Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

Those who believe in the imputation of the perfect obedience of Jesus to the account of the believer have used a number of arguments to prove their doctrine. Any treatment of this subject must examine those arguments in order to give a thorough examination of the material. Hence, I would like to consider some of the material used to prove the imputation of the perfect obedience of Jesus to the account of the believer.

The Greek Word: Logizomai

The Greek word logizomai is the Greek word cited in the dictionaries and encyclopedias as the word from which the English word “impute” is translated. The word occurs slightly over forty times in the New Testament and bears the following meanings:

1. Think, believe, be of the opinion. The passages in which logizomai bears this meaning are as follows: Rom. 2:3; 3:28; 8:18; 14:14; 2 Cor. 11:5; Phil. 3:13; and 1 Pet. 5:12. None of these passages have any relevance to the doctrine of imputation inasmuch as the word bears a different definition in these contexts.

2. Think (about), consider, ponder, let one’s mind dwell on. Again, this definition has no bearing on the subject of imputation but the passages in which logizomai bears this meaning are the following: Lk. 24:1; Jn. 11:50; 1 Cor. 13:11; 2 Cor. 3:5; 10:2, 7, 11; Phil. 4:8; Heb. 11:19.

3. Reckon, calculate. If any usage of logizomai is going to support the doctrine of imputation, this usage must be it. Consequently, we must give this usage a more thorough examination than we have given the other two usages. This definition is broken down into two categories in Arndt and Gingrich’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. (I have relied on Arndt and Gingrich throughout this examination of the word logizomai.)

a. Count, take into account. Let us rather carefully consider the usages where logizomai bears this meaning:

(1) 1 Cor. 13:5. “Love… does not take into account a wrong suffered.” Obviously, this verse makes no reference to imputation in the theological sense and, therefore, has no bearing on the study.

(2) 2 Cor. 5:19. “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (vs. 18-19). This is one of the verses which some think support the idea of imputation as taught by the Calvinists. However, the trespasses of sinners are not counted against them because Christ became sin for us. There is no mention of imputing the perfect obedience of Christ to the believer’s account in this passage. Sinners become the “righteousness of God.” “God’s righteousness, in brief, is tire quality that is stamped upon us by God himself when in heaven, on his judgment seat, he renders the judicial verdict that acquits us of all sin and guilt …. The instant that verdict is pronounced he is dikaios, `righteous’ ” (R.C.H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s First and Second Epistles to the Corinthians, p. 1054).

(3) Rom. 4:8. “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” Sin is not taken into account when it is forgiven. Nothing is said about the imputation of Christ’s perfect obedience to the account of the believer.

(4) 2 Tim. 4:16. “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them.” Obviously, this is Paul’s request that God not lay sin to the charge of some who sinned against him and, therefore, has no bearing on the subject of imputed righteousness.

(5) Rom. 4:4. “Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor but as what is due.” This is discussing the difference between salvation by works (perfect obedience) and salvation by grace. Commenting on that difference, this passage says nothing about the subject of imputing the perfect obedience of Christ to the believer’s account.

(6) Rom. 4:6. “Just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered.” Salvation comes to man apart from works; it comes through grace. But notice that this grace is reckoned, not on the basis of Christ’s perfect obedience being imputed to the believer’s account, but on the basis of God forgiving man of his sins! This says nothing about imputing Christ’s perfect obedience to the believer’s account!

(7) Rom. 4:11. “. . . and he (Abraham) received the sign, of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness which he had while uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be reckoned to him.” Inasmuch as this is talking about Abraham, it can hardly be discussing the imputation of the perfect obedience of Christ to his account. Notice that righteousness is reckoned to him. This righteousness is not the imputation of Christ’s perfect obedience to the life of a Christian but the divine acquittal-forgiveness of sins! The context discusses “those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered” but it says absolutely nothing about imputing Christ’s perfect obedience to the believer’s account!

(8) Rom. 4:3. “For what does the Scripture say? `And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” This passage mentions that Abraham’s faith was imputed to him for righteousness but says absolutely nothing about Christ’s perfect obedience being imputed to him.

(9) Rom. 4:5. “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.” This passage again mentions that faith is reckoned as righteousness but says nothing about the imputation of Christ’s perfect obedience to the believer’s account.

(10) Rom. 4:9. “Is this blessing upon the circumcised, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say,`Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.” This passage again mentions that faith is reckoned as righteousness but says nothing about the imputation of Christ’s perfect obedience to the believer’s account.

(11) Rom. 4:22. “Therefore also it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Gal. 3:6. “Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Jas. 2:23. “. . . and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, `And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God.” All of these three passages pertain to the one case of Abraham. They all teach that Abraham’s faith was imputed for righteousness; not one of them mentions that Christ’s perfect obedience was imputed to Abraham!

(12) Rom. 4:10. “How then was it reckoned? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised.” In showing that Abraham was justified by faith and not by works, Paul asked whether Abraham was justified before or after circumcision. Again, this passage offers no support for those who teach that Christ’s perfect obedience is reckoned to the account of the believer.

