Imputation is the act of one person adding something to another person’s account (Genesis 15:6). As believers in Jesus Christ, we have this clear assurance in Scripture: at the cross, our sins were imputed to Christ and Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us. The imputation of sin, as we see in Romans 5:12-15, is the way that God made for us to be saved. Our sin was placed upon Jesus Christ, and his righteousness was given to us, in order that we be saved.
Imputation allows us to revel, even now, in our ultimate victory over sin.
The Bible teaches that the human race was united in Adam, represented by him. Because Adam sinned, his sin nature would be inherited by his descendants. Corrupted nature begets corrupted nature (Psalm 51:5). We do not become sinful because we sin; we sin because we are sinful.
Although Romans 5:12,18 then tells us that Adam’s sin was credited to our account, thankfully 2 Corinthians 5:21 completes the story by showing that the sin of God’s people was imputed to Christ at the cross. Christ’s righteousness is imputed to each one for whom he died, each one who believes on him by his grace. Thus, imputation allows us to revel, even now, in our ultimate victory over sin.
Through the imputation of sin at the cross, God has provided a way to destroy all evil, without destroying all evil men!
Interestingly, one of the chief atheistic arguments against God’s existence contends that an all-good God and an all-powerful God would have the desire and ability to rid the world of sin. Since sin exists, it must mean that an all-good and all-powerful God does not exist.
However, here an unnecessary time limit is placed on God: because sin exists does not mean that it will always exist. Because God is all-powerful and all-good, he will one day destroy all evil. Yet, in order to destroy all evil now, God would have to destroy all evil men; but the Bible gives us this wonderful revelation in 2 Peter 3:9, that God is sustaining this corrupted universe until the very last of his children is brought to repentance. Through the imputation of sin at the cross, God has provided a way to destroy all evil, without destroying all evil men!