The fundamental question facing humanity is: How can we be right before God? How can we stand justified in His presence? All religions of the world aim to answer this question, but they do so wrongly – by proposing that salvation can be earned through human works.
As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 10:3, “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”
Today we shall examine the historical roots of this doctrine, especially in the Reformation era. We will then show how the uniqueness of Christ has come under specific attack in our pluralistic and postmodern age. Finally, we will understand Christ’s singular significance and uniqueness from the biblical, historical, and theological perspective of imputation.
If the church is to faithfully proclaim the same Christ as the Reformers, we must understand and embrace Solus Christus (Christ Alone) with the same clarity, conviction, urgency, and abundance of joy.
The Problem: Our Need for Forgiveness and Righteousness
Our sin creates two fundamental problems as we stand before the Holy God. First, we need the guilt of our sin to be taken away. Adam’s original sin and our own actual sins have made us guilty before God, deserving only of condemnation. We need forgiveness, and thus a Saviour who can secure our pardon.
Secondly, as sinners, we need to have a positive righteousness with which we can stand before God. Adam was created righteous and holy, but we have fallen short. As sinners seeking to become new creatures, we need righteousness – and a Saviour who can make us righteous.
The Solution: The Doctrine of Imputation
The key to resolving these problems is found in the biblical doctrine of imputation. The word “impute” means to “transfer,” “reckon,” “count as,” or “deem.” The Bible uses this term in a legal or forensic sense when discussing justification.
If one rejects the doctrine of imputation, they must also reject the truth that Adam’s sin has plunged all humanity into sin, and that Christ’s death has any salvific significance for us. But this is not the case. Scripture teaches that Adam’s sin is imputed to us, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us, and our sin is imputed to Christ.
In God’s sight, we are just in one sense (by imputation) and sinners in another (in ourselves). Though we remain sinners blemished by sin, God has declared us righteous by imputing Christ’s righteousness to us. In ourselves, we are entirely incapable and devoid of any goodness – but God sees Christ’s atonement and righteousness, which renders us worthy of His kingdom.
God is declaring us to be what we are not. And the righteous God will not declare us justified until we are actually just and righteous. This is why the doctrine of imputation is a stumbling block to the world.
The Debate: Imputation vs. Infusion
Both Roman Catholics and Protestants agreed that we are justified by the righteousness of Christ. However, they diverged on the manner in which Christ’s righteousness justifies us. Protestants held to the doctrine of imputation, while Roman Catholics advocated the doctrine of infusion.
The Roman Catholic view is that baptism is the instrument by which grace is infused, and we must then cooperate and ascend to a certain level of righteousness to inherit salvation. This framework relies on working out one’s own righteousness. But if a mortal sin is committed, that grace is lost, requiring the sacrament of penance for re-justification.
In contrast, Protestants use the phrase “justification by faith alone” to preserve the truth that only the alien righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, is sufficient to render us acceptable in God’s sight. When we deny that justification is by faith alone, we deny that Christ has accomplished redemption for us, and in doing so, we deny the Father.
The Biblical and Historical Witness to Christ Alone
Romans 4:1-8 clearly teaches that there is only one way to salvation, and that is by faith. We have no basis for boasting or arrogance, only gratitude.
Believers are saved from God’s judgement through Jesus Christ alone. We recognize that Jesus has done for us what we could never have done for ourselves. Nothing remains to be done to merit eternal life – the work of Christ is complete and perfect for sinners.
Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. No one comes to the Father except through him (John 14:6).
Roman Catholic theology denies the sufficiency of Christ by regarding our works as something that adds to and makes possible a righteousness within ourselves. However, though personal holiness is important, it only demonstrates that we have been justified by faith alone because of Christ alone. It never makes us righteous enough in God’s eyes.
In prayer, let us daily ask the Lord to make us despair of our ability to earn His favour, and to enable us to trust in Christ alone for our salvation.