C
While imputed righteousness is indeed a biblical concept, many in the church including Lutherans, Calvinists and proponents of OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved), would teach you that imputed righteousness is a hypothetical righteousness, a righteousness that can not be seen or experienced in the life of a believer which allows one to be saved in their sins. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. By no means what so ever is, nor ever was, imputed righteous a license to sin (licentiousness). Imputed Righteousness is not some abstract concept that is open to interpretation nor can it be discerned by the vain imaginations of fallen men.
For one to truly understand imputed righteousness of Christ, one must first understand the source of Christ's own righteousness. After Marry was visited by an Angel which told her that she would be the one who would give birth to the Messiah, the Holy Spirit descended upon her and she became impregnated by the Holy Spirit. We often times fail to understand this process because we naturally think of procreation in terms of male and female, with the male providing the seed and the female providing the egg resulting in a life who's body / soul / spirit is completely independent from both the male and female. That was not the case when Marry became impregnated with Jesus. You see, the Holy Spirit did not provide the seed, the Holy Spirit Himself was the seed.
By all means was Jesus human in every way. He had a mind and a soul all of His own. He felt emotions and temptations as any human would. However, what made Jesus different is that he was born with a measure of the omnipresent Holy Spirit already inside of Him. He was spiritually connected to the Father in heaven from day one. Jesus was both 100% human and 100% divine simultaneously thus the indwelling Holy Spirit was the divine nature of God residing on the inside of Him. Thus it can be safely assumed that the righteousness of Christ is not a 'thing' but rather a 'who', the indwelling Holy Spirit.
There are several verses of scripture which name the Holy Spirit as the source of righteousness in the life of a believer:
Titus 3:4-6 "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior ..."
Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit..."
Galatians 5:5 "For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope."
Upon salvation, every true believer receives a measure of the Holy Spirit, thus you do have access to the righteousness of Christ through the indwelling Holy spirit. When a Christian is born again, that same Spirit which resided in Jesus, who both taught and empowered Jesus to live out the will of the Father on here earth, now resides in you. Whether you realize it or not, you are Christ-like because you too are now spiritually connected to the Father in heaven just as Jesus was during his days here on earth. Scripture refers to Jesus as 'the first born of many brethren' and if you are indeed born again, you are one of the brethren. As a believer, you now have access to the same divine nature of God as Jesus had through the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5: 17 - "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new!"
Ezekiel 36:26 - "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will."
As believers, have access to each and every divine attribute of the Holy Spirit if we choose to abide in the Holy Spirit and not walk according to the flesh (Romans 8). We now have access to both spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12, Hebrews 2:4) and spiritual fruit - which are the divine attributes / evidence of His indwelling presence: [i"]But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Gal. 5:22-24)[/i]
Throughout scripture the Holy Spirit is often referred to by other names such as the Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2, 1 John 4:2), Spirit of Wisdom (Eph. 1:17), Spirit of Knowledge (Isaiah 11:2), Spirit of Grace (Heb. 10:29), Spirit of Holiness (Rom. 1:4), Spirit of Obedience and Sanctification (1 Peter 1:2), the list goes on. That is why when the topic of imputed righteous is brought up, the Holy Spirit is the first thing that comes to mind for He is our access to all things promised to us as believers from God the Father. It is just as the Apostle Peter states:
2 Peter 1: 3-4 "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."
For one to truly understand imputed righteousness of Christ, one must first understand the source of Christ's own righteousness. After Marry was visited by an Angel which told her that she would be the one who would give birth to the Messiah, the Holy Spirit descended upon her and she became impregnated by the Holy Spirit. We often times fail to understand this process because we naturally think of procreation in terms of male and female, with the male providing the seed and the female providing the egg resulting in a life who's body / soul / spirit is completely independent from both the male and female. That was not the case when Marry became impregnated with Jesus. You see, the Holy Spirit did not provide the seed, the Holy Spirit Himself was the seed.
By all means was Jesus human in every way. He had a mind and a soul all of His own. He felt emotions and temptations as any human would. However, what made Jesus different is that he was born with a measure of the omnipresent Holy Spirit already inside of Him. He was spiritually connected to the Father in heaven from day one. Jesus was both 100% human and 100% divine simultaneously thus the indwelling Holy Spirit was the divine nature of God residing on the inside of Him. Thus it can be safely assumed that the righteousness of Christ is not a 'thing' but rather a 'who', the indwelling Holy Spirit.
There are several verses of scripture which name the Holy Spirit as the source of righteousness in the life of a believer:
Titus 3:4-6 "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior ..."
Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit..."
Galatians 5:5 "For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope."
Upon salvation, every true believer receives a measure of the Holy Spirit, thus you do have access to the righteousness of Christ through the indwelling Holy spirit. When a Christian is born again, that same Spirit which resided in Jesus, who both taught and empowered Jesus to live out the will of the Father on here earth, now resides in you. Whether you realize it or not, you are Christ-like because you too are now spiritually connected to the Father in heaven just as Jesus was during his days here on earth. Scripture refers to Jesus as 'the first born of many brethren' and if you are indeed born again, you are one of the brethren. As a believer, you now have access to the same divine nature of God as Jesus had through the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5: 17 - "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new!"
Ezekiel 36:26 - "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."
Romans 12:2 - "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will."
As believers, have access to each and every divine attribute of the Holy Spirit if we choose to abide in the Holy Spirit and not walk according to the flesh (Romans 8). We now have access to both spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12, Hebrews 2:4) and spiritual fruit - which are the divine attributes / evidence of His indwelling presence: [i"]But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Gal. 5:22-24)[/i]
Throughout scripture the Holy Spirit is often referred to by other names such as the Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2, 1 John 4:2), Spirit of Wisdom (Eph. 1:17), Spirit of Knowledge (Isaiah 11:2), Spirit of Grace (Heb. 10:29), Spirit of Holiness (Rom. 1:4), Spirit of Obedience and Sanctification (1 Peter 1:2), the list goes on. That is why when the topic of imputed righteous is brought up, the Holy Spirit is the first thing that comes to mind for He is our access to all things promised to us as believers from God the Father. It is just as the Apostle Peter states:
2 Peter 1: 3-4 "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."
