Alien Righteousness? - Timothy Ministries

sweetener.” 72 He also writes that, “The new challenge to justification [i.e., the
denial of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness] obscures (not to put it too
harshly) half of Christ’s glory in the work of justification.” 73 Piper further
argues that “the overthrow of the doctrine of the imputation of Christ’s
righteousness would involve the elimination of a great theme from our
worship of Christ in song” since “the imputed righteousness of Christ has
been a great cause of joyful worship over the centuries and has informed
many hymns and worship songs.” 74 Because these arguments are anecdotal,
irrelevant or fail to distinguish between the idea of the imputation of Christ’s
righteousness (which is in question) and the larger truth of justification by
faith (which is not in question), we need give them no further attention here.
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Ibid., p. 27. We could respond to Piper’s pastoral concern with N. T. Wright’s comment,
“To know that one has died and been raised is far, far more pastorally significant than to
know that one has, vicariously, fulfilled the Torah.” N. T. Wright, Justification: God’s
Plan & Paul’s Vision (Downers Grove, IVP Academic, 2009), p. 233.
John Piper, Counted Righteous In Christ: Should We Abandon The Imputation Of
Christ's Righteousness (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2002), p. 35.
Ibid.
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