In his sermon titled 'God Imputeth Righteousness without Works,' Pastor Steve Hopkins explores Romans 4:1-8 to explain the doctrine of imputation. He emphasizes that righteousness is imputed to believers by faith, not by works. Pastor Hopkins highlights the example of Abraham, who was justified by faith before performing any works, such as circumcision, pointing out that this justification is based on the imputed righteousness of Christ. He contrasts this with the doctrine of infusion, where righteousness is believed to be inherent and can be lost or regained. The Greek word 'logizomai' is central to this passage, translated as 'impute,' 'count,' 'reckon,' or 'credit,' and is used five times in the text. Pastor Hopkins also discusses the concept of 'double imputation,' where the sinner's guilt is imputed to Christ, and Christ's righteousness is imputed to the sinner. He clarifies that works are evidence of salvation but not the basis for justification, which is solely by grace through faith. The sermon concludes with the assurance that believers are eternally blessed and justified by the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Welcome back to Burnet Bible Church. Join us this week as Pastor Hopkins continues his sermon series through the book of Romans. Good morning again. If you would, stand with me for the reading of the Word of the Lord. Romans, I'm very excited, like a coiled spring ready to launch here into Romans chapter 4, verses 1 through 8.

So let's stand for the reading of the Word of The Lord, Romans chapter 4, verses 1 through 8. Read with me aloud if you would, please. Beginning with verse 1. What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For If Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God.

For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Amen. Let's pray. Father, our Father in heaven, we pray once again that your name might be hallowed in this place today. And we pray once again that your kingdom might be advanced with power.

And we pray once again that you might grant spiritual insight to those whom you have given eyes to see and ears to hear this morning. And God we pray that you would grant your people understanding as we open your word oh God that you might open up the understanding of our hearts, and that your spirit might do a mighty work in the hearts and in the minds and in the lives of your people and in every soul in this meeting place today. And all, Lord, who might hear this message at a later date, possibly over the Internet, for we ask it in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Let's be seated.

We're going to be looking at, Lord willing, one of the most important doctrines in all of Scripture over the next three weeks. We're going to be looking at the doctrine of imputation, the doctrine of imputation. And I want to ask a question as we launch here this morning. How many in the congregation this morning can raise your hand And say that you are relatively familiar with the doctrine of imputation. Just relatively familiar, okay?

How many would say that you are intimately familiar with the doctrine of imputation? Okay? How many would say, I've never heard of the doctrine of imputation? Never heard of it? Okay.

Okay. Don't be too hard on yourselves. I have a note here from a previous sermon that I preached years ago on the subject of imputation, where I quote another pastor who had a radio program and he was interviewing men, other pastors at a pastor's conference somewhere in the country, and one after another as he's interviewing these pastors and he's asking them about the doctrine of imputation, he recounts how these pastors are, You know, tilting their heads and, you know, looking perplexed. And one of them says, amputation? Another one is saying other things, and they're saying, well, no, I haven't heard of that one.

You know, so, You know, I myself was seven years into my 26 years of the ministry before I was even exposed to the doctrine of imputation. So don't be too hard on yourselves if you're not familiar with or intimately familiar with the doctrine of imputation. But as you have your Bibles open to chapter four of Romans, the first thing I want you to understand from our text this morning is that the Apostle Paul has used a variation of a Greek word from which we get the English word impute or imputes not once but five times in the passage before us. In the eight verses that we have in front of us, we have the Greek word or a variation of the Greek word from which we get the English word impute or imputes not once but five times. In verses 1 through 8, Paul uses this variation of the Greek word logizomai from which we get the English words impute and imputes five times.

And I want you to follow along with me. The first time it's used is in verse 3 in the authorized version that we're in, in the King James Version, which we're using this morning, it is translated, counted. So follow along with me here in your Bibles as we look at these. In verse 3, it is translated, counted, if you have the authorized version, Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Your version might use the word credited to him for righteousness, where the King James Version uses the word counted.

Same thing from the same Greek word. Then move on to verse 4. Same Greek form is translated in the authorized version, reckoned, reckoned. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned, reckoned of grace, same word. Move on to verse 5.

In verse 5 again, same word translated in the King James Version, counted again, as it was in verse 3. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted. Your version might read, again, credited or reckoned for righteousness. King James Version says his faith is counted for righteousness. And then in verse 6, It is rendered in the King James Version, imputeth, or imputes if you have a new King James Version.

Even as David also describes or describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth, unto whom God counts, it might be in your version, unto whom God reckons, it might be in your version, unto whom God credits, same word, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works. And then finally in verse 8, impute. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute. Same word, or count sin. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute or count sin." So we see the same form of this Greek word, logizomai, the transliterated word, translated to impute, to count, to reckon, to credit, etc.

