IN CHRIST
A Study of Positional Truths

In Romans 4 Paul has dealt with the central thought of God imputing righteousness to Abraham.  The imputation of righteousness means that all I have done has been removed from the ledger of heaven.  In its place all that Christ has done, who is righteousness, has been placed to my account.  He became all that I am and made me all that He is.  In the middle of making his case for Abraham’s righteousness, Paul mentions God making David righteous in verses 6-8.  The only reason I can find for the inclusion of David is that in the mouth of two witnesses let a great doctrinal truth be established.   

In verse 6 the Bible says, “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.”  The word ‘describeth’ means to lay out or explain systematically.  This David did in Psalm 103 in one of his Penitent Psalms. (Psalm 103:3,10,12)   David calls such a man who is declared righteous a blessed man.  The word ‘blessedness’ means to attribute good fortune that causes one great happiness.  The word is in the plural.  The fortune keeps coming and the man is a happy, happy, happy man.  This  imputation of righteousness was without works. (Verse 6) The word ‘works’ means to toil or to produce a deed of effort or labor.  I did nothing to be declared righteous.  It was done solely at the good pleasure of our Lord.   

In verse 7 Paul says, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.”  He changes from the singular man in verse 6 to the plural ‘they’.  The ‘they’ speaks of the church within the church.  There is a church which is an organization.  But the church organism is only those who are alive in Christ.  This is an innumerable host yet it is the individual that He makes righteous.  In verse 7 Paul explains the declaration of righteousness when he says, ‘our iniquities are forgiven’.  The word ‘iniquities’ is the violation of breaking the laws of God.  Take a walk down through the Ten Commandments and ponder the ones we have violated.  Paul said if we have broken one, we have broken them all.  This wicked breaking of God’s law has been forgiven.  The word ‘forgiven’ means to omit or send away.  He also says, ‘our sins are covered’.  The word ‘sins’ means to miss the mark and not share in the prize.  Oh how often I have missed God’s mark  for me.   Paul says they all have been covered.  The word ‘covered’ means to conceal under.  He has place my sin under the atoning cover of the blood of Jesus.  In Psalm 103 He said He put them as far as the east is from the west.  East and west have no poles and therefore can never meet.   

He tells us in verse 8, He will not impute sin to us.  How can this be?  How is our sin dealt with?  We have no ledger sheet in heaven any more.  We have the ledger sheet of Christ which is spotless.  When we sin, He must confess it to the Father as our advocate and mediator.  We should stand clear of sin when we realize that while we are committing this sin our Savior is in heaven confessing and claiming the sins removal.  I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and just wonder in amazement.  Just think, all of my sins are gone.