In our church, we have been going through the book of Romans this year. I have to admit that I struggle with the concept of alien imputed righteousness. A wise woman of the faith told me that the unfairness I feel about being disqualified to run the race, is the same amount of unfairness of my sin being imputed upon Jesus. That really made me think. If being disqualified from the race before it even started was unfair, then how much more Jesus felt, with alien sin being imputed upon Him from the whole world. :(
I recently went through our partnership class at church, which also gave me some much-needed material to answer some of my questions. This is from the Westminster Confession of Faith:
“Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptations of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was pleased, according to His wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to His own glory. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. They being the root of mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by original generation.”
From Psalm 51:
“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.”
After taking the partnership class at my church, I tried to write down the gospel in my own words. This is just my best (imperfect) effort.