Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. (Romans 5:1-2)
“Into this grace”…wow, what a statement!
Christianity at its core means to be brought into something new and great; a land of joy and abundance, it is the Kingdom of the Son he Loves (Col. 1:13). It is peace. Last week we discussed how the blind man gains sight through faith. We call that Justification. This week we are going to talk about what Justification procures for us, Imputation. Entering into the real, tangible, tasty, favor of God (Psalm 34:8).
Imputation means “a new reckoning”, or accounting. God no longer holds the debt we owe him over our head. He considers the payment finished, the ledger is at zero, and as a result, His favor is now directed our way. One theologian states the process of justification to imputation like this, “A judgment is called over our life, from the other side, a transcendent voice, fully independent from our subjectivity, directed de excelsis downward, a ‘judgment of justification’; which means, out of his pleasure in seeing his Son in us, God himself imputes the righteousness of Christ to humans.”
He goes on to say, “God is now coming toward humans which has a connotation of something breaking through. God’s breaking through brings change and renewal.” Martin Luther calls it the “happy exchange.” God’s Word comes from outside us, breaks through our darkness and sin, shines light that brings a new type of life. “God’s word re-creates; humans are set free from bondage to the powers of sin and death” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
It also means an actual transference of positional righteousness: Jesus took upon our sin, and we were given his righteousness. Where once we were in debt to God, under his wrath, living in the land of death; imputation says now that we believe we have crossed over into a new land (John 5:24) – – we are now touching the actual life of God.
I like to think of it like living in a Yellow Submarine (O.K, so I like the Beatles). Our lives have been shipwrecked by sin, we are swimming out in the deep ocean of fear with death all around us. Deadly sharks are circling, jellyfish are floating, storms are blowing, waves are cresting. And then a bright and shiny yellow submarine surfaces, a hatch pops open and a man with scars on his hands says, “Hop in, it is safe in here.”
Do you trust him? Do you really have any other choice? “You are dying, jump in!”
Hopping into the submarine is like justification, you are now “In Christ” – – He is our immediate deliverance, He is salvation from the sharks, storms and ocean swells that are bearing down upon us. Once you climb in, the Captain of the submarine welcomes you aboard and shows you all around. It is an amazing vessel: all the food you can eat, cozy temperature control, your own plush cot to sleep on, and a Captain whose company contains “pleasures at his right hand” (Psalm 16:11) for the whole trip. You are safe.
When you believe in Jesus, you have hopped “Into this Grace” in which you now stand, or dwell. It is real. Life becomes bigger and brighter. God’s favor is like a summer breeze, refreshing and invigorating the soul.
Imputation is not earned, it is given. The submarine is something outside of you, you did not build it, it came to you when you were sinking and swallowing salt-water. The hatch was opened and all you did was enter by acceptance of the invitation of the Captain with the scarred hands. Who are we to boast? Imputation is not co-operative as some Christian sects teach, I don’t rescue myself; it breaks through the violent and threatening waves in a moment to change your life forever!
I must say, imputation is rarely talked about. But it is this concept that makes Christianity real and life-giving. It is more than a concept, it is the way things really are. I will never understand God until I touch God through faith. I will never taste God until I trust God. I will never enjoy God until I rest in his strength.
Stop all this nonsense about needing proof, or answering all my doubts sufficiently…Christianity has come to rescue you, not satisfy your curiosity. If anything, the closer you are to Christ the more mysterious and wonderful he becomes.
One more thing: Muhammad doesn’t have a submarine, Buddha doesn’t have a submarine, and most Atheists think hoping for a sub is silly and they act like they are just fine treading water in this dangerous and unforgiving sea. And then you have those people who drank too much of the salt water of sin, who think they are doing just fine as they swim with the sharks and ignore the storms thrashing them and their families.
The hatch is NOW open, the Captain is beckoning you, will you enter?
