# The Righteous for the Unrighteous



## toddpedlar (Jun 30, 2007)

From the blog:

In Owen's Justification by Faith, I found the following, in which the author clearly represents the imputation of sin unto Christ, and Christ's righteousness unto us.



> Fifthly. There is in the Scripture represented unto us a commutation between Christ and believers, as unto sin and righteousness; that is, in the imputation of their sins unto him, and of his righteousness unto them. In the improvement and application hereof unto our own souls, no small part of the life and exercise of faith does consist.
> 
> This was taught the church of God in the offering of the scapegoat: “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities,” Leviticus 16:21,22.
> 
> ...



Just what is the "righteousness of the Law", which is clearly the righteousness that God imputes to us? Is it, as Norman Shepherd claims, "righteousness" that somehow accrues only from Christ's having been sacrificed on the Cross? Or is it the holy righteousness of a sinless man, who perfectly obeyed His Father in all things? In what does Christ's righteousness consist? Can it only involve His "passive obedience", His willing sacrifice on the Cross, or must it involve His whole life of obedient walking with God? It is a complete mystery to me how some can understand the righteousness we must have in only the former manner. Christ was righteous - and His being righteous required all of the above - both passive and active aspects; our righteousness must be COMPLETELY graciously imputed to us - and it MUST be the perfect righteousness of Christ.


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