(13) Rom. 4:23-25. “Now not for his sake only was it written, that `it was reckoned to him,’ but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, Him who was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.” Again, this passage considers the idea of justification by faith; it distinctly mentions that Jesus was delivered up as our sin offering but mentions nothing about His perfect obedience being imputed to the believer’s account. The reference in v. 25 to “raised because of our justification” cannot be twisted to teach the believer’s account.

(14) 2 Cor. 12:6. “For if I do wish to boast I shall not be foolish, for I shall be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one may credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.” This is not even discussing the subject of justification much less the imputing of Christ’s righteousness to the believer’s account.

b. As a result of a calculation, evaluate, estimate, look upon as, consider. The usages of this definition have no relationship to the subject although here are the passages in which the word logizomai appears: Acts 19:27; Mk. 15:28; Lk. 22:37; Rom. 2:26; 6:11; 8:36; 9:8; 1 Cor. 4:1; 2 Cor. 10:2.

Conclusion

Whatever support might be given to the doctrine of the imputation of Christ’s perfect obedience to the believer’s account is going to have to come from some source other than the definition and usage of the word logizomai. There is nothing in the word’s usage which would ever have suggested the idea that Christ’s perfect obedience was credited to the believer’s account so that God saw Christ’s perfect obedience rather than the believer’s sins. In our next article, we shall consider some other arguments used in defense of this Calvinistic doctrine.

Truth Magazine XXII: 4, pp. 67-69
January 26, 1978

By Leslie Diestelkamp

A broken circle is not a circle at all and a broken home is only a poor substitute for what it could have been, and is not at all what God intended it to be. Yet the divorce rate is climbing so rapidly that it is almost vain for me to give statistics for they will be obsolete before this material is published. I can remember when a divorced person was a disgraced person, but now divorce is often a joke, an advertisement of permissiveness, a very common experience for multitudes and an expected end of about half the marriages in our land.

For the first one hundred seventy-five years of our nation’s history, state laws made divorce difficult. Restrictions imposed by most states forbade “quickie divorces” and, consequently, prevented some. In the last two or three decades laws have been liberalized and restrictions have been removed until divorce is now very easy to secure. Almost any “cause” is sufficient now and “no fault” divorce is being advocated (that is, nothing more would be specified than that the parties each agree to the divorce).

Undoubtedly the prevailing divorce rate has contributed to at least the following evils in our society:

1. Promiscuousness is all too common among married people. Fidelity is considered old-fashioned. Husbands and wives hardly frown upon the immoral escapades of their companions.

2. Marriage itself seems to be about to become outdated. People live together without a wedding vow and satisfy their fleshly passions in a relationship that proposes little more permanency than that of the animals of the field and the forest.

3. Children are frequently treated like pawns on a chess board. They become the objects of barter and trade, their “parents” are determined by litigation and law-suit. The parental love that should have bound the real parents together has been pushed aside in favor of unbridled lust. The secure home life that should have brought the children to real emotional maturity has been replaced by fear and frustration. The treatment of children is often comparable to that of the fat cattle in the feed-lot-they are provided with food and shelter if they will help themselves to it, but there is no guiding hand to lead them, no motivation to direct them.

Historically, when divorce has prevailed, the home has become degraded and morality has been abandoned, the nation has crumbled. We can not expect God’s blessings upon us if we disregard His moral principles and if we allow the foundation of our society to crumble. But for the sake of a small remnant God may indeed bless the nation. It is the obligation of Christians to provide that remnant! Regardless of what the world may do, God’s people must maintain fidelity to the moral principles of the Word. Preachers must teach the truth on marriage and divorce, and that without compromise. Elders must feed the faltering flock of God the spiritual food that will sustain the homes and maintain the sanctity of marriage. Parents must teach the children, even from infancy, and persistently through adolescence and youth, the necessity of fidelity to the marriage bond until death brings a separation.

Cracks Inside The Circle

But, bad as it is, divorce is not the only thing that is wrong with the homes of America. Many, many family circles are broken circles even while husbands and wives live under the same roof. They may remain legally married for economic reasons or for the sake of the children, but they become almost totally estranged emotionally and the bond that made them partners is worn thread-bare, so much so that it barely keeps the marriage from falling apart.

Happy indeed is the couple whose responses to each other are automatic, natural, and involuntary. Sad is the circumstance when such responses must be made reluctantly, with reservation. The spontaneous partnership in marital associations-in every happiness and every heartache, in every success and every failure-strengthens the marriage bond and assures trust and tranquility. Conversely, the grudging, indifferent responses of many spouses produce anxiety and frustration.

