Jesus all your sins from the cradle to the grave and imputed all His righteousness to you. Mind-blowing, isn’t it?

Would you say, ‘No thanks, I believe in paying my own way’? Would you say, ‘I can’t allow you to do everything while I do nothing, so I’ll work for the rest of my life to prove myself worthy of your love and grace’? Salvation is like health food that’s labelled ‘no man-made additives’. Understand this: the righteousness required for getting into heaven is not about behaving the right way, but believing the right way. You say, ‘But I feel such guilt when I sin.’ You’re supposed to! Your new nature is reacting to sin just as your body does to food poisoning. Your boundaries have been violated and your regenerate spirit is saying that you can’t indulge in that anymore; it’s not who you are! Why did God arrange the plan of salvation in this way? Because any righteousness we could achieve falls far short of His standards. He actually calls it ‘filthy rags’. Understand this: your rewards in heaven are based upon your behaviour, but your getting into heaven is based on trusting in Christ alone.