I do not intend this post to stir a debate between imparted versus imputed righteousness. Rather to get to the bottom of what the Bible really says.
I will show from the Bible that the concepts of imparted and imputed righteousness are incorrect, and that we do not receive, or are clothed with, the righteousness of Christ.
This terminology of imparted and imputed is in the realm of protestant and catholic theology but is not actually taught in the Bible. Theologians have debated these matters for centuries without realizing that righteousness is not a thing to be imputed or imparted, but a Person.
Firstly, what is righteousness? Righteousness is right standing with God, it is to be without sin or guilt before God.
In Christianity, righteousness is treated as a thing, that can be given, imputed, or imparted. Imputed righteousness says that God "declares" someone to be righteous because of grace through faith in Christ. Imparted righteousness says that God imparts His power and grace to us, such that our righteousness is improved to the level of His righteousness (or something to that effect).
However, righteousness is not a thing, it is the quality of a person. We cannot take righteousness from one person, and give it to another.
In the whole universe and for all time there was only one man who was perfect and sinless and obeyed God in all respects - Jesus Christ. Imputed and imparted righteousness, teaches that God attributes to us, or gives us, Christ's righteousness.
The concept that we receive the righteousness of Christ, either through impartation or imputation, is wrong. Neither does God "clothe us with Christ's righteousness".
God cannot give someone else's righteousness to someone else; Christ's righteousness is his own, and He cannot give it to another.
What does the Bible really say?:
Gal 3:27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ
1 Cor 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Gal 3:27 says that we have clothed ourselves with Christ, the person, not "the righteousness of Christ".
1 Cor 1:30 says Christ, the person, becomes our righteousness - not, "we have received Christ's righteousness".
Hopefully we can see that in the Bible, Christ's righteousness is not separate from His Person. If Christ is our righteousness, it has nothing to do with us. And it is Christ Himself (not the "righteousness of Christ") who becomes our righteousness. Our own righteousness may increase or decrease over our life time. In God's eyes it does not matter, because only Christ who is our righteousness matters. If we sin during the day, we don't become unrighteous - Christ is still our righteousness. If Christ is our righteousness, our righteousness does not depend on ourselves but on Christ. We do not come to God with the righteousness of Christ (either imparted or imputed to us) - Christ's righteousness is His own, and He cannot give it to anyone else. We come to God through "Christ our righteousness" - being right with God is not a matter of receiving Christ's righteousness or being clothed with Christ's righteousness, but of Christ becoming our righteousness, and us being clothed with Christ.
I will show from the Bible that the concepts of imparted and imputed righteousness are incorrect, and that we do not receive, or are clothed with, the righteousness of Christ.
This terminology of imparted and imputed is in the realm of protestant and catholic theology but is not actually taught in the Bible. Theologians have debated these matters for centuries without realizing that righteousness is not a thing to be imputed or imparted, but a Person.
Firstly, what is righteousness? Righteousness is right standing with God, it is to be without sin or guilt before God.
In Christianity, righteousness is treated as a thing, that can be given, imputed, or imparted. Imputed righteousness says that God "declares" someone to be righteous because of grace through faith in Christ. Imparted righteousness says that God imparts His power and grace to us, such that our righteousness is improved to the level of His righteousness (or something to that effect).
However, righteousness is not a thing, it is the quality of a person. We cannot take righteousness from one person, and give it to another.
In the whole universe and for all time there was only one man who was perfect and sinless and obeyed God in all respects - Jesus Christ. Imputed and imparted righteousness, teaches that God attributes to us, or gives us, Christ's righteousness.
The concept that we receive the righteousness of Christ, either through impartation or imputation, is wrong. Neither does God "clothe us with Christ's righteousness".
God cannot give someone else's righteousness to someone else; Christ's righteousness is his own, and He cannot give it to another.
What does the Bible really say?:
Gal 3:27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ
1 Cor 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Gal 3:27 says that we have clothed ourselves with Christ, the person, not "the righteousness of Christ".
1 Cor 1:30 says Christ, the person, becomes our righteousness - not, "we have received Christ's righteousness".
Hopefully we can see that in the Bible, Christ's righteousness is not separate from His Person. If Christ is our righteousness, it has nothing to do with us. And it is Christ Himself (not the "righteousness of Christ") who becomes our righteousness. Our own righteousness may increase or decrease over our life time. In God's eyes it does not matter, because only Christ who is our righteousness matters. If we sin during the day, we don't become unrighteous - Christ is still our righteousness. If Christ is our righteousness, our righteousness does not depend on ourselves but on Christ. We do not come to God with the righteousness of Christ (either imparted or imputed to us) - Christ's righteousness is His own, and He cannot give it to anyone else. We come to God through "Christ our righteousness" - being right with God is not a matter of receiving Christ's righteousness or being clothed with Christ's righteousness, but of Christ becoming our righteousness, and us being clothed with Christ.
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