The Monty Collier Report: The Doctrine of Imputation (1)

A critical part of the doctrine Justification By Faith Alone and the doctrine of Vicarious Atonement is the doctrine of Imputation. Indeed, Justification By Faith Alone and Vicarious Atonement are impossible without the forensic act of imputation.

The Covenant of Works, the Covenant of Grace, and even the Covenant of Redemption all make use of imputation.

In the Covenant of Works, Adam is our Covenant representative. "In Adam's fall, we sinned all," for his first transgression was not only layed to his account, but it was layed to the accounts of all who proceed after him by natural generation.

In the Covenant of Grace, Jesus Christ is our Covenant Representative. In this better Covenant, the sins of the elect are imputed to Christ. Without the sins of the elect being layed to Christ's account, then Christ could not expiate our sins (take the penalty), He could not propitiate (appease) God's wrath for us: He could not pay the ransome by purchasing the elect with His blood (for Christ Himself was sinless). Without God reckoning our sins to Christ, none of this could happen.

However, the Covenant of Grace also teaches us that the righteousness of Christ (the active and passive of obedience of Christ)is also imputed to the elect. Just as our sin being charged to Christ's account enabled Jesus to pay the penalty for sin, the righteousness of Christ being reckoned to the accounts of the elect fulfills the law of God in that it provides the positive righteousness we owe the law. Therefore, both imputations are the cause of the law of God being fully satisfied. In other words, there can be no doctrine of Satisfaction without imputation.

The Covenant of Redemption was made in eternity before the foundation of the world. In this Covenant, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity agreed to become the Surety for the elect, He agreed to have the sins of His people layed to His account, and to have the works He would do layed to them. God the Father agreed to perform this imputation, and God the Holy Spirit agreed to reveal this imputation to the elect. Thus, all three Persons of the Trinity are in agreement concerning imputation in the Covenant of Redemption.

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