The central theme of this morning’s service is the doctrine of “double imputation.” In salvation, our sin is imputed
(attributed) to Jesus while His righteousness is imputed to us—in the language of the old hymn, He both “saves from
wrath” and “makes me pure” (Rock Of Ages, Cleft For Me). Throughout the service, we’ll declare that He is our shield
and righteousness (Blest Be The Lord, My Rock, My Might—Psalm 144), that He gives us righteousness and takes
away sin (Fountain Of Never Ceasing Grace), and that we will one day stand before the throne of God “dressed in His
righteousness alone” (My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less). We will hear from the Scriptures that “Christ reconciled us
to Himself” and that God “made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of
God” (2 Corinthians 5). In gratitude, we respond by singing, “How glorious is that righteousness which hides and
cancels all [our] sins” (Blest Is The Man—Psalm 32). We can praise the Lord with “blest assurance” in the midst of
trials or triumphs (It Is Well With My Soul) because our sin has been nailed to the cross with Christ.
—Henry C. Haffner
