Imputed Righteousness From a Hebraic Mindset

Some of us may be familiar with the term, “imputed righteousness” or “imparted righteousness”. This idea of “imputed righteousness” is the idea that not only did Yeshua die to atone for our sins, but also lived a sinless life to gain righteous standing for us before the Father. This concept or theology as it is being dubbed is almost unheard of among New Covenant brethren and I rarely have heard it spoke of outside of Reformed circles.

As I studied the Torah portion for last week, was made aware of an interesting patter in Leviticus concerning human impurity that seems to pattern for us this very idea, not to mention the call from the Old Testament for belief of God’s voice and obedience to His commands; belief in His voice for salvation and obedience to His commands for blessing and because of love for your Father in heaven.

As we look first at the passage in Leviticus, I also hope to visit the two-fold idea of belief and obedience and hopefully in the end shed some light into why Yeshua did what He did on earth in the manner that He did it, namely live a sinless life and then die on the cross for our sins. Why not just come and die for our sins if atonement for them is all that is needed? Was there anything particular about the length that He lived a sinless life? Did He do this because of Torah and what He and God the Father had commanded from the beginning?

Our journey begins in Leviticus chapter 12, verses one through eight. I will be using the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted. Let us first look at our base passage and from there we will move out on our subject of “imputed righteousness”.

Leviticus 12:1-8
1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: 'When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean.
3 'On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
4 'Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed.
5 'But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.
6 'When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.
7 'Then he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female.
8 'But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"

At first glance, this passage looks like a riddle rolled up with some commands about women and a dash of childbirth. I have to admit that I found it a bit challenging not to get lost on the translation of Hebrew which tends to b poetic to emphasize meaning. The part of the passage I want us to focus on is the part dealing with the offerings: “…'When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering…” Notice the presence of two offerings, one “…for a burnt offering…” and one for “…a sin offering…”

Already we see a pattern of two offerings set-up and they are significant because each offering has a specific purpose. We need to look at these real quick for context and further understanding. Not one idle word exists in the Bible (Deut. 32:47) and every word is significant.

1. The “burnt offering” or (olah) offering is the same thing God asked Abraham to do with Isaac. Isaac was to be an “olah offering” and is a type of Christ that points us to the fact that the Messiah would be sacrificed on the cross as a burnt; ascending offering that was a pleasing aroma to the Father. He is a substitution offering as the ram caught in the thicket was.
2. The “sin offering” or (chatta’ah) offering that was a young pigeon or a turtledove. These offerings were generally reserved for the poor and would have been the ones being sold in the Temple court that Yeshua wrecked. I believe the offering of turtledoves signifies our destitution when it comes to righteousness before God.

So we have two offerings, one that is the offering of the poor or the turtledove and one that is a one-year old lamb or a burnt offering such as the Messiah would become. It should noted that Mary, the mother of Yeshua, obeyed the Law of Moses found here in Leviticus in the gospel account by Luke (Luke 2:22-24). What is crazy is that she goes to the temple and we do not see any talk about the one-year old lamb for sacrifice, but Luke accounts for the turtledoves. Why? By bringing Yeshua with her to be dedicated as the first born in the synagogue, she was bringing the Lamb of God that would end up being the “olah offering” to come.

The wisdom of the Rabbis over the years in the study of Torah is invaluable in trying to discern what the word of God is saying in the Old Testament. I want you to see this wisdom from the Chumash that I typically read the weekly Torah portion from. Here is there commentary on the passage above that supports this idea of a two part plan of God in salvation and imputed righteousness:

“The creation of a human life is the most sublime phenomenon in the universe. By bringing it into being, man and woman become partners with God, Who gives a soul to their offspring. But this new life begins with tumah, spiritual impurity, to show people that mere fact of life is not enough. Life must be a tool for the service of God; otherwise it is nothing. After this period of contamination, the new mother begins her cleansing process, culminated by the bringing of an offering. Before she brings it, she cleanses herself of the contamination, but she still may not consume sacrificial meat or terumah, because the mere absence of contamination is not yet the fulfillment of man’s goal. Human aspiration must rise higher than the elimination of the negative; it must strive for positive achievement. One is not completely cleansed until one has come to the resting place of God’s presence with an offering that represents atonement for the past and dedication for the future.”[1]

