Sola Fide! This is a Latin phrase that is meant to convey the Biblical doctrine that teaches that we are justified by faith alone.
Martin Luther said that this is the “doctrine by which the church stands for falls.” If Luther is right, then we seriously need to understand what it means to be justified by faith alone. Before we look at the Scriptures that teach us this very important doctrine or the reformation history and controversy surrounding it, let’s break it down in laymen’s terms.
JUSTIFICATION
Take a quick look at the root word of this theological and Biblical term. If you see the root word as “TIFICATE” then you’re way off base already (a little humor there). Of course you will all see that the root word of JUSTIFICATION is JUST. The idea behind justification is that it is a legal declaration from God that we are just, perfect, righteous, sinless, totally holy and blameless. So imagine standing before the just Judge of the universe and He looks down at you and declares to you from a legal standpoint, “You are not guilty. In fact, you are perfectly righteous.” That might sound as if God is lying. Doesn’t it? After all, you and I are sinners by nature. Having inherited our sin nature from Adam, we sin regularly. Scripture declares it. Experience proves it. So how in the world can God legally declare me righteous or justified, if in fact I am not righteous or just? That leads us to another doctrine that we must first discuss.
IMPUTATION
I love this word. It is marvelous and full of gospel realities. You need to love it and understand it, too. The book of Philemon is a great example of what this doctrine looks like. In this little letter (just 25 verses), we find the Apostle Paul writing to a man named Philemon. Philemon was sort of a wealthy guy and was able to open up his home as the meeting place for a local church of which he is a member. Well, Philemon has a servant who runs away from him. And from the implications of the letter, it appears that this servant stole something from Philemon. This servants name is Onesimus. In the course of time, Onesimus runs into the Apostle Paul, hears the preaching of the gospel, repents of his sin, puts his faith in Christ and then becomes a useful brother to Paul. For whatever reason, Paul decides to send Onesimus back to Philemon. I can only imagine the fear that Onesimus must have felt. He wronged his master. He committed a crime. He could have suffered tremendously for the injustice he committed. And so this letter was sent on ahead to Philemon so that when Onesimus arrived, Philemon would receive him as a brother in Christ, not as a runaway thieving slave.
Now when you read verse 17-18 you will see the doctrine of double-imputation. Paul says this to Philemon: “So if you consider me your partner, receive him [Onesimus] as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” And there you have a tangible instance of what the doctrine of imputation means and looks like. Philemon loved Paul and Paul was elderly and in prison for preaching the gospel. And in essence, what Paul said was this: “Philemon, you treat Onesimus as you would treat me.” But that’s not all Paul says. He goes on to say, “Philemon, whatever wrong Onesimus has done to you, I’ll bear the penalty for it. You treat me as if I were your runaway thieving slave.” The good standing that Paul had with Philemon was to be credited to Onesimus so that Philemon would treat Onesimus as if Paul were standing before him. Even though Onesimus was guilty of sinning against his master, he would be treated as if he were the beloved Paul. Conversely, Paul offered to take on the debt that Onesimus owed Philemon, so that Paul would be treated as if he actually did was Onesimus had done, even though he had not. The bad standing that Onesimus had with Philemon was to be credited to Paul. Paul arranged for all of this. Onesimus would simply be the recipient of Paul’s gracious actions.
Paul’s taking on of the debt of Onesimus AND Onesimus’ taking on the right (just) standing of Paul is a picture of the gospel. Paul represents Christ, Onesimus depicts sinners and Philemon portrays the Father. What happens to us when we are justified? When we are justified, Christ takes upon Himself my sin so that He is treated as if He had lived my wicked, wretched and sinful life. Conversely, when we are justified, we take upon ourselves the gift of Christ’s righteousness so that God will treat us as if we lived the perfect life of Christ. And Christ looks to the Father and says, “Father, receive this runaway sheep as you would receive Me—the perfect Lamb of God! And treat Me as if I had done wrong to You.” Brothers and sisters, this is what our Savior has done for us. He has given us His righteousness and has taken upon Himself our sin. There has been a great exchange. He has arranged all of this. You and I are simply the recipients of Christ’s grace.
You and I live eternally and have been saved because we have an “alien” righteousness—a righteousness that comes from without, not from within….a righteousness that comes from Christ. It is only when this transfer takes place that we can actually be called “justified” by God Almighty. Although we are not righteous, we are called righteous because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
When does this transfer take place? That’s where the FIDE is Sola Fide comes into play. Remember that FIDE means faith. We are justified the moment we place faith in Christ. And we are justified by faith alone. We are not called just because we lived good lives and tried to be just or righteous…because we’ve already proved that we’re not righteous. Rather, we are justified by faith and faith alone. In other words, the moment we put faith in Christ, is the moment that the great exchange is applied to us--imputation. No faith in Christ = no justification. Faith is the gift of God through which we receive the righteousness of Christ.
Look at these verses that tell us how we ARE NOT justified:
Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Galatians 3:10-11 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
These are but just a few of the prominent verses in Scripture that clearly tell us that we ARE NOT justified because we attempt to live JUST lives. Our attempts to perfectly keep God’s Law does not make us just or righteous. That would be the essence of self-righteousness. Indeed that is what a self-righteous person truly is—one who thinks that they are just, good and holy on their own efforts. Just ask any unbeliever if they think that they are a good person and they will almost unanimously declare, “YES!” So if you rely on your efforts to keep God’s Law so that one day God can look at you and declare you righteous, then I have bad news for you: You are under a curse. You will surely be declared guilty (unjust) because any breaking of any of God’s Laws means that you’ve broken God’s Law.
