Yes—imputed righteousness is God placing His own righteousness to the believer's account through faith, not through works.
Scripture says Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness, and Paul speaks of God imputing righteousness without works. Les defines 'imputed' as a bookkeeping term meaning 'to put to the account,' so when a person believes, God cancels the sin debt and credits righteousness from God to the believer. This covering is available to everyone who believes, just as it was to Abraham.
Romans 4:3 — This verse directly answers the question by quoting Genesis 15:6 and showing that righteousness is counted to the one who believes God.
Paul writes, 'But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets' (Romans 3:21). This is a righteousness that comes from God, not from human effort or lawkeeping. In Romans 4:3, Paul quotes the Old Testament account: 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.' The same truth appears in Romans 4:5, where faith is counted for righteousness to the one who 'worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly.' Romans 4:6 also speaks of the man 'unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.' The Old Testament picture is found in Genesis 3:21, where the Lord God made coats of skins and clothed Adam and his wife after sin entered the world.
Les Feldick explains that Paul uses 'imputed' as a bookkeeping term meaning 'to put to the account.' When a person believes the Gospel, God cancels the sinner's debt and puts the righteousness of God on that person's account. This is not a righteousness achieved by the law, formal religion, or human effort; the law only condemns, but 'the righteousness of God without the law' has now been revealed. Les points back to Genesis, where God shed blood to clothe Adam and Eve in animal skins, showing that from the beginning salvation involved an imputed covering through a blood sacrifice. Abraham is the clear example: 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.' That same imputation belongs to everyone who believes on Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, not just to one group or another. Les even says it might be better to say believers have been 'imputed righteousness' rather than simply 'saved.'
Les teaches that in Paul's day, 'imputed' was a bookkeeping term meaning 'to put to the account.' As an unbeliever, a person has a long list of debts that cannot be paid. By virtue of belief in the Gospel, God cancels that debt and on the other side of the ledger puts the whole bankroll of heaven to the believer's account. That is what salvation does—it cancels the sin debt and credits righteousness.
Les takes students back to Genesis to show the first picture of imputed righteousness. After Adam sinned, God provided animal sacrifices, which took care of the blood aspect. Then God used the skins of those animals to clothe Adam and Eve's nakedness. According to Les, this is a picture of God clothing them with a spiritual garment—the imputed righteousness of God.
No. Les stresses that the law only condemns—it provides the knowledge of sin. But now, after Christ died, was buried, and rose again, 'the righteousness of God without the law' is manifested, which puts legalism out in the cold. Paul describes the blessedness of the man 'unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.' Les carefully notes that this imputation is not to be confused with Christian good works, which are a separate matter.
Les points out that if someone says 'I believe' but continues to live defeated, something may be wrong with the believing end of it. Imputed righteousness comes by believing what God has said and resting on what Christ has done on our behalf. It is more than head knowledge—it reaches the point of wholehearted trust in God's promise.
Righteousness Apart from the Law
Les teaches that the righteousness God offers is His own righteousness, revealed apart from the law, which only condemns.
Adam's Imputed Covering
Les explains that Adam could believe God and receive an imputed righteousness—a covering pictured by the animal skins God provided.
Imputed Means Put to the Account
Les defines imputed as a bookkeeping term meaning 'to put to the account,' and he emphasizes that genuine belief is required for that covering.
Recalling Adam's Blood Sacrifice
Les connects God clothing Adam and Eve with the skins of sacrificed animals to the doctrine of imputed righteousness.
Abraham Believed God
Les shows from Romans 4:3 that Abraham simply believed God, and that belief was counted as righteousness—without doing anything.
Imputed Righteousness for All Believers
Les says the same imputation given to Abraham is available to anyone who believes on Him who raised Jesus from the dead.
Debt Canceled, Righteousness Credited
Les illustrates imputation with a bookkeeping picture: God cancels the sinner's debt and credits the whole bankroll of heaven to the believer.
Righteousness Without Works
Les emphasizes that God imputes righteousness without our works, while carefully distinguishing that truth from Christian good works.
Genesis 3:21: Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
This verse reveals the first picture of a covering provided by God after sin, which Les connects to imputed righteousness.
Isaiah 61:10: I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
This verse describes being clothed with salvation and righteousness, which Les uses to illustrate the covering of imputed righteousness.
Romans 3:21: But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
This verse shows that the righteousness God provides is distinct from the law and is now revealed in the Gospel.
Romans 4:3: For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
This is the key verse that defines imputed righteousness—belief is counted as righteousness.
Romans 4:5: But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
This verse emphasizes that righteousness is credited to those who believe, not to those who work.
Romans 4:6: Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
This verse uses the word 'imputeth' to describe God placing righteousness on the believer's account apart from works.
No. Les teaches that imputed righteousness is a covering—God looks at the believer through that righteousness, but believers still experience problems and even defeat. If someone claims to believe but remains defeated, Les suggests something may be wrong with the believing end of it.
According to Les, the law only condemns; it cannot provide righteousness. Romans 3:21 says the righteousness of God is manifested 'without the law,' and Les says that puts legalism out in the cold. Righteousness is credited to the one who believes, not to the one who works.
No. Les teaches that the Scripture about Abraham was not written for Abraham's sake alone. It applies to all who believe on Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead—Jew and Gentile alike.
Watch the Teaching: God's Righteousness Explained — Romans 3 Verse by Verse