Theological Term of the Week

federal head
The position of Adam and Christ as heads of a people whom they represent, with Adam representing the whole human race in the fall, and Christ representing those who are united to him through faith, so that God judges the whole human race to be guilty sinners in Adam, and judges all believers to be righteous in Christ.

• From scripture:

  12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.

  15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

  18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:12-21 ESV)

• From The London Baptist Confession 1689:

  Chapter 6: Of the Fall of Man, Of Sin, And of the Punishment Thereof
  
  

  2._____ Our first parents, by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and we in them whereby death came upon all: all becoming dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.

  3._____ They being the root, and by God’s appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of the sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus set them free.

• From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem:

  [A]ll members of the human race were represented by Adam in the time of testing in the Garden of Eden. As our representative, Adam sinned, and God counted us guilty as well as Adam. … God counted Adam’s guilt as belonging to us, and since God is the ultumate judge of all things in the universe, and since his thoughts are always true, Adam’s guilt does in fact belong to us. God rightly imputed Adam’s guilt to us.
  
  [I]f we think it is unfair for us to be represented by Adam, then we should also think it is unfair for us to be represented by Christ and to have his righteousness imputed to us by God. For the procedure that God used was just the same, and that is exactly Paul’s point in Romans 5:12-21. … Adam, our first representative sinned—and God counted us guilty. But Christ, the representative of all who believe in him, obeyed God perfectly—and God counted us righteous. 

• From Of Christ as the Covenant Head of the Elect by John Gill:

  5. Christ, in the everlasting covenant, engaged in the name of his people, to obey and suffer in their stead; and accordingly he did both in time, as their Head and Representative. He obeyed the law, and fulfilled all righteousness, not as a single individual of human nature, and for himself, but as the federal Head of his people, as representing them; “That so the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us”, says the apostle, (Rom. 8:4) that is, in the elect of God, they being considered in Christ their Head, when he became the fulfilling End of the law for righteousness unto them; and so they were made, or accounted, the righteousness of God “in him” their Head, (Rom. 10:4; 2 Cor. 5:21) in like manner as he in their name engaged to suffer for them; so in time he suffered in their room and stead, as their head and representative; insomuch that they may be truly said to suffer with him; they were all gathered together, recollected in one Head, “in Christ”, and sustained and represented by him when he hung upon the cross, and are said to be “crucified with” him (Eph. 1:10; Col. 2:12). 6. In consequence of Christ’s covenant engagements and performances, when he rose from the dead, he rose not as a private Person, but as a public Person, as the head and representative of all those for whom he obeyed and suffered; and therefore they are said to be quickened and raised together with him, as they were then also justified in him, when he himself, as their Head and Surety was (Eph. 2:5, 6; Col. 3:1; 1 Tim. 3:16). Yea, Christ is also gone to heaven, not only as the Forerunner of his people, but as their Head and Representative; he has taken possession of heaven in their name, appears in the presence of God for them, and represents them, as the high priest did the children of Israel, in the holy of holies; and hence they are said to be made to sit together in heavenly places “in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).  7. The federal headship of Christ, may be argued and concluded from Adam being a federal head and representative of all his natural offspring; in which he was “the figure of him that was to come”, that is, Christ; for it was in that chiefly, if not solely, that he was a figure of Christ; at least, that is the chief, if not the only thing the apostle has in view, (Rom. 5:14) as appears by his running the parallel between them, as heads and representatives of their respective offspring: Adam, through his fall, conveying sin and death to all his natural descendants; and Christ, through the free gift of himself, communicating grace, righteousness, and life to all his spiritual seed, the elect, the children his Father gave him: and hence these two are spoken of as the first and last Adam, and the first and second man; as if they were the only two men in the world, being the representatives of each of their seeds, which are included in them (1 Cor. 15:45, 47).

Learn more:

1. Reformation Theology: Two Federal Heads - Adam and Christ
2. R. C. Sproul: Adams Fall and Mine
3. Greg Herrick: Study and Exposition of Romans 5:12-21

Related terms:

• imputation
  

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A Catechism for Girls and Boys

Part I: Questions about God, Man, and Sin

5. Q. Why ought you to glorify God?
    A. Because he made me and takes care of me.

(Click through to read scriptural proofs.)

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It Turns Our Weak Perfomances into Spiritual Sacrifices

I’ve been thinking lately about the practical implications of the doctrine of the imputation of the righteousness of Christ to the believer. I may even write something about it—a list, perhaps.

I know a few people who are indifferent to the doctrine. They think it might be true, but they don’t know what difference it makes, really. Their sins are forgiven and that’s enough for them.

My standard reponse has been that when it comes time for them to die, it might matter to them. I know it mattered to my husband and I know it mattered to J. Gresham Machen. The closer we get to death, the clearer we see own lives and ugly niggling doubt can seep in. There is great comfort in the airtight double wrap of Christ’s death and his righteousness both counted as our own—his death bearing the penalty our sins deserved and his righteousness providing a record of perfect obedience that we cannot provide for ourselves. Understanding that God sees us as he sees Christ dissolves fear in the face of death.

But the imputation of Christ’s righteousness also matters in our lives right now, too. Here’s a quote from Consolations from Christ’s Imputed Righteousness by Thomas Brooks that shows one way it matters:

Now remember that this imputed righteousness of Christ procures acceptance for our inherent righteousness. When a sincere Christian casts his eye upon the weaknesses, infirmities, and imperfections that daily attend his best services, he sighs and mourns. But if he looks upward to the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ, [it] shall bring forth his infirm, weak, and sinful performances perfect, spotless, and sinless, and approved according to the tenor of the Gospel. They become spiritual sacrifices, [and] he cannot but rejoice (1Pe 2:5). For as there is an imputation of righteousness to the persons of believers, so there is also an imputation to their services and actions…so the imperfect good works that are done by believers are accounted righteousness….

It turns our sighing and mourning over the imperfections of our best service to God into rejoicing because our imperfect service becomes righteous service in God’s eyes based on the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us. Rather than becoming discouraged over the deficiencies in our good works for God we become encouraged by their acceptableness to God, who sees them through the lens of Christ’s work.

It might make you more motivated in service, mightn’t it?

And while we’re on the subject, do you find that understanding the imputation Christ’s righteousness has practical results in your life? How so?

I may use what you say on my list, so be forewarned.