There’s a fancy theological word that’s really important for how we understand salvation: it’s called imputation. Imputation means a transfer of legal status from one person to another. That’s how God can see a sinner like me as righteous: though Jesus lived a perfect life and earned a righteous status, God graciously imputed that status to my heavenly bank account. Understandably, the concept of imputation has gotten a lot of pushback, because that would mean I didn’t contribute anything to my own justification. But that’s the great news, because imagine the mess I would be in if I had to!
Scripture actually tells us about three different imputations that have happened in God’s courtroom. First, Adam sinned—the father and legal representative of all humanity deliberately rebelled against God—and his criminal status was transferred to the rest of us. But then later, the second and third imputations actually happened at the same time: that criminal status we carried was imputed onto Christ’s record, and Christ’s righteous, guilt-free status became ours. What a great and gracious exchange! To be sure, some people get uncomfortable with how unfair it sounds that we should inherit Adam’s sinful record, undeservedly. But I wonder if they would have the same issue with the unfairness of us receiving Christ’s righteousness, just as undeservedly.
No one enters Heaven individually and unattached. Everyone is either in Adam or in Christ. Everyone will stand before the judgment seat under the representation of either the father of the human race or the Redeemer of the human race. In Adam there is death and condemnation, but in Christ there is eternal life and justification. So how do we distinguish? How do we get to be the “in Christ” people who are credited with righteousness? Verse 17 makes it clear: we simply receive God’s wonderful gift of grace; we believe in and obey the name of Jesus Christ.
One day, when we stand before the throne of God for judgment, and the divine Judge asks us what righteousness we have to show for ourselves, we will stand confidently before him, wearing the righteousness of Christ. God will look down at us, who have received his gracious gift and faithfully believed, and will see his own Son. And because he is just, he will give us the eternal reward that our imputed righteous status deserves. What a marvelous grace! All glory be to Christ Jesus!