Now look at these verses that tell us how we ARE justified:
Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Galatians 3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Scripture makes it emphatically clear that we are justified by faith and by faith alone. Not faith plus your deeds. Not faith plus anything, but faith alone. Faith is the vehicle through which righteousness is delivered to us and even FAITH is a gift so that we cannot consider it a good work. Brothers and sisters, that is why it is so important to understand that when we call sinners to turn away from Christ that we call them to believe in Christ—to have faith in Him. The Biblical response to the gospel has always been, “Turn from your sin and trust in Christ’s finished work to save you.” In the name of evangelism, we have asked people to do all sorts of things in order to be justified. We’ve pleaded with people to walk the aisle, to pray a sinner’s prayer, to sign a commitment card, to jump off a plank, to ask Jesus in their heart, etc., etc. But the Biblical response to the gospel has been that of repentance and faith in Christ. We must call people to believe in Jesus and what He has done because it is through this gift of faith/belief that we receive His righteousness.
In the 1500’s, Martin Luther came out swinging against the Catholic Church’s understanding of justification. In their understanding of justification, when a person believes in Christ they are then infused with the life of God so that they can be transformed to look more and more like God in an experiential and daily way. They teach that God does this SO THAT we can eventually get to the point where our lives look so much like God’s that we are finally declared righteous because we have achieved a day-to-day experience of righteousness. It might seem like a small deal and small difference, but I assure you that such is not the case.
In the mid-1500’s the Catholic Church convened in order to try and put a stop to the Reformers and their teachings which included the doctrine of Sola Fide. This meeting was called the Council of Trent and in Canon 9 they said this:
A Catholic's understanding of justification has everything to do with what God gives us, THEN what we do with what God gives us. We have to live in a way that produces righteousness in us so that God can finally declare us just. We in essence would have to earn our justification by completing what God started in us. The Reformation and Protestant understanding of justification is that nothing we do makes us just. We are called just because of what Christ has done—He has been perfect for us. One teaching relies completely on Christ’s work. The other relies on Christ’s work plus what we do. If there is anything clear about the Scriptures above, it is that we are not justified by anything we do, but what Christ has perfectly done.
Let me say that when we are justified that the Bible teaches us that we do grow in holiness. That gradual and certain growth is called SANCTIFICATION—to be set apart from sin. This does happen in the life of a believer--but sanctification is not the basis for our being called perfect. Justification and sanctification are entirely different but radically connected. Those whom God has justified will be gradually sanctified as the Spirit applies the Word to our hearts and minds. Catholic doctrine confuses the two and actually teaches that once you are fully sanctified THEN you can be justified. They reverse the order of justification and sanctification and confuse the definitions. Catholics would say that we are not justified until we can actually lives just and holy lives. Christians would say that we are considered righteous by God because of what Christ has given us, not by our trusting in Christ plus our keeping of the Law. This is what essentially divides Catholics and Christians and creates a host of other errors on the part of the Catholic.
This doctrine of justification by faith alone is the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. This much is true: the Catholic Church affirms justification by faith. But they do not affirm justification by Faith Alone. Reread Canon 9 in case you missed it or if that was unclear the first time. If the church declares that we are justified by anything other than faith alone in Christ alone then we would eventually have no true believers in the future…the church would fall completely. But thanks be to God that faithful Christians have contended for Sola Fide throughout the centuries and that many are justified because they have trusted in Christ alone.
Thank You, Lord, that You have called us to salvation and that we are now justified by your gracious and saving gift of faith. When we sin this week, let us not rely on our self-efforts and attempts of righteousness to be righteous and acceptable before You. Let us rest on Christ alone by faith alone. Then send us out into the world to live a life of worship that displays Your righteousness and glory for the world to see. Help us to proclaim to the world the wonderful news that peace with God is possible only when we are justified by faith in Christ. This we pray in the great name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Martin Luther said that this is the “doctrine by which the church stands for falls.” If Luther is right, then we seriously need to understand what it means to be justified by faith alone. Before we look at the Scriptures that teach us this very important doctrine or the reformation history and controversy surrounding it, let’s break it down in laymen’s terms.
JUSTIFICATION
Take a quick look at the root word of this theological and Biblical term. If you see the root word as “TIFICATE” then you’re way off base already (a little humor there). Of course you will all see that the root word of JUSTIFICATION is JUST. The idea behind justification is that it is a legal declaration from God that we are just, perfect, righteous, sinless, totally holy and blameless. So imagine standing before the just Judge of the universe and He looks down at you and declares to you from a legal standpoint, “You are not guilty. In fact, you are perfectly righteous.” That might sound as if God is lying. Doesn’t it? After all, you and I are sinners by nature. Having inherited our sin nature from Adam, we sin regularly. Scripture declares it. Experience proves it. So how in the world can God legally declare me righteous or justified, if in fact I am not righteous or just? That leads us to another doctrine that we must first discuss.
IMPUTATION
I love this word. It is marvelous and full of gospel realities. You need to love it and understand it, too. The book of Philemon is a great example of what this doctrine looks like. In this little letter (just 25 verses), we find the Apostle Paul writing to a man named Philemon. Philemon was sort of a wealthy guy and was able to open up his home as the meeting place for a local church of which he is a member. Well, Philemon has a servant who runs away from him. And from the implications of the letter, it appears that this servant stole something from Philemon. This servants name is Onesimus. In the course of time, Onesimus runs into the Apostle Paul, hears the preaching of the gospel, repents of his sin, puts his faith in Christ and then becomes a useful brother to Paul. For whatever reason, Paul decides to send Onesimus back to Philemon. I can only imagine the fear that Onesimus must have felt. He wronged his master. He committed a crime. He could have suffered tremendously for the injustice he committed. And so this letter was sent on ahead to Philemon so that when Onesimus arrived, Philemon would receive him as a brother in Christ, not as a runaway thieving slave.
Now when you read verse 17-18 you will see the doctrine of double-imputation. Paul says this to Philemon: “So if you consider me your partner, receive him [Onesimus] as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” And there you have a tangible instance of what the doctrine of imputation means and looks like. Philemon loved Paul and Paul was elderly and in prison for preaching the gospel. And in essence, what Paul said was this: “Philemon, you treat Onesimus as you would treat me.” But that’s not all Paul says. He goes on to say, “Philemon, whatever wrong Onesimus has done to you, I’ll bear the penalty for it. You treat me as if I were your runaway thieving slave.” The good standing that Paul had with Philemon was to be credited to Onesimus so that Philemon would treat Onesimus as if Paul were standing before him. Even though Onesimus was guilty of sinning against his master, he would be treated as if he were the beloved Paul. Conversely, Paul offered to take on the debt that Onesimus owed Philemon, so that Paul would be treated as if he actually did was Onesimus had done, even though he had not. The bad standing that Onesimus had with Philemon was to be credited to Paul. Paul arranged for all of this. Onesimus would simply be the recipient of Paul’s gracious actions.
