What I’m going to do in this post is merely post quotations from the great Reformation creeds on imputation, to show not only what it is, but that it is the main part of the Reformation doctrine of justification.
Formula of Concord art. 3, affirmation II:
We believe, therefore, teach, and confess that this very thing is our righteousness before God, namely, that God remits to us our sins of mere grace, without any respect of our works, going before, present, or following, or of our worthiness or merit. For he bestows and imputes to us the righteousness of the obedience of Christ; for the sake of that righteousness we are received by God into favor and accounted righteous.
Second Helvetic Confession, chapter 15, section 3:
For Christ took upon himself and bare the sins of the world, and did satisfy the justice of God. God, therefore, is merciful unto our sins for Christ alone, that suffered and rose again, and does not impute them unto us. But he imputes the justice (Latin justitiam) of Christ unto us for out own; so that now we are not only cleansed from sin, and purged, and holy, but also endued with the righteousness of Christ; yea, and acquitted from sin, death, and condemnation (2 Cor. 5:19-21); finally, we are righteous, and heirs of eternal life. To speak properly, then, it is God alone that justifieth us, and that only or Christ, by not imputing unto us our sins, but imputing Christ’s righteousness unto us (Romans 4:23-25).
French Confession of 1559, article 18:
We believe that all our justification rests upon the remission of our sins, in which also is our only blessedness, as saith the Psalmist (Psalm 32:2). We therefore reject all other means of justification before God, and without claiming any virtue or merit, we rest simply in the obedience of Jesus Christ, which is imputed to us as much to blot out all our sins as to make us find grace and favor in the sight of God.
Belgic Confession, article 22:
Therefore, we justly say with Paul, that we are justified by faith alone, or by faith without works. However, to speak more clearly, we do not mean that faith itself justifies us, for it is only an instrument with which we embrace Christ our Righteousness. But Jesus Christ, imputing to us all his merits, and so many holy works, which he hath done for us and in our stead, is our Righteousness.
Heidelberg Catechism, question 60
“Without my deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits (older translations have “imputes”) to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me.”
Irish Articles, 1615, “Of Justification and Faith, section 34”:
We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, applied by faith, and not for out own works or merits. And this righteousness, which we so receive of God’s mercy and Christ’s merits, embraced by faith, is taken, accepted, and allowed of God, for our perfect and full justification.
Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 11, section 1:
Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth; not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous: not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them, they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith; which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God.
Green Baggins 