I love the part about the mere fact of life not being sufficient; we must live and not only live, but live a life devoted to God if we are to have significance in this world. Of ever there was life of eternal significance, Yeshua lived one. He kept the law perfectly and He did all that the Father commanded for His three and a half years on earth. I think we get that on the cross atonement was made on our behalf for our sin debt. But I am not sure we see or have recognized that Yeshua lived a righteous life and was blameless. Why?

Could He not have come to earth, not answered the questioning of the high priest, not called down a legion of angels, gone to the cross by just claiming to be one with the Father all in one or two days? Why the years of life spent ministering and discipling those who would do greater than He (John 14:12). It had to be purposeful and filled with the higher ways of God. Interestingly enough, Yeshua is believed to have been born at the beginning of Sukkoth which is the Feast of Booths and coincidently the beginning of the Triennial Torah Cycle. The Great Torah Teacher came to teach the people the commandments of God. That sounds like another paper so I will leave it for now and get back to our subject at hand.

So you can see how it could be possible that Yeshua was coming to kick off the Triennial Torah Cycle and then at the end of three and half years ends the cycle with His death on the cross. I ran across a verse in Romans that I think is interesting and one we should look at concerning this two-fold subject we are dealing with, atonement and imputed righteousness. I especially want us to look at the Greek text and see if there are not two things being talked about in this verse:


Ρομανδ 5¨10
ει γαρ εχθροι οντες καταλλαγημεν τω θεω δια του θανατον του υιου αυτον, πολλω μαλλον καταλλαγεντες σωθυσομεθα εν τυ ζωυ αντον

Romans 5:10
10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

When we look at this verse we see two distinct things going on:

…reconciled to God…kat-al-las’-so…through the death of His Son...than’-at-os
…shall be saved…sode’-zo…by His life...dzo-ay’

We are reconciled through Yeshua’s thanatos and we will be saved by His dzoay. What do those words mean?

thanatos
1) The death of the body
1a) that separation (whether natural or violent) of the soul and the body by which the life on earth is ended
1b) with the implied idea of future misery in hell
1b1) the power of death
1c) since the nether world, the abode of the dead, was conceived as being very dark, it is equivalent to the region of thickest darkness i.e. figuratively, a region enveloped in the darkness of ignorance and sin
2) metaphor., the loss of that life which alone is worthy of the name,
2a) the misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body in hell
3) The miserable state of the wicked dead in hell
4) In the widest sense, death comprising all the miseries arising from sin, as well physical death as the loss of a life consecrated to God and blessed in him on earth, to be followed by wretchedness in hell

dzoay
1) life
1a) the state of one who is possessed of vitality or is animate
1b) every living soul
2) life
2a) of the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God, and through him both to the hypostatic "logos" and to Christ in whom the "logos" put on human nature
2b) life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever.

So we end up with a two-part deal in which we are reconciled or made right with God through Yeshua’s death and then we are saved by His life. Now I have no reference in Scripture that speaks specifically about an imputed righteousness coupled to atonement. What I do have is this:

1) Abraham obeyed God’s voice and kept His commandments (Genesis 26:4-6)
2) A woman after childbirth was to offer two sacrifices, one for atonement and one for dedication (Leviticus 12:1-8)
3) God desires us to obey His voice and keep His covenant (Exodus 19:5)
4) We are to hear the voice of the LORD, give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes (Exodus 15:26)
5) We must have God’s commandments and keep them (John 14:21)
6) The perseverance of the saints depends on keeping the commandments of God and our faith in Yeshua (Revelation 14:12)

Two parts, one Messiah. Faith and Obedience. Atonement and Imputed Righteousness. The patterns are there, will you believe and obey?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) [1] Sherman, Rabbi Nosson (Ed.). (1998, 2000). The Chumash. Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd..