What are the Doctrines of Imputed, Infused, and Imparted Righteousness?

Second Corinthians 5:21 is the key verse on the righteousness of Christ given to repentant sinners when they trust in Jesus: 

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Martin Luther called this “the great exchange,” and Athanasius (296–373 AD) called it “the glorious exchange.” There is nothing greater or more glorious than the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins. Jesus took our sins upon Himself and paid their penalty so we could be reconciled to God. When sinners come to Jesus in faith, their sins are washed away (Revelation 1:5), Jesus’ righteousness is imputed to them (2 Corinthians 5:21), and they are given the Holy Spirit, who makes them alive (1 Peter 3:18) and seals them unto redemption (Ephesians 4:30). 

While we believe the Bible teaches that we receive Christ’s righteousness in that way, some denominations differ.  So let’s start by examining the biblical support for the doctrine of imputed righteousness, and then we’ll look at the doctrines of infused and imparted righteousness.

Imputed Righteousness

“Impute” means to credit or ascribe something to a person or a cause—here, the righteousness of Christ credited to a forgiven sinner. To understand the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, it helps to start with the imputation of unrighteousness that comes from Adam’s sin.

Imputation of Adam’s Sin

Every human being is born with the imputed sin of Adam (except Christ, who was born sinless). Imputed sin can be understood as “inherited” unrighteousness—the sin of Adam has been credited to every person born because, as the Bible tells, every person is born in his fallen image (Genesis 5:3).  Simply put: Adam was created without sin. We are born in sin. Therefore, we are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners (born with a sin nature). 

The Bible is clear: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). And in Matthew 5:20, Jesus opened a discourse on the need for a perfect righteousness to enter heaven: “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).

As Jesus continued, He elevated the law beyond men’s outward acts and taught that God judges the intent of the heart. This destroys any hope of attaining, on our own, the righteousness required to enter heaven.

If that weren’t enough, Jesus concluded with a call to be perfect, “just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Be Perfect? Really?

Yes. Perfection is what’s needed to enter the kingdom of heaven. You’re probably thinking, “But we can never be perfect”—and that’s true. With Adam’s sin nature, man is destined to sin in thought, word, and deed, which means anyone who claims to be perfect is, by that very claim, not perfect.

Some will argue that Jesus only meant for us to strive for perfection, or to try to be the best we can be. But that isn’t what He said—He said “perfect,” and perfect means perfect. Since no one can meet that standard, everyone should be desperate to find the only One who is perfect: Jesus. He alone can forgive sin and impute the righteousness needed to stand perfect in God’s eyes.

Double Imputation

Imputed righteousness is the basis for justification in Lutheran and Reformed theology. To “impute” something is to reckon or credit it to a person as though it were their own. So, in doctrinal terms, the sin of Adam is imputed to all his descendants—reckoned as theirs and making them guilty (Romans 5:12). However, at the cross, our sins were imputed to Christ. He took our place under the law and answered justice’s demands on our behalf (Romans 5:12–19; cf. Philemon 1:18–19).  And for all who come to believe and trust Him, He washes clean of sin (Revelation 1:5) and imputes (credits) His righteousness so fully as s to be considered our own (2 Corinthians 5:21) and so completely and securely that we stand before God in the imputed righteousness of Christ. Again, the Great and Glorious Exchange!

To summarize, this doctrine of double imputation, sometimes called dual imputation, is the basis of our justification and involves both the imputation of our sin to Christ and the imputation of His righteousness to us. It rests on Christ’s personal righteousness—having lived a sinless human life—and is made available to us through His propitiatory sacrifice.

Infused Righteousness

Infused righteousness is the basis for the Roman Catholic doctrine of justification, as defined by the early Catholic theologian Thomas Aquinas (1224–1274). In his Summa Theologiae (1265–1274), Aquinas wrote:

“Justification taken passively implies a movement towards justice, as heating implies a movement towards heat. But since justice, by its nature, implies a certain rectitude of order, it may be taken in two ways: first, inasmuch as it implies a right order in man’s act, and thus justice is placed amongst the virtues—either as particular justice, which directs a man’s acts by regulating them in relation to his fellowman—or as legal justice, which directs a man’s acts by regulating them in their relation to the common good of society.” 

Aquinas taught that man must achieve a measure of righteousness through his own works to be justified—that Christ’s righteousness is not fully imputed to a repentant sinner, but is instead gradually infused into the believer alongside the righteousness of the believer’s own acts.

Under this view, whether a person has attained enough righteousness to enter heaven remains an open question, which is why Aquinas also developed the doctrines of purgatory and limbo. Roman Catholic teaching holds that a Catholic who dies with unconfessed sin and without receiving last rites must go to purgatory to have that sin purged by fire before entering heaven. This is why Catholicism, unlike Reformation theology, offers no assurance of heaven at the moment of death.

Imparted Righteousness

Methodist theology teaches both imputed and imparted righteousness. Imputed righteousness is a gracious gift of God given at the moment of new birth, but Methodism holds that, on its own, it does not fully justify a sinner. 

Methodism teaches that imparted righteousness is what enables a Christian to strive for holiness and live a godly life. John Wesley (1703–1791, founder of Methodism) described it as something God does in us, with our cooperation—a doctrine of increasing righteousness worked out over a lifetime, from new birth to death. Wesley taught that imputed and imparted righteousness work together to make a Christian holy, and that a faithful believer can attain Christian perfection, fulfilling Jesus’ call to “be perfect” in Matthew 5:48. 

Like Catholicism, Methodism does not offer an assurance of heaven at death because it holds to a form of “earned” righteousness. However, Methodists do not hold a doctrine of purgatory or limbo. Methodist theology teaches that a Christian can lose salvation after having been saved by Jesus.

Which Doctrine Is Biblical?

Reasons for Hope* Jesus holds to the doctrine of justification as defined by the Reformation: 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

“Not of works” clearly eliminates both infused and imparted righteousness.  The Bible tells us that in justification we are made a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:15). That newness is the righteousness given to us and imputed to our account by Jesus.  It is His righteousness, not including any of our works. Therefore we boast only in the cross of Christ:

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14)

Only by receiving Christ’s righteousness can God declare us justified: positionally perfect in Christ. Justification happens in a single moment. It is a declaration from God, not a process. It is a work of God, not anything we do, and it is a gift—freely given, freely received gift—not anything earned.

Not Saved by Works, but Saved to Works

We already quoted Ephesians 2:8-9, and those verses support salvation by grace alone, not by works. But we must read on. 

Ephesians 2:10 tells us that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” for good works. That means works matter—not for our positional standing in Christ, but for our practical living for Christ.

Doing good works is a free-will choice once we are positionally justified, though let us not boast even the good works we do, for we have been given the Holy Spirit, by whom we are being conformed to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29). Our most God-honoring free-will choice is to yield to His power working in and through us to produce fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Assurance, Security, and Rest

Reasons for Hope* Jesus believes in the assurance of heaven. We believe in the eternal security of our salvation, which is a gift from God—never to be taken from us, nor ever lost by us. And we believe in the peace and rest Jesus promised:

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28–29).

Knowing our life is secure in Christ, and that the promise of heaven is assured, we can live surrendered to the Lord’s will—empowered “not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 4:6).

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