It may be quite safe to say that the family that prays together, stays together, but we definitely cannot say that the family that stays together, prays together. In other words, people may live under the same roof but be miles apart as far as their hearts are concerned. This circumstance makes for instability and insecurity. on the part of all concerned ones. To use accommodative language, we may say that the outside of the family circle is sometimes unbroken, but the inside of that circle is splintered and torn. The purpose of this series of chapters is to try to mend some circles, prevent some from being torn and contribute in any way possible to greater total togetherness of husbands and wives, of parents and children. To that end let us press on to specific matters in other chapters. Next: “Together Forever.”

Truth Magazine XXII: 4, p. 66
January 26, 1978

By Bruce James

Jesus alludes to himself as the Door in John 10:1-9. The idea of the door is used in conjunction with the shepherd and his work. The larger house in Palestine had a courtyard surrounded by a high wall; in the country places that courtyard served as a fold for the sheep at night. The courtyard had only one door and, at that door, the gate-keeper was in constant watch. Any honest man on any honest errand would seek admission through the door and would be admitted immediately. The one who had an evil purpose would avoid the door and try to get in by climbing over the wall. The one who really cared went through the door; the man who was out to hunt the flock sought some other entrance. So Jesus said, “I am the door.”

Another picture is a fold on the mountainside which was a simple ring of grass surrounded by a stone dyke or a hedge of thorns. This kind of fold had no door at all. It simply had an opening, and across the opening the shepherd lay at night, so that he was literally the door and so that no sheep could get out and no foes could get in except over the shepherd’s body. Jesus is the way His flock enters into safety and whereby they are protected from danger.

So then the picture of Jesus as the door tells us certain things about Him. (1) It is Jesus alone who gives us the way to the Father and family of God, exercising faith in His son and obedience to His Son’s will, we have the privilege of becoming His adopted sons. Jesus is the only door to His house, the Church (1 Tim. 3:15). (2) It is Jesus alone that gives us the privilege and blessings that are found only in His body, the Church (Eph. 1:3-23). When attached to the Head, then all is ours — the word, the promises, the precious commands. (3) Finally, Jesus is the only Door to eternal glory. Many guess and grope; others receive only part of the truth; but Jesus can lead us directly into the presence of God.

He is the door. to the knowledge of God; He is the door to security and peace; He is the door to the life which is real life. The Psalmist said, “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever more” (Psa. 121:8).

Truth Magazine XXII: 3, pp. 61-62
January 19, 1978

By George Welsh Tyle

Many times while ringing doorbells, doing personal work, the above question has been asked of me. The answer has usually been, “The church you read about in the New Testament has no central organization. nor authority on the face of the earth. The church’s headquarters are in heaven.” The apostle Paul says our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20 A.S.V).Those who are in Christ’s church are in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16:18,19). Jesus said “And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock (Peter’s confession of Christ-GWT) I will build my church: and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Please note that Jesus is speaking in the future tense in the above quotation. The kingdom, His church, was not established then. It came into existence on the day of Pentecost in A.D.33. Since the Lord’s kingdom is not of this world naturally, the capital city and central office are in heaven. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). He also said; “All. authority hath been given me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18). Matthew uses the designation “kingdom of heaven” about thirty times. The headquarters of the kingdom is in heaven and there Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords sits on His throne at the right hand of God (Col. 3:1). God raised Christ from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the, heavenly places, far above all rule and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:29-23). The apostle Paul wrote, “He is the head of the body, the church” (Col. 1:18). His church has no pope or any other visible head, here on earth.

Men often express surprise that the churches of Christ have no organization other than the elders and deacons within each congregation. Though there are thousands upon thousands of people in the United States in this fellowship called Christians only, yet the only head that holds them together is their common faith and allegiance to Christ and His gospel. There is no official publishing house, seminary nor legislative office en the face of the earth. Individual congregations only work together voluntarily, just as they did in the first century. All of the members are bound together in one body “For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12). Paul wrote, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all” (Eph. 4:4,5,6). Each congregation is independent of all others.

Churches of Christ are organized after the examples and commands of the New Testament. The church at Philippi had bishops or elders (overseers) and deacons (Phil. 1:1). Titus was told to appoint elders in every city on the island of Crete. There was a plurality of elders in each congregation. In 1 Pet. 5:3, he tells the elders to make “yourselves ensamples of the flock.” They were to be leaders by word and example. In the fourth verse of this same chapter he calls Christ “the chief Shepherd.” The elders have no authority whatever to make any changes in God’s plans or Word given for the church operation and government. Popes, archbishops, cardinals and other ecclesiastical officials were left out of the picture. Churches of Christ have no official conventions, conferences, associations, senates or synods provided for it in the New Testament church. God’s ways work perfectly and it is not within man’s power to attempt to make improvements in them.

Remember, the headquarters of the church of Christ is in heaven and not on earth. No man can tamper with, revise, add to, take away from, or annul any part of God’s plans, ways or Word and keep from going to hell. The Apostle John wrote in Rev. 22:19, “God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city.”

Truth Magazine XXII: 3, p. 61
January 19, 1978