Paul’s taking on of the debt of Onesimus AND Onesimus’ taking on the right (just) standing of Paul is a picture of the gospel. Paul represents Christ, Onesimus depicts sinners and Philemon portrays the Father. What happens to us when we are justified? When we are justified, Christ takes upon Himself my sin so that He is treated as if He had lived my wicked, wretched and sinful life. Conversely, when we are justified, we take upon ourselves the gift of Christ’s righteousness so that God will treat us as if we lived the perfect life of Christ. And Christ looks to the Father and says, “Father, receive this runaway sheep as you would receive Me—the perfect Lamb of God! And treat Me as if I had done wrong to You.” Brothers and sisters, this is what our Savior has done for us. He has given us His righteousness and has taken upon Himself our sin. There has been a great exchange. He has arranged all of this. You and I are simply the recipients of Christ’s grace.
You and I live eternally and have been saved because we have an “alien” righteousness—a righteousness that comes from without, not from within….a righteousness that comes from Christ. It is only when this transfer takes place that we can actually be called “justified” by God Almighty. Although we are not righteous, we are called righteous because we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
When does this transfer take place? That’s where the FIDE is Sola Fide comes into play. Remember that FIDE means faith. We are justified the moment we place faith in Christ. And we are justified by faith alone. We are not called just because we lived good lives and tried to be just or righteous…because we’ve already proved that we’re not righteous. Rather, we are justified by faith and faith alone. In other words, the moment we put faith in Christ, is the moment that the great exchange is applied to us--imputation. No faith in Christ = no justification. Faith is the gift of God through which we receive the righteousness of Christ.
Look at these verses that tell us how we ARE NOT justified:
Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Galatians 3:10-11 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
These are but just a few of the prominent verses in Scripture that clearly tell us that we ARE NOT justified because we attempt to live JUST lives. Our attempts to perfectly keep God’s Law does not make us just or righteous. That would be the essence of self-righteousness. Indeed that is what a self-righteous person truly is—one who thinks that they are just, good and holy on their own efforts. Just ask any unbeliever if they think that they are a good person and they will almost unanimously declare, “YES!” So if you rely on your efforts to keep God’s Law so that one day God can look at you and declare you righteous, then I have bad news for you: You are under a curse. You will surely be declared guilty (unjust) because any breaking of any of God’s Laws means that you’ve broken God’s Law.
Now look at these verses that tell us how we ARE justified:
Romans 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Galatians 3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Scripture makes it emphatically clear that we are justified by faith and by faith alone. Not faith plus your deeds. Not faith plus anything, but faith alone. Faith is the vehicle through which righteousness is delivered to us and even FAITH is a gift so that we cannot consider it a good work. Brothers and sisters, that is why it is so important to understand that when we call sinners to turn away from Christ that we call them to believe in Christ—to have faith in Him. The Biblical response to the gospel has always been, “Turn from your sin and trust in Christ’s finished work to save you.” In the name of evangelism, we have asked people to do all sorts of things in order to be justified. We’ve pleaded with people to walk the aisle, to pray a sinner’s prayer, to sign a commitment card, to jump off a plank, to ask Jesus in their heart, etc., etc. But the Biblical response to the gospel has been that of repentance and faith in Christ. We must call people to believe in Jesus and what He has done because it is through this gift of faith/belief that we receive His righteousness.
In the 1500’s, Martin Luther came out swinging against the Catholic Church’s understanding of justification. In their understanding of justification, when a person believes in Christ they are then infused with the life of God so that they can be transformed to look more and more like God in an experiential and daily way. They teach that God does this SO THAT we can eventually get to the point where our lives look so much like God’s that we are finally declared righteous because we have achieved a day-to-day experience of righteousness. It might seem like a small deal and small difference, but I assure you that such is not the case.
In the mid-1500’s the Catholic Church convened in order to try and put a stop to the Reformers and their teachings which included the doctrine of Sola Fide. This meeting was called the Council of Trent and in Canon 9 they said this:
CANON 9: "If any one says, that by Faith Alone the sinner is Justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema (damned forever)."
A Catholic's understanding of justification has everything to do with what God gives us, THEN what we do with what God gives us. We have to live in a way that produces righteousness in us so that God can finally declare us just. We in essence would have to earn our justification by completing what God started in us. The Reformation and Protestant understanding of justification is that nothing we do makes us just. We are called just because of what Christ has done—He has been perfect for us. One teaching relies completely on Christ’s work. The other relies on Christ’s work plus what we do. If there is anything clear about the Scriptures above, it is that we are not justified by anything we do, but what Christ has perfectly done.
Let me say that when we are justified that the Bible teaches us that we do grow in holiness. That gradual and certain growth is called SANCTIFICATION—to be set apart from sin. This does happen in the life of a believer--but sanctification is not the basis for our being called perfect. Justification and sanctification are entirely different but radically connected. Those whom God has justified will be gradually sanctified as the Spirit applies the Word to our hearts and minds. Catholic doctrine confuses the two and actually teaches that once you are fully sanctified THEN you can be justified. They reverse the order of justification and sanctification and confuse the definitions. Catholics would say that we are not justified until we can actually lives just and holy lives. Christians would say that we are considered righteous by God because of what Christ has given us, not by our trusting in Christ plus our keeping of the Law. This is what essentially divides Catholics and Christians and creates a host of other errors on the part of the Catholic.
