Imparted and Imputed Righteousness—What's the Difference?

^{Editor’s Note: This article was reprinted with permission from Warren Vanhetloo’s newsletter “Cogitation.”}

The gift of a watch, which should last twenty years, is not the same thing as being sentenced to prison for twenty years. We find many differences and few likenesses. In like manner, the development today is to try to make clear the many differences we should be aware of between God’s impartation and His imputation. God freely gives us the gift of eternal life, which begins as a new life the moment we put our trust in Him as personal Savior. His imputed benefits, however, are His judicial decisions or actions in the highest courts of heaven. We know about such only from what God tells us in His Word.

That which a watch and a jail have in common is the element of time, and even that differs. One similarity in our considering divine impartation and imputation is use of the word righteousness, but only in the use of the word; imparted righteousness is not the same as imputed righteousness. One use of the word, which is not involved here, is as an attribute of God. God is eternally, totally, absolutely righteous. His attribute of righteousness is nontransferable, neither imparted nor imputed. We do not “have a little bit of God,” as some suggest.

Impartation

Imparted righteousness is one of the gifts we receive when we get saved (2 Pet. 1:4). It is included in God’s work of sanctification of a believer, that is, of the growth and purity of the new life that is implanted when one is born again. It is the potential a lost man never has. No sinner is or has any righteousness at any time. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10 KJV). Because of Adam’s sin, a lost man is able to do nothing that God can judge as good or acceptable. After we are saved, we have some ability to do things God can approve. In this life we are not capable of doing everything commendably. In our resurrected state, however, we shall. This impartation speaks of what Christ does in us, of a radical installation of a goodness potential, an inexpressible gift.

Imputation

God’s imputation has to do with what Christ has done and does for us in our judicial status before the living God in heaven. Imputation pertains to the way we are viewed by God as Supreme Judge. Because we are born “in Adam,” God sees us as sinners, ungodly, guilty, and condemned. Two simultaneous judicial actions transpire the moment we accept Jesus personally: 1) our sin status is reckoned to the account of our perfect Savior, and 2) His righteous status is reckoned to our account (not His eternal deity, but His perfectly obeying the will of the Father in His earth life). He suffered the penalty for our sin without in any way becoming sinful Himself, either on the cross or when we believed. We now are declared to stand one hundred percent accepted in the Beloved. We benefit from His obedience.

Some Verses to Thrill Our Hearts

“For He has made [imputation] Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be [a] sin [offering] for us that we might be made [imputation] the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21, my paraphrase). He bore our sin penalty that we might wear His righteous covering!

“Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Rom. 3:21-22). God’s grace-righteousness is ours by faith, not by works!

“Of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).

“And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Phil. 3:9).

“If by one man’s offence, death reigned by one, much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made [imputed] righteous….That as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 5:17-21). One man (Adam) earned death for us; one Man (Jesus) earned righteousness for us! All may benefit from His substitutionary work, but not all believe and receive Him, thereby being viewed by God as “in Christ” totally untainted. God restores believers to favor by imputing to us Christ’s righteousness.

Impartation of righteousness enables us to honor God as we grow in grace and endeavor to serve Him. Imputation of righteousness encourages us that our good works do not gain salvation nor do they keep us in the fold. We face a future judgment of our works, but in the nature of awards, not of condemnation. We already have eternal life; some day we will enjoy eternal blessedness.

Warren Vanhetloo has A.B., B.D., Th.M., Th.D., and D.D. degrees. He served three pastorates in Michigan, taught 20 years at Central Baptist Theological Seminary (Plymouth, MN), taught 23 years at Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary (Lansdale, PA), and is listed as adjunct faculty at Calvary. Retired, he lives in Holland, Michigan. Since the death of his wife a year ago, at the urging of fellow faculty and former students, he sends an email newsletter called “Cogitations” to those who request it.