double imputation
The doctrinal teaching that in justification, there is a two-way transfer: The believer’s sin is credited to Christ and Christ’s righteousness is credited to the believer.
- From scripture:
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- From The London Baptist Confession, 1689, Chapter 11, Justification, Sections 1 and 3:
Those whom God effectually calls He also freely justifies, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting them as righteous, not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone. They are not justified because God reckons as their righteousness either their faith, their believing, or any other act of evangelical obedience. They are justified wholly and solely because God imputes to them Christ’s righteousness. He imputes to them Christ’s active obedience to the whole law and His passive obedience in death. They receive Christ’s righteousness by faith, and rest on Him. They do not possess or produce this faith themselves, it is the gift of God.
Learn more
- Theopedia: Double Imputation
- Tom Ascol: Imputation: The Sinner’s Only Hope
- Here at Rebecca Writes: Christ’s Active and Passive Obedience and Our Justification
- Albert N. Martin: Romans 5:12-21 - Justification: Double Imputation (mp3)
- R. C. Sproul: Double Imputation (video)
- John Piper: Counted Righteous In Christ (pdf of the whole book)
Related terms:
The term double imputation was suggested by Jen of joythruChrist.
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