This doctrine of justification by faith alone is the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. This much is true: the Catholic Church affirms justification by faith. But they do not affirm justification by Faith Alone. Reread Canon 9 in case you missed it or if that was unclear the first time. If the church declares that we are justified by anything other than faith alone in Christ alone then we would eventually have no true believers in the future…the church would fall completely. But thanks be to God that faithful Christians have contended for Sola Fide throughout the centuries and that many are justified because they have trusted in Christ alone.
Thank You, Lord, that You have called us to salvation and that we are now justified by your gracious and saving gift of faith. When we sin this week, let us not rely on our self-efforts and attempts of righteousness to be righteous and acceptable before You. Let us rest on Christ alone by faith alone. Then send us out into the world to live a life of worship that displays Your righteousness and glory for the world to see. Help us to proclaim to the world the wonderful news that peace with God is possible only when we are justified by faith in Christ. This we pray in the great name of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
21 comments:
Regarding imputed righteousness, here are my thoughts:
In my study on this topic, the Greek term “logizomai” is the English term for “reckon/impute/credit/etc,” (all terms are basically equivalently used) and when I look up that term in a popular Protestant Lexicon here is what it is defined as:
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QUOTE: “This word deals with reality. If I “logizomai” or reckon that my bank book has $25 in it, it has $25 in it. Otherwise I am deceiving myself. This word refers to facts not suppositions.”
http://tinyurl.com/r92dch
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The Protestant Lexicon states this term first and foremost refers to the actual status of something. So if Abraham’s faith is “logizomai as righteousness,” it must be an actually righteous act of faith, otherwise (as the Lexicon says) “I am deceiving myself.” This seems to rule out any notion of an alien righteousness, and instead points to a local/inherent righteousness.
The Lexicon gives other examples where “logizomai” appears, here are some examples:
——————-
Rom 3:28 Therefore we conclude [logizomai] that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Rom 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted [logizomai] as a gift but as his due.
Rom 6:11 Likewise reckon [logizomai] ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 8:18 For I reckon [logizomai] that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
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Notice in these examples that “logizomai” means to consider the actual truth of an object. In 3:28 Paul ‘reckons’ faith saves while the Law does not, this is a fact, the Law never saves. In 4:4 the worker’s wages are ‘reckoned’ as a debt because the boss is in debt to the worker, not giving a gift to him. In 6:11 the Christian is ‘reckoned’ dead to sin because he is in fact dead to sin. In 8:18 Paul ‘reckons’ the present sufferings as having no comparison to Heavenly glory, and that is true because nothing compares to Heavenly glory.
To use logizomai in the “alien status” way would mean in: (1) 3:28 faith doesn’t really save apart from works, but we are going to go ahead and say it does; (2) 4:4 the boss gives payment to the worker as a gift rather than obligation/debt; (3) 6:11 that we are not really dead to sin but are going to say we are; (4) 8:18 the present sufferings are comparable to Heaven’s glory.
This cannot be right.
So when the text plainly says “faith is logizomai as righteousness,” I must read that as ‘faith is reckoned as a truly righteous act’, and that is precisely how Paul explains that phrase in 4:18-22. That despite the doubts that could be raised in Abraham’s heart, his faith grew strong and convinced and “that is why his faith was credited as righteousness” (v4:22). This is also confirmed by noting the only other time “credited as righteousness” appears in Scripture, Psalm 106:30-31, where Phinehas’ righteous action was reckoned as such.
Lastly, you erred in looking to Philemon 1:18 in this case (especially as your main example), because the term "impute" as used with Abraham and such doesn't appear there. Philemon uses a DIFFERENT word for impute.
Nick, thanks for your comment. I appreciate your use of scripture to support your arguments.
Your argument hangs on the meaning/definition of “logizomai”. But you must take into consideration the whole context of Romans 4 (which you only addressed verse 4 itself). If you continue reading, verse 5 and 6 continue the business transaction metaphor:
4 Now to the one who (A)works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.
5 But to the one who does not work, but (B)believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,
6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
The metaphor continues using “logizomai” in both 5 & 6. Verse 4 says that wages are given to the one who works... but 5 & 6 state that wages are given to the one who does not works and simply trusts.
So it's not about whether or not “logizomai” is defined as "is credited to" or "is regarded as"... it's about whether or not someone has worked to get (regarded as) OR (credited to). And the answer is: No... One does not have to work.
Hi!
I would say my argument utilizes the most fair reading of logizomai that I'm able to render after examining all the evidence, but I wouldn't say my argument 'hangs' on logizomai as if I'm ignoring everything else.
That said, since imputation is so central to your argument, I would say that arriving at the proper meaning of logizomai is critical for you. Given that your main proof was a passage (Philemon) which doesn't use logizomai doesn't seem like a fair trade off to put so much weight on my analysis. So, I would ask, on what basis do you derive your definition of logizomai, seeing that it's used over 10 times in Romans 4?
As for your comments on 4:4-6, I'm not sure I follow. I see only one logical meaning for logizomai in 4:4, and that is 'count X to be what it really is' (in this case count workers wages as what they really are, a debt the boss owes). Because we woudldn't expect Paul to shift the meaning of logizomai from one verse to the next (in succession no less), I maintain the same meaning holds for the rest of Rom 4.
This isn't so much about working versus non-working as it is about establishing the concept of 'impute' around the term logizomai. If logizomai doesn't mean impute, then Rom 4 cannot be teaching imputation.
My apologies,
So your assertion is that
logizomai does not mean "impute".
My question is... According to Romans 4... what is the wage?
Yes, my assertion after examining the Biblical evidence is that logizomai doesn't mean impute.
You asked what the 'wage' is in Romans 4. I'd say the 'wage' is the 'Blessing' God gives.
What is the "blessing" that Chapter 4 speaks of?
Hi this is Nick, I'm on my cell.
The Blessing is justification, meaning forgiveness and adoption as a child of Abraham.
What do you see it as, and how does this help prove your meaning of impute?
I do have a couple of questions...and thank you by the way for dialoguing with us.
My question is this: What is the point in God justifying us (declaring us righteous) if we can actually be righteous on our own by the act of faith?
