Which is the second commandment?

The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. [1]

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Petitionary Prayer: April 8

This month’s theme here at Rebecca Writes is petitionary prayer. On Tuesdays and Fridays throughout April, I’ll be posting one request I am making of God, and I’m inviting you to join me. You’ll find all the details here.

• Today I prayed for youngest son, who is in his last week of classes. He is juggling several big assignments that are due in the next few days and is feeling the pressure. I’m asking that God give him the motivation, energy and clear thinking he needs to do what is required of him. Essentially, I’m asking God to rescue him from a pickle of his own making. Then, too, I’m asking that God teach son what he needs to learn from this experience.
• Staci at Writing and Living is asking for “the energy to get all the closets cleaned out.”
• Pam asks that we pray for her health:

  I am down with pneumonia … Dr.wanted me in hospital but I asked to stay home. I go to his office for breathing treatments, on steroids, antibiotics, etc. Finally starting to breathe easier. Missing work and don’t have much energy. I am asthmatic which compounds things. Haven’t even been blogging, just reading. Prayers would be appreciated.

Theological Term of the Week

double imputation

The doctrinal teaching that in justification, there is a two-way transfer: The believer’s sin is credited to Christ and Christ’s righteousness is credited to the believer.

• From scripture:
  

  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
  

• From The London Baptist Confession, 1689, Chapter 11, Justification, Sections 1 and 3:
  

  Those whom God effectually calls He also freely justifies, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting them as righteous, not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone. They are not justified because God reckons as their righteousness either their faith, their believing, or any other act of evangelical obedience. They are justified wholly and solely because God imputes to them Christ’s righteousness. He imputes to them Christ’s active obedience to the whole law and His passive obedience in death. They receive Christ’s righteousness by faith, and rest on Him. They do not possess or produce this faith themselves, it is the gift of God.

Learn more

1. Theopedia: Double Imputation
2. Tom Ascol: Imputation: The Sinner’s Only Hope
3. Here at Rebecca Writes: Christ’s Active and Passive Obedience and Our Justification
4. Albert N. Martin: Romans 5:12-21 - Justification: Double Imputation (mp3)
5. R. C. Sproul: Double Imputation (video)
6. John Piper: Counted Righteous In Christ (pdf of the whole book)

Related terms:

• active obedience of Christ
• imputation
• justification
• passive obedience of Christ

The term double imputation was suggested by Jen of joythruChrist. 

 

Have you come across a theological term that you don’t understand and that you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.