The Blessed Doctrine of Imputation

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." -Galatians 3:13 [KJV]

Here Christ stands with all the curse of a broken law charged upon Him, as the sinner's Surety; yea, as the curse itself. And consequently, as in the doing of this, He takes it from His people; they are redeemed from it. The original debtor, and the Surety who pays for that debtor, cannot both have the debt at the same time charged upon them. This, therefore, is the blessed doctrine of imputation. Our sins are imputed to Christ. His righteousness is imputed to us. And this by the authority and appointment of JEHOVAH; for without this authority and appointment of JEHOVAH, the transfer could not have taken place. For it would have been totally beyond our power to have made it.

But surely not beyond the right and prerogative of God. And if God accepts such a ransom; yea, He Himself appoints it: and if the sinner by Christ's righteousness be made holy and if the sins of the sinner be all done away by Christ's voluntary sufferings and death; if the law of God be thus honored, the justice of God thus satisfied, all the divine perfections glorified by an equivalent, yea, more than an equivalent, inasmuch as Christ's obedience and death infinitely transcend in dignity and value the everlasting obedience of men and angels; surely, here is the fullest assurance of the truth of the doctrine of Christ's imputed righteousness, and the perfect approbation of JEHOVAH to the blessed plan of redemption.

-Gospel report by preacher Robert Hawker (1753-1827 A.D.)