Now as our text opens this morning In chapter 4 of Romans, Paul is going to be answering a question for us that has naturally arisen for the readers of his epistle. He's been talking about, And we've been preaching on the doctrine of, from Romans, the doctrine of justification. He's been talking about justification and the basis of our justification before God. What is the basis of our justification before God? And now he asks in so many words, we'll look at verse one here, what do you suppose, he's asking in so many words, what do you suppose Abraham, the father of all the faithful, recognizes the father of all the faithful, what do you suppose Abraham has concluded?

What has Abraham found as it pertains to boasting in the flesh, that is, with regards to any human merit for justification before God? Because that's what we've been talking about. Is there any room for boasting before God with regards to justification before God? Can anyone boast before God that he has merited anything before God with regards to His justification, His right standing before God. Well, what has Abraham found with regards to this question?

This is what Abraham found, and then the apostle takes the reader back to Genesis. He takes him to the Old Testament. The apostle takes the reader back to the beginning. He takes him to the book of Genesis. He takes him back to Father Abraham.

He takes him back to the 15th chapter of Genesis to prove his proposition. And his proposition is this, that justification before God is on the basis of an imputed righteousness, the imputed righteousness of Christ, and not on the basis of one's own merits or works. And what is his argument? His argument, verse 2, for if Abraham were justified by works, He's going to take them all the way back to Abraham, the father of the faithful, and he's going to use him as primary example number one. Here's our, in the words of R.C.

Sproul, Exhibit A, Abraham. If Abraham were justified by works, well, he would have some reason to glory or boast before God. But Abraham didn't have any ground to boast or glory. Look at the text, not before God, not before God, Paul says because he wasn't justified by works. That's his proposition.

That's his argument to support his proposition that justification is not by works. And then the Apostle Paul makes his case from Scripture, Old Testament Scripture, which is all that is in existence at the time. And his proof text is Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6, Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6, which he paraphrases. You can go back and look at Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6. But what sayeth the scripture?

Abraham believed God. Here is justification by faith. Abraham believed God. He's saying salvation has always been in the same way. Salvation in the Old Testament is the same as salvation today.

What does the scripture teach? What does the scripture tell us? The scripture tells us that Abraham, who is the father of all the faithful, who is the father of us all, believed. Abraham exercised faith. Abraham believed God and guess what?

It was counted unto him, credited unto him, reckoned unto him, imputed unto him, same word for righteousness. Abraham believed God. And guess what? This was before any works that Abraham did. This is before the obedience of circumcision.

Circumcision doesn't come in until later on. The obedience of circumcision doesn't come in for chapters later. This was purely faith in the promise of God. And this is the Apostle Paul's case. This is his proof text.

This was faith in the promise of God that God would fulfill His promise, that God would fulfill His promise to Abraham to provide an heir. And Abraham believed God. That's faith, friends. That's faith. That's the exercise of faith.

And not only is it faith, but listen, that is faith pointing to the promise of Christ, because Christ is the one who comes from the promise to seed of Abraham, which is Isaac, and then Jacob to follow. All saving faith is ultimately directed at Christ. All saving faith is ultimately directed at Christ. And it was imputed to Abraham. It was counted to him for righteousness Abraham had only believed and it was counted or imputed to him for righteousness.

Abraham didn't do anything yet. Abraham didn't circumcise his son. Abraham didn't circumcise his household yet. Abraham didn't begin to obey the laws of God. Abraham didn't do anything.

Abraham believed God and His promise concerning His heir, His seed that would come from His own body, which would eventually produce Christ. And it was accounted to Him for righteousness. The instant Abraham believes, listen, the instant, the moment Abraham believes God, Abraham is justified before God by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, the reckoning of the righteousness of Christ, the crediting of the righteousness of Christ, the counting of the righteousness of Christ. All those words that we looked at earlier, the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to his account, apart from any works. That's what the apostle Paul is teaching.

Is everyone getting this? Are we getting it? This is the doctrine of the imputation of the righteousness of Christ apart from any works. Before Abraham kept any of God's law, before Abraham is circumcised, without any reward do him. Without any debt owed him.

God doesn't owe him anything. Without any merit to his account, he has accrued no merit whatsoever. Before Abraham has done any works required of him by God. Abraham, look at this, who is placed here in the category of the ungodly. Look at verse 5.

Who is placed in the category of the ungodly. Who justifies God, who justifies the ungodly. There's one for the first century Jew to swallow hard on. Abraham, who's placed here in the category of the ungodly, verse 5, believes on him. He believes on God, who justifies the ungodly, who declares just in his sight those who run godly remember Martin Luther's simil Eustace at Picator Simil from which we get the word simultaneous, this is his Latin, simultaneously just at the same time, pecator, sinner, pecado in Espanol, you know, peccadillo, sinner, at the same time, simultaneously, just in the sight of God, but a sinner.

