What is imputed sin?

Answer

In the Garden of Eden, when Adam sinned by eating fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that act of disobedience had a significant, dual impact on the rest of humanity. The initial effect was original sin, and the subsequent effect was imputed sin.

As the representative of the human race, Adam’s transgression led to every individual born thereafter inheriting a fallen or sinful state. This consequence of Adam’s sin is known as original sin, also referred to as inherited sin. All human beings have inherited a sinful nature due to Adam’s original act of disobedience (Romans 5:12-14).

Apart from inheriting a fallen nature, all descendants of Adam have also been charged with the guilt of his sin “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”, (Romans 5:18). This is the concept of imputed sin. Imputation involves attributing or crediting something to someone. Imputed sin refers to Adam’s guilt being attributed to us. All individuals are considered to have sinned in Adam and therefore merit the same punishment for sin as Adam. Imputed sin impacts our standing before God (we are guilty, condemned), while original sin affects our character (we are morally corrupted). Both original and imputed sin render us liable to God’s judgment.

The term “impute” is used in legal and financial contexts, meaning “to designate any action, word, or thing as credited to another person’s account.” Biblically, Adam’s sin was imputed to all his descendants, who are treated as guilty. This does not imply personal guilt for Adam’s sin but rather that his sin was credited to their account, leading every individual to partake in the consequences.Guilt and penalty of that original transgression.

The penalty for sin is death. We are subject to spiritual death, or separation from God in this present life, due to imputed sin: “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3). If we persist in this state of separation from God, the result is the second death, which is eternal (Revelation 20:11-15).

Physical death is also a penalty for imputed sin: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” «Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: », (Romans 5:12). The guilt of Adam’s sin was directly charged or imputed to the whole human family so that all people are now subject to death «For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.», (Romans 6:23).

The apostle Paul teaches imputed sin in various passages: “The many died by the trespass of the one man,” “One trespass resulted in condemnation for all people,” “Through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners” «But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the giftBy grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded unto many.” (Romans 5:15,18, 19), and “In Adam all die” “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

The good news regarding original and imputed sin is that God already had a remedy, a sovereign plan of salvation, even before Adam sinned in the Garden.

The remedy for imputed sin is the atoning work of Jesus Christ: “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19). The moment a sinner believes in Jesus and accepts His gift of salvation, the righteousness of Christ is credited to his or her account: “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Believers possess imputed righteousness.

As all people are in Adam, so all believers are in Christ. Being in Christ means that His righteousness is now ours. Through Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, the sin of humanity was imputed to Christ. Jesus took on Himself the penalty for our sin: “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” “who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4:25).

Believers are not yet perfected in righteousness. Nonetheless,They are clothed in the imputed righteousness of Christ: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” «For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.», (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus answered the demands of justice for our sin and satisfied the requirements of the Law (Romans 3:25-26; Colossians 2:14).