My other observation and question is this: Is not belief or faith in Christ a command of God? Of course it is. Faith in Christ is Law. We are not saved by obedience to the Law. Rather it is by God's grace that He gives us the gift of faith and it is through this faith that the righteousness of God and Christ is transmitted to us (Philippians 3:9). Faith is the instrument through which we get the righteousness of Christ. It is not a good deed by which God can say, "You really are a good person" because there are none righteous. No one is good.
Romans 3:21-24 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Just to be certain, logizomai does not have one wooden meaning and only one. Depending on context, it may take on a slightly different meaning (hence the words; consider, impute, reckon, count, etc).
Romans 5:17 seems to indicate that righteousness is a gift, not something we are inherently because of faith.
Romans 5:17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
The argument Paul is making is that Adam acted as our representative and we were all "considered, reckoned" sinners because we actually had sin transmitted to us even though we did nothing to deserve it. But it is through Christ that we are "considered" righteous because we actually "do have" righteousness transmitted to us even though we did nothing to deserve it. But it is not inherent...it is a gift...alien...from without...by grace...from our good God.
I would also add that God's removing of our sin and cleansing us from wickedness does nothing more than make us innocent. That does not render us righteous, just not guilty. We still have no "right deeds" to merit eternal life.
And that is why I need to take another opportunity to boast in the magnficence of Christ and not myself. He is my righteousness.
The point of Romans 5 is to make certain that we know that Adam was a "type" of Christ. In what way was Adam a type? In that his deeds were reckoned to us...just as Christ's obedience was reckoned to us.
Romans 5:12-21 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, as one trespass [5] led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness [6] leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Nick, we are either declared just by our own righteousness or by Christ's. If your belief is right, then I am still safe because I have faith and have committed one truly great act of righteousness by which God declares the obvious. He justifies me because I am a just guy. If I am right, then you are damned to hell because you are depending on God to declare you just because you indeed have been a just person by your own merit...that of faith. You may not realize it, but your understanding of grace is not grace at all. Righteousness is a gift...it's given to you. It is not something you are because you have faith. Rather, through faith you receive righteousness...actually do have it...and thus are rightly declared just.
And I would also defend my use of Philemon to teach imputation.
It is on the grounds of God's grace to us that Paul expected Philemon to treat Onisemus in such a way. The blessings that Christians have received from God are to affect the way we relate to other believers. We are to be living displays of the gospel.
I concede that the word "impute" (in English or Greek) that Paul uses in Romans is not used in Philemon. Yet a synomym for it is used. In verse 18 the word "put" means to reckon, impute or to count to one's account. It carries the exact same meaning.
In Adam we see a type of what Christ does for us (imputation). In Philemon we see how imputation provides us a way of living. Imputation isn't just a theolgoical difference. It matters for salvation as well as for sanctification/holy living.
Nick, I read some of the things on your blog. And what you write is a heavy yolk. For God to declare me righteous, I must BE righteous and have works that are meritorious. It seems that Christ's suffering on the cross was merely an example for me to follow so I can be righteous and declared innocent and righteous. How can one be THAT holy and that righteous when God demands perfection.
In no what whatsoever is that good news for my soul. Aware of my own sinfulness I am driven to despair like Martin Luther if God does not do everything for me.
Tell me plainly, how may I be saved, why do I need to be saved, from what am I being saved, for what purpose did Christ come? Does it all depend on me...or does it depend on grace?
Joshua,
Thank you for your response. Here are my thoughts and responses:
J: My question is this: What is the point in God justifying us (declaring us righteous) if we can actually be righteous on our own by the act of faith?
N: It isn't 'on our own' as if our own power. Faith is a gift, and God is pleased to see us make proper use of it rather than abuse it.
J: Faith is the instrument through which we get the righteousness of Christ.
N: I don't see in Scripture this notion taught. This is especially significant when logizomai comes into play.
J: It is not a good deed by which God can say, "You really are a good person" because there are none righteous. No one is good.
N: In the case of repenting, that's certainly a good work done through faith that God is pleased to grant forgiveness for. That's what is going on in Psalm 32:1-5 (Rom 4:6-8) and in places like Acts 15:9. Also, Hebrews 11:6 plainly says we can please God with faith and that He rewards those who obey through faith.
J: Just to be certain, logizomai does not have one wooden meaning and only one. Depending on context, it may take on a slightly different meaning (hence the words; consider, impute, reckon, count, etc).
N: Agreed, but with qualification. The term logizomai appears about 40 times in the NT, and the predominate usage strongly points away from the 'impute' definition you suggest. In fact, never do I see it used in the 'instrumental' sense.
J: Romans 5:17 seems to indicate that righteousness is a gift, not something we are inherently because of faith.
N: Faith is a gift, and is a righteous quality. This isn't about "something we are inherently," but about what God does in us.
J: The argument Paul is making is that Adam acted as our representative and we were all "considered, reckoned" sinners because we actually had sin transmitted to us even though we did nothing to deserve it. But it is through Christ that we are "considered" righteous because we actually "do have" righteousness transmitted to us even though we did nothing to deserve it. But it is not inherent...it is a gift...alien...from without...by grace...from our good God.
N: Here is where you have to be careful so that you don't read foreign concepts into the text. Paul used the term logizomai about 30 times, yet never does he use it as you just did. That should at the very least be grounds for caution, in that Paul was aware of the term 'reckon/credit/impute/etc' but didn't use it as you are.
J: I would also add that God's removing of our sin and cleansing us from wickedness does nothing more than make us innocent. That does not render us righteous, just not guilty. We still have no "right deeds" to merit eternal life.
N: Justification is about making the sinner innocent (forgiven), so I don't see the problem. As for attaining eternal life, that comes later as we cooperate with grace, and that's why Paul generally speaks of eternal life only in terms of how we lived life (e.g. Rom 2:5-10; 6:22; Gal 6:7-9).
J: The point of Romans 5 is to make certain that we know that Adam was a "type" of Christ. In what way was Adam a type? In that his deeds were reckoned to us...just as Christ's obedience was reckoned to us.