Abraham, who's placed here in the category of the ungodly, believes God, who justifies the ungodly, who declares just in his sight ungodly sinners, their faith being counted or imputed or reckoned to them for righteousness. That's what the Apostle Paul is teaching and I hope that the Holy Spirit is driving it home to everyone in this congregation and who will hear later by Recording to everyone who has eyes to see and ears to hear. But what does this mean? What does it mean to be counted righteous when one is not actually righteous? What does it mean to be counted righteous when one is not actually righteous?

Because you see in the Roman assembly there is the teaching of what is called the infusion of righteousness. And next week we'll go into more depth about that, some of the different understandings of how one is viewed as righteous. And you might be surprised to find out that Charles Finney was a heretic and who believed or opposed the doctrine of the imputation of the righteous of Christ and opposed the doctrine of the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ. We had a Book in our household that was floating around I have to I throw out books all the time And it had heroes of the faith and had all these great heroes of the faith and all of a sudden had Charles Finney in there And I just ripped the section out on Finney because he's not a hero of the faith. He's a heretic of the faith He opposed the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ.

He stood against the imputation, the doctrine of imputation. He called it a legal fiction, which is exactly the same words that was used by the Roman Catholic Church against the Protestant Reformation exact same words. Anyways, we'll look at that more next week, but the Roman assembly uses the word infusion, so it's like righteousness is poured in, so you are infused with righteousness at your baptism as an infant, and then you can lose that righteousness, which you have it inherently in you. You can lose that through commission of mortal sin, and then you can regain that righteousness through penance, so through different acts of merits, of regaining merit and all through their system of penance. But the way that the Bible teaches this, of course, is that we are declared righteous in the sight of God.

There is a declaration of righteousness, we are declared righteous, and if you'll remember when we were talking about the doctrine of justification, the way that the Roman assembly got off track was back in 405 AD when Jerome translated the Greek New Testament into Latin, and the Roman Church or Roman Assembly, Roman congregation began to use the Latin version rather than the Greek. Well, the Apostle Paul wrote in Greek, not in Latin, and Jerome mistranslated the word justification as justificare in Latin. And instead of translating it to be declared just, which is what the Apostle Paul wrote, he translated it to be made just. And so the Roman assembly taught to be made just from that point on, and then that became a part of Roman Catholic doctrine. You are made just.

So you're made just by baptism. You're kept just by penance and etc etc. And of course because of the doctrine of papal infallibility etc etc and the teaching on the Magisterium of the Church, and not being able to refute former doctrines that have been solidified by the Church and spoken by the Pope on matters of faith and morals, my understanding is that those cannot be then later overturned, so they have to continue to uphold those. So then you have this error that is grounded and it can't be overturned. So to this day, and substantiated even in the Council of Trent back in the response to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century you have this solidification a re solidification of this error and so the true teaching of scripture is that We are sinners who are declared just in the sight of a holy God.

We are not infused with righteousness We don't become inherently righteous You never become inherently righteous until when until glory until we Put off this corrupt ability when we see Christ as He is, and in glory when we are made like Christ perfectly, then we are made like Him, and this corruption becomes incorruptibility when we see Him as He is, as the Apostle Paul also teaches. But as it is, we have all together become corrupt. There's none who does good, perfectly good, no not one. Everything we do is tainted with sin. So how can a person still, can a person still be a sinner in the sense that they still sin and are not inherently just in and of themselves and yet be declared just in God's sight, be counted just in God's sight?

Well, by imputation, through the doctrine of imputation, or not through the doctrine, but the act of imputation, through the act of imputation. God doesn't owe Abraham anything. God isn't indebted to Abraham or anyone else for that matter. Paul's made the point clear. To him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt, but to him that hasn't done any works verse 5 whatsoever like Abraham but has simply believed on him that justifies the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness it is an imputed righteousness God proclaims Abraham just in his sight purely by grace.

It's an act of God's grace. Abraham hasn't done anything, no circumcision again, no law keeping, no works, just faith in the promise of God that what God has promised God will perform. And what God has promised through Abraham's heir points to Christ to come. My question for you this morning is, is your faith in the promise of God today concerning His Son Jesus Christ? Is your faith in the promise of God today concerning His Son Jesus Christ?

That everyone who puts their trust in him will not be put to shame. Is that where your trust lies? Is that where your hope lies? That he has already been put to shame for you in your place. Before we close, as we go forward, the Apostle Paul brings in David as his star witness.

Let's go on to verse 6. When we get to verse 6, it's as if Paul is saying to his Jewish readers, you don't accept the testimony of Father Abraham alone? Well, you should, right? But if you don't, well, here's David's testimony as well. Even as David also, even as David also, Okay, the same thing.

Here's David's testimony as well. Let every fact be established by two or more witnesses. Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works. Now here's David. Imputes, counts, okay, credits, same word, imputes, credits, counts, reckons, righteousness without works, apart from works.

