Introduction
The doctrine of justification is central to the Christian faith. The Reformers, following Scripture, upheld imputation—the teaching that Christ’s righteousness is credited to the believer by faith alone. In contrast, the Roman Catholic Church teaches infused righteousness, which asserts that righteousness is gradually imparted to the believer, making him inherently just before God. The difference is not trivial; it is the dividing line between the gospel of grace and a system of works-based righteousness.
This article will affirm the doctrine of imputation as taught in Scripture and the Reformed confessions while refuting the doctrine of infused righteousness. We will also draw upon the wisdom of the Puritans, who forcefully defended the biblical doctrine of justification against its corruptions.
The Biblical Basis for Imputation
The doctrine of imputation teaches that our sins were imputed to Christ and His righteousness is imputed to us through faith. This concept is seen throughout Scripture:
- Adam’s Sin Imputed to Humanity – Romans 5:12-19 teaches that Adam’s sin brought condemnation to all men. Just as Adam’s sin is imputed to us, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers: “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)
- Our Sins Imputed to Christ – Isaiah 53:6 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 demonstrate that Christ bore our sins, not as an inherent sinner, but as our substitute: “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)
- Christ’s Righteousness Imputed to Believers – Romans 4:3-6 emphasizes that righteousness is reckoned (credited) to believers by faith, not by works: “Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)
Imputation stands in stark contrast to infused righteousness. Infusion teaches that righteousness is poured into the believer through sacraments, particularly baptism and penance, making the person inherently righteous. This teaching ultimately reintroduces works into justification and denies the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work.
The Reformed Confessions on Imputation
The historic Reformed confessions uniformly reject infused righteousness and affirm imputation. Consider the following:
The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647)
The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) clearly affirms imputation in Chapter 11, Section 1:
“Those whom God effectually calleth, He also freely justifieth: not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them.”
This explicit rejection of infused righteousness aligns with biblical teaching and stands in opposition to the Council of Trent’s anathemas against justification by faith alone.
The Belgic Confession (1561)
Article 23 of the Belgic Confession likewise upholds imputation:
“We believe that our salvation consists in the remission of our sins for Jesus Christ’s sake, and that therein our righteousness before God is implied; as David and Paul teach us, declaring this to be the happiness of man, that God imputes righteousness to him without works.”
The Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
Question 60 of the Heidelberg Catechism beautifully articulates justification through imputation:
“God, without any merit of mine, of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never committed nor had any sin.”
The uniform testimony of the Reformed confessions is clear: righteousness is imputed, not infused.
The Puritan Defense of Imputation
The Puritans, as heirs of the Reformation, stood unwaveringly in defense of imputation. They recognized that any deviation from this doctrine leads to a perversion of the gospel.
John Owen (1616–1683)
John Owen, in The Doctrine of Justification by Faith, refutes the Roman Catholic view:
“The foundation of justification, on the part of God, is the imputation of the perfect righteousness, obedience, and satisfaction of Christ, in the stead of the law’s demand of perfect obedience on our part… The whole doctrine of the gospel is overturned by the assertion of an inherent righteousness in justification.”
Owen’s argument is clear: if righteousness is infused, then justification is no longer by faith alone. This leads to a works-based system contrary to the gospel.
Thomas Watson (1620–1686)
Watson, in A Body of Divinity, describes imputation as essential to salvation:
“Faith is said to be imputed to us for righteousness, not as our righteousness, but as the instrument whereby we receive Christ’s righteousness. It is not faith, as a grace, which justifies, but faith as it lays hold on Christ.”
This statement exposes a fatal flaw in infused righteousness—it makes faith a meritorious work rather than the means by which we receive Christ’s righteousness.
Richard Baxter (1615–1691)
Although Baxter is known for his neonomian leanings, he still affirmed the centrality of Christ’s righteousness:
“Christ’s righteousness is ours by imputation, not by infusion, else it were not his righteousness, but our own.”
Even within Puritanism, where some deviated on certain aspects of justification, imputation remained the cornerstone of Protestant soteriology.
The Theological and Practical Dangers of Infused Righteousness
Infused righteousness is not merely a theological error—it distorts the gospel in profound ways:
- It Denies Justification by Faith Alone – By making righteousness something inherent rather than credited, it requires continual works to maintain justification.
- It Leads to Assurance Based on Works – If righteousness is infused, the believer’s confidence before God rests on his own level of sanctification rather than on Christ’s finished work.
- It Corrupts the Simplicity of the Gospel – Paul warned against any addition to the gospel in Galatians 1:8-9. The infusion model effectively reintroduces the works-righteousness that Paul condemned.
The Reformers rightly saw that infused righteousness was a return to the bondage of the law. As Martin Luther thundered:
“If the doctrine of justification is lost, the whole of Christian doctrine is lost.”
Conclusion
The biblical doctrine of justification rests on the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, not the infusion of inherent righteousness. The Scriptures, the Reformed confessions, and the Puritans stand in unison on this essential truth. Infused righteousness undermines the gospel by placing the believer’s standing before God on personal transformation rather than Christ’s finished work.
The choice is clear: we must stand with Scripture and the great cloud of witnesses who proclaimed, “The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17). To abandon imputation is to abandon grace itself. Let us, therefore, hold fast to this precious doctrine, for in it lies the only hope of sinners—full and free justification through Christ alone.
Reformed Faith Insights 