When does God impute His righteousness to someone?
God imputes His righteousness the moment a person believes the Gospel with the heart, not merely with head knowledge. As soon as one trusts Christ's death for their sins, God clothes them with Christ's righteousness. This imputation is immediate upon belief, as Scripture states that with the heart man believes unto righteousness.
Les explains that this righteousness is imputed, not earned. He stresses self-examination: a person must not rely on mere head knowledge but believe with all their innermost being that Christ died for the world and for them. Verse 10 says, 'with the heart man believes unto righteousness.' As soon as we believe the Gospel, God imputes His righteousness. Les connects this to Romans 3, where Paul says the same happens unto all that believe, and to Genesis where God clothed Adam and Eve with coats of skins, and to Isaiah 61, 'garments of righteousness.' God can actually clothe a believer with the righteousness of Christ.