Where do works come in? In your sanctification. Remember, evidence of salvation. We went through that already. Does the Protestant Reformation, Do we teach works don't matter?

No, works matter. Why? Because the tree is known by its fruit. And we'll get to that also in the third week. We're going to be talking about that.

What's the difference between the teaching of the Apostle Paul and the teaching of James? There's no difference in the teaching. They're saying the same thing, but they're dealing with different aspects of justification, which we'll get to in a couple of weeks. But God imputes, God credits, God reckons, God counts righteousness apart from works. Works are just evidence that someone has had the righteousness of Christ imputed to them, that they're truly justified by faith.

But God imputes, God credits, God reckons, God counts righteousness apart from works. Could the doctrine be stated any clearer than it is in verse 6? Could it be? Look at verse 6 and tell me, is there any way the doctrine could be stated any clearer? Here is a righteousness alone, acceptable before God, imputed by grace, without any human works associated at all.

At all. It's good news, isn't it? It's good news for me. Is it good news for you? That's good news.

And you know what else it is? It is a double imputation. It is a double imputation. If you want me to take notes, please write this down. It is a double imputation.

Two things take place when a sinner comes to trust Jesus alone for his salvation. The sinner's guilt, number one, is imputed to Christ. And number two, Christ's righteousness is imputed to the sinner. Do you see that? See that?

The sinner's guilt is imputed to Christ, and Christ's righteousness is imputed to the sinner. The sinner's guilt is counted, is imputed to Christ, the Christ's righteousness is counted to the sinner. The filthy robes, remember Joshua, the filthy robes of the sinner are removed from him and placed on Jesus on the cross and dealt with retrospectively, and the sinner is clothed in the spotless robes of Jesus. You see the transaction. You see the transaction that takes place, it is a double imputation.

The sinner's guilt is imputed to Christ and Christ's righteousness is imputed to the sinner. David goes on, and Paul quotes on, saying, blessed are they whose sins, whose iniquities are forgiven. Friends, listen to me. Brothers and sisters, listen to me. This is what it means to be forgiven.

Those to whom God imputes the righteousness of Christ freely by grace Apart from any human effort, any human merit, are they whose iniquities, that is, whose lawless deeds by definition are forgiven, put away, absolved of all guilt of, and whose sins are covered. The moment, please hear me, the moment we believe God concerning his son, the moment we trust in Jesus and Jesus alone for our justification, for our right standing before God, for our salvation, our sin is imputed to Jesus and his righteousness is imputed to us. And at that very moment, our sins, our nakedness, remember Adam and Eve in the garden, and our shame are covered by Jesus' righteousness. Amen? Good news all the way from the garden.

Good news. On that cross, 2, 000 years ago, as we close, our sins were imputed to Christ and He dealt with the justice of God in our place and suffered the wrath of God do our sins, and died, and died in our room and in our stead." Jesus never sinned. He never sinned in thought, He never sinned in word, He never sinned in deed, but He took upon Himself the guilt and the shame of our thoughts, of our words, and of our deeds, and He bore the guilt and the shame of them before the Father as though He had committed every one of them Himself." Jesus didn't become sinful, but on that cross he was treated as though he was sinful in God's sight. Similarly, we don't become righteous when Jesus' righteousness is imputed to us, but we are treated as though we are righteous in God's sight. Jesus merited a perfect righteousness in the sight of God for His people, remember by His active obedience in life and His passive obedience in death, and that righteousness is imputed to everyone who, like Abraham, believes God, and it is counted to them also as righteousness.

When we believe God concerning His Son, our sin is imputed to Jesus and His righteousness is imputed to us. And at that very moment, our sins, our nakedness and our shame are covered are covered by Jesus righteousness and ever thereafter listen my friends and ever thereafter when God looks at us He sees the righteousness of His Son. That's good news. That's good news. That's what the Scripture means when it says, Jesus, our righteousness.

Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. That's our last verse. Look at it. Feast on it. Blessed is the man blessed.

That means eternally blessed. Eternally blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin, not may not, not might not, but to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Our justification is on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to us by faith. Do you believe that? I hope you do.

Let's pray. Father, we just bless your holy name. We thank you and praise you for your Word. Your Word is truth. Apart from it, we would walk in the darkness.

We would walk in the darkness, oh God. But we have the light of Your Word and we have Your Spirit, oh God, to open up the understanding of our hearts. We pray that that's been the case this day, that Your Word has been illuminated by Your Spirit, oh God. We trust that it has been the case. We love you and we praise you now, God, and ask that you would help us to examine ourselves, Lord, as we prepare to share in this table set apart from all others, to eat of that bread and drink of that cup, showing the Lord's death for us till his return.

For we ask it in his holy name, amen.