N: Again, careful, because you're injecting the notion of 'reckoned'/credited here when Paul doesn't speak like this. Further, with Adam's fall, we really were made unrighteous, not merely reckoned to be without really being such.
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J: If I am right, then you are damned to hell because you are depending on God to declare you just because you indeed have been a just person by your own merit...that of faith. You may not realize it, but your understanding of grace is not grace at all. Righteousness is a gift...it's given to you. It is not something you are because you have faith. Rather, through faith you receive righteousness...actually do have it...and thus are rightly declared just.
N: I'm not at all suggesting I make myself righteous through my own power apart from God. Rather it's my obedience to his gifts that He in turn further blesses me with. Faith isn't a 'neutral' act, it's a God pleasing act. Hebrews 11 is especially significant here. Take v4 for example: "By faith Abel was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings."
J: And I would also defend my use of Philemon to teach imputation.
N: I'm open to hearing your case. Remember, Paul doesn't use that term and instead uses another term (logizomai), over 30 times, but uses it in a way directly opposite of what you're suggesting.
J: I concede that the word "impute" (in English or Greek) that Paul uses in Romans is not used in Philemon. Yet a synomym for it is used. In verse 18 the word "put" means to reckon, impute or to count to one's account. It carries the exact same meaning.
N: Ah, but that's just it, I don't see evidence it's a synonym, and it's not enough to merely assert as much. For such a critical doctrine, it's a bit shaky in my eyes you cannot rely on looking to the word logizomai itself and how it's used over the 40 times it's mentioned in the NT. And as I said above, nowhere do I see either term used in the 'instrumental' sense of 'faith *transfers* righteous'. At most you could argue from Philemon is that "faith reckoned as righteousness" means faith was not really a righteous act but God none the less considered it as such.
J: For God to declare me righteous, I must BE righteous and have works that are meritorious.
N: This shouldn't be a problem for Christians, who are enabled by God's very power to carry out righteous acts. 1 Jn 3:7 - "He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous."
J: It seems that Christ's suffering on the cross was merely an example for me to follow so I can be righteous and declared innocent and righteous. How can one be THAT holy and that righteous when God demands perfection.
N: On the contrary, the Cross is the grounds by which God transforms our soul as Phil 3:9-11 beautifully shows. It is with this new life we can live the life God desires of us.
J: Aware of my own sinfulness I am driven to despair like Martin Luther if God does not do everything for me.
N: This needs some qualification, for God doesn't "do everything" for us. God doesn't believe for us, He doesn't repent for us, live a Christian life for us, etc, etc.
J: Tell me plainly, how may I be saved, why do I need to be saved, from what am I being saved, for what purpose did Christ come? Does it all depend on me...or does it depend on grace?
N: Simply speaking, without the Life of Christ in us we are dead, unsaved. But with His Life in our soul, we are spiritually alive and heirs to Heaven. John 15:1-10 describes this perfectly, with Christ as the Life Giving Vine giving His Life to us the Branches and enabling us to carry out His work.
To be certain, we are to grow in holiness and righteousness. God guarantees that those who have been justified will be glorified...and inbetween those two is where we are sanctified and transformed from one degree of glory to the next as we behold the glory of Christ. While sanctification and justification are connected, they are not the same thing.
But the heart of the issue seems to be that you're missing the entirety of Paul's argument in Romans. Only "doers" of that law will be justified (Romans 2). We have all sinned..and we are not doers as we should be (Romans 3). We are justified not by our obedience, since we have proved to be disobedient, but by faith as we receive the righteousness of Christ (Romans 4-5).
I would ask you to reread Romans 5:12-21 because the parallel that Paul makes is clear.
Adam's sin brought death to us.
Christ's righteousness brought life.
Romans 5:17 says in no unclear terms that righteousness is a free gift. Yet you say that righteousness is not give to us and is something that we work out in order to be actually declared righteous. If it's not given to anyone, why does Paul call it a gift? If it is a gift, who gets it? We do.
Regardless of whether or not the word "imputed" is there in English or in Greek, the concept remains clear and unavoidable. Romans 5:16says that it was the free gift of righteousness that brought justification...not faith that shows a person to be righteous.
Roman 5:18...Adam's trespass led to condemnation for all. How can I be condemned and guilty for Adam's sin unless it is reckoned or imputed to me? If you deny Adam's trespass and guilt imputed to us, then you deny the doctrine of original sin and are agreement with Pelagius who asserted that we can be perfectly righteous on our own--that we are born in the same state that Adam and Eve were created in. If we can be righteous on our own, then we don't need a Savior...just a really motivated will and self-determination.
Romans 5:19 goes on to say that it's Christ's righteousness that leads to justification (that is, unless you want to say that it is our righteousness that leads to justification--which is what you are saying).
Our faith, regardless of how strong it is, is not what saves us...Christ saves us. Salvation belongs to the Lord (New and Old Testament). And I'll add that repentance along with faith is a gift of God.
If you're bold enough to say it (and I'm sure you are), what you're basically admitting is that salvation is a co-operation between man and God. Am I right?
The parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22...Zechariah 3 are just a couple more examples of where imputed righteousness is pictured. They are gifts...things that we are passive and recipients of. That doesn't give us license to sin or reasons not to perform righteous deeds, it just means that salvation is by the grace of God not our efforts.
I think the case for imputed righteous can be made apart from the use of logizomai in the NT. That seems to be a sticking point for you and seems akin to NT Wright's view. Nevertheless, even if those verses were not there, the concept and notion remains.
Now although it seems that I have dodged the use of logizomai in Romans 4, it is precisely because of what Paul says elsewhere in his letters (including Romans) that I believe that the righteousness Abraham had was imputed to him.
You are correct when you say that logizomai means to "reckon as actually having." With that I wholeheartedly agree. Paul's usage is very consistent. And I believe that is actually what he is saying in Romans 4:3...Abraham actually had righteousness. God actually reckoned, considered and said that Abraham actually did have righteousness.
