Imputation Analogy
Originally Posted Wednesday, June 21, 2006
First of all I must say that all analogies break down at some point, but I had fun with this one for a little while.
A few weeks ago I was hiking with some friends up San Jacinto Peak here in SoCal. Another friend (Tyler) has a GPS unit that we had played with the week before while camping, but Tyler was unable to come on this hike. However, I asked him if I could borrow his GPS.
As we were hiking I noticed that all the information concerning our hike was being added to Tyler's total odometer reading. Therefore my hiking, all my work, was being credited to Tyler! When somebody looks at his GPS they will see the 15.6 miles I hiked as well as the 3,000 feet elevation gain. Tyler had nothing to do with those miles, but yet they were being credited to his account - Tyler did nothing to earn them but they are really his!
I know analogies break down, but on the surface isn't that an apt example of the Doctrine of Imputation? Christ's work here on earth - his active and passive obedience - is credited to us. Christ did all the work, but yet when God looks at us through Christ he sees all of Christ's work clothing us. What we need to satisfy a holy and just God has been given to us without any work of our own. Because we are sinful beings, all our work amounts to nothing - we are essentially staying at the bottom going nowhere - walking around and around the car in the parking lot (thinking that we are actually climbing the peak and getting closer!). But Christ has racked up all the mileage perfectly and that has been given to us!
So does that analogy commend itself to you (minus its shortcomings)? I was having fun and it gave us something to talk about for awhile!
Take care,
First of all I must say that all analogies break down at some point, but I had fun with this one for a little while.
A few weeks ago I was hiking with some friends up San Jacinto Peak here in SoCal. Another friend (Tyler) has a GPS unit that we had played with the week before while camping, but Tyler was unable to come on this hike. However, I asked him if I could borrow his GPS.
As we were hiking I noticed that all the information concerning our hike was being added to Tyler's total odometer reading. Therefore my hiking, all my work, was being credited to Tyler! When somebody looks at his GPS they will see the 15.6 miles I hiked as well as the 3,000 feet elevation gain. Tyler had nothing to do with those miles, but yet they were being credited to his account - Tyler did nothing to earn them but they are really his!
I know analogies break down, but on the surface isn't that an apt example of the Doctrine of Imputation? Christ's work here on earth - his active and passive obedience - is credited to us. Christ did all the work, but yet when God looks at us through Christ he sees all of Christ's work clothing us. What we need to satisfy a holy and just God has been given to us without any work of our own. Because we are sinful beings, all our work amounts to nothing - we are essentially staying at the bottom going nowhere - walking around and around the car in the parking lot (thinking that we are actually climbing the peak and getting closer!). But Christ has racked up all the mileage perfectly and that has been given to us!
So does that analogy commend itself to you (minus its shortcomings)? I was having fun and it gave us something to talk about for awhile!
Take care,
Soli Deo Gloria
posted by Mark Vander Pol at 6:18 AM
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