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.)
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