But the question must be asked: "What is the source of that righteousness?" You say that faith is what is righteous about Abraham. I say that Christ is our righteousness based on the following chapter and how it explains how it explains that any of us, including Abraham, are said to "actually have righteousness." It is a gift.
It may be subtle, but you, my friend, are saying that your faith "saves you." I am saying that Christ saves me. It is the quality of your faith that saves you. It is the splendor of my king that saves me. It is your righteous faith that saves. It is my righteous Jesus that saves. The object of faith is greater than the faith itself. I know that you disagree, but faith is laying hold of the One who did for me what I daily fail to do...be completely holy for God. And because He was holy for me, I am compelled to strive for a holy life to magnify and show the world His splendor. Indeed His righteousness given to me by grace affects my day-to-day increasing in righteousness.
And by the way, Nick. I really have enjoyed our exchange. I am not against you, but for you. My goal is not to "prove you wrong" for the sake of saying, "I won." That would be sinful I think and fall way short of the reason why we should know the truth. My concern is for you to know the grace of God in deep and soul-satisfying ways.
May I commend to you one of my favorite books (especially chapter 3). It's free for download.
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/1592_Counted_Righteous_in_Christ/
Dr. Piper does an exegetical study of these passages in Greek. He takes these passages that we have batted around and shows the grammar (not just the meaning of the words) behind English translations and why it must be that we are not righteous because of our faith, but because of the gift of righteousness that comes through faith.
Please read that chapter as I think it will explain things better than I ever could (seeing that I am not trained in the Biblical languages).
God bless you and may the Spirit of Truth perform a God-glorifying work on your mind and heart.
J: To be certain, we are to grow in holiness and righteousness. God guarantees that those who have been justified will be glorified...and inbetween those two is where we are sanctified and transformed from one degree of glory to the next as we behold the glory of Christ. While sanctification and justification are connected, they are not the same thing.
N: From Scripture, I don't see where sanctification follows justification, but rather precedes it (e.g. 1 Cor 6:11).
J: But the heart of the issue seems to be that you're missing the entirety of Paul's argument in Romans.
N: I'm simply building from what is clearly stated onto what is not so clearly stated. My 'problem' is that I see the notion of imputation taken as a given when reading the texts, when I'm saying that's a leap to conclusions.
J: Only "doers" of that law will be justified (Romans 2).
N: Doers by the power of God. Romans 2:29 says we must receive circumcision of the Holy Spirit, that's not something we do through our own power. And this leads to grace enabled works (e.g. Gal 6:7-9).
J: We have all sinned..and we are not doers as we should be (Romans 3).
N: True. But the point of forgiveness of sins and giving of the Spirit are so we will be doers as we should be.
J: We are justified not by our obedience, since we have proved to be disobedient, but by faith as we receive the righteousness of Christ (Romans 4-5).
N: This is being read with a imputation framework. I see the evidence suggesting God infuses righteousness into us, transforming us (e.g. Phil 3:9-11).
J: I would ask you to reread Romans 5:12-21 because the parallel that Paul makes is clear.
Adam's sin brought death to us.
Christ's righteousness brought life.
N: But stop and think about what 'bring life' means. You can't bring life by imputation, God's power has to bring your soul back to life. That's precisely what "by grace you've been saved" means (Eph 2:5). Adam's sin brought spiritual death, Christ's obedience brings spiritual life.
J: Romans 5:17 says in no unclear terms that righteousness is a free gift. Yet you say that righteousness is not give to us and is something that we work out in order to be actually declared righteous. If it's not given to anyone, why does Paul call it a gift? If it is a gift, who gets it? We do.
N: I've always believed it's given to us, the 'catch' is that it's a soul-transforming righteousness and/or infused righteous virtues like the gift of faith.
J: Regardless of whether or not the word "imputed" is there in English or in Greek, the concept remains clear and unavoidable.
N: I respectfully disagree on what I see as pretty solid grounds: (a) there has been no place where imputation has been sufficiently established to warrant carrying the concept over to other places; (b) Paul is well aware of the term logizomai, using it over 30 times, but doesn't use it as you're suggesting; (c) there is a coherent 'alternative' to imputation, and that is soul-transforming righteousness.
J: Roman 5:18...Adam's trespass led to condemnation for all. How can I be condemned and guilty for Adam's sin unless it is reckoned or imputed to me? If you deny Adam's trespass and guilt imputed to us, then you deny the doctrine of original sin and are agreement with Pelagius who asserted that we can be perfectly righteous on our own--that we are born in the same state that Adam and Eve were created in. If we can be righteous on our own, then we don't need a Savior...just a really motivated will and self-determination.
N: Original sin is a very real passing on of spiritual-death, that's not imputation. A soul without grace and the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit is dead and unrighteous by definition (Rom 8:8-10).
J: Romans 5:19 goes on to say that it's Christ's righteousness that leads to justification (that is, unless you want to say that it is our righteousness that leads to justification--which is what you are saying).
N: His Righteousness becomes ours, but not by imputation.
J: Our faith, regardless of how strong it is, is not what saves us...Christ saves us. Salvation belongs to the Lord (New and Old Testament). And I'll add that repentance along with faith is a gift of God.
N: This appears to be a false dilemma, that is 'strong faith' versus 'Christ'. One cannot have 'strong faith' apart from Christ. So really, both strong faith and Christ save.
J: If you're bold enough to say it (and I'm sure you are), what you're basically admitting is that salvation is a co-operation between man and God. Am I right?
N: Of course it's a co-operation, that's what "live by the Spirit" and other such phrases mean. And the same goes for the final judgment passages that speak of us either being allowed into Heaven or Hell according to our works.
J: The parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22...Zechariah 3 are just a couple more examples of where imputed righteousness is pictured. They are gifts...things that we are passive and recipients of. That doesn't give us license to sin or reasons not to perform righteous deeds, it just means that salvation is by the grace of God not our efforts.
N: They are gifts in that we didn't deserve them, but that doesn't mean we cannot abuse them (e.g. 2 Pt 1:9).
J: I think the case for imputed righteous can be made apart from the use of logizomai in the NT. That seems to be a sticking point for you and seems akin to NT Wright's view. Nevertheless, even if those verses were not there, the concept and notion remains.
N: The main difficulty with that claim is that Romans 4 is critical to establishing imputed righteousness because it's pretty much the only place that speaks of 'credited as righteousness', and since logizomai is the term employed it cannot just be avoided.
J: Now although it seems that I have dodged the use of logizomai in Romans 4, it is precisely because of what Paul says elsewhere in his letters (including Romans) that I believe that the righteousness Abraham had was imputed to him.
N: That's fair to an extent, but it must be a pretty reasonable case made from other texts.
J: You are correct when you say that logizomai means to "reckon as actually having." With that I wholeheartedly agree. Paul's usage is very consistent. And I believe that is actually what he is saying in Romans 4:3...Abraham actually had righteousness. God actually reckoned, considered and said that Abraham actually did have righteousness.
N: I would clarify "reckon as actually having" to a more specific "reckon as ontologically having." The Protestant notion of imputing means that it's precisely because there is nothing righteous about Abraham or his faith that requires an alien righteousness to be imputed. The phrase "faith reckoned as righteousness" is being read as "faith *transfers* righteousness," but logizomai doesn't operate like that.
J: But the question must be asked: "What is the source of that righteousness?" You say that faith is what is righteous about Abraham. I say that Christ is our righteousness based on the following chapter and how it explains how it explains that any of us, including Abraham, are said to "actually have righteousness." It is a gift.
N: Faith is a gift, a righteous virtue, given by God to Abraham. You seem to be reading me as if I'm saying faith has nothing supernatural about it and rather that it's a human power. Faith is a divine gift, it grants the person abilities his human nature cannot grant. Think of faith like glasses, they are in addition to our natural eyesight, and without them we cannot 'see' important details. Even apart from Adam's fall, he required the divine gift of faith to interact with God.
J: It may be subtle, but you, my friend, are saying that your faith "saves you." I am saying that Christ saves me. It is the quality of your faith that saves you. It is the splendor of my king that saves me. It is your righteous faith that saves. It is my righteous Jesus that saves. The object of faith is greater than the faith itself.
N: The problem here is that you're describing faith as if it carries no inherent value; that's incorrect. Jesus plainly says, "your faith has saved you," without implying she was saved apart from Him.
J: And by the way, Nick. I really have enjoyed our exchange. I am not against you, but for you. My goal is not to "prove you wrong" for the sake of saying, "I won." That would be sinful I think and fall way short of the reason why we should know the truth. My concern is for you to know the grace of God in deep and soul-satisfying ways.
N: Agreed. Thank you.
J: May I commend to you one of my favorite books (especially chapter 3). It's free for download.
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/1592_Counted_Righteous_in_Christ/
Dr. Piper does an exegetical study of these passages in Greek. He takes these passages that we have batted around and shows the grammar (not just the meaning of the words) behind English translations and why it must be that we are not righteous because of our faith, but because of the gift of righteousness that comes through faith.
N: The unfortunate flaw to that book is that Piper doesn't look at the term logizomai of all things, he brushes across it in about a single sentence and ignores it pretty much the whole book. In fact it was in reading this very book that I was alerted to the logizomai problem as far as Romans 4:4 is concerned - because logizomai in 4:4 is used the polar opposite of how Piper exegetes the context. There were other flaws as well, such as him repeatedly mentioning texts like Phil 3:9 assuming imputation but ignoring the key context of 3:10-11, and ignoring texts like Psalm 106:30-31 and Hebrews 11. How can one do a proper analysis of 'faith' in regards to salvation when a text devoted to faithlike Hebrews 11 (esp 11:1,4,6) are not addressed?
J: Please read that chapter as I think it will explain things better than I ever could (seeing that I am not trained in the Biblical languages).
N: I've read it in the past a few times, so it's not going to be easy for me to 'see' something I've missed, but if you have specific quotes in mind I'll have a look.
J: God bless you and may the Spirit of Truth perform a God-glorifying work on your mind and heart.
N: Thank you. God Bless you too.
Friend, I will leave you with one last thought and will comment no furhter on this particular post.
I'm sure you are aware of 2 Corinthians 5:21 and I am sure you have a rebuttal. No problem. But let's read it again.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Understanding that Christ was "made sin" does not mean that He took our sin and had to actually commit sins to be treated as a criminal. The parralel is identical (He was made...we become). We become the righteousness of God--meaning that we receive the righteousness of Christ (God in the flesh), the Reconciler, so that we can be treated as righteous. "Being made" and "Become" are linked to "sin" and "righteousness" respectively.
Again, being made sin doesn't mean that our sin was infused into Christ so that He actually sinned and therefore could be treated as a sinner in our place (granted, you perhaps deny penal substitution and therfore it makes sense to deny imputed righteousness), just as being becoming God's righteousness does not mean being infused with Christ's righteousness so that we can do righteous deeds and therefore be counted as righteous.
Christ's bore our sin (was made sin) and we now bear Christ's righteousness (are made righteous).
Regarding Zecharaiah 3 it is clear that the received righteousness and justification precedes sanctification and holy living presented in the following verses.
Regarding Matthew 22, all that is required to enter the wedding feast...to enter the kingdom of GOd is to have the clean garments or righteousness (which are given). You admit that righteousness is a gift. Where did this righteousness proceed from? We have to say God. Righteousness does not exist apart from God. It is His righteousness that He is giving us. If it is given to us then we have a perfect righteousness. If my sin is removed completely in Christ...and if I have been given a righteousness....then God can treat me as righteous becaue that is all I have and I have no more sin to account for...it's been dealt with in Christ.
Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of God.
I need perfect righteousness...in thought, deed and word. I have no hope but Christ and will not achieve that level of experiental righteousness until I am transformed at His return. Until then I rest on His righteousness solely for salvation: past, present and future salvation--that is to say justification, sanctification and glorification.
God bless.
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