Luther and union with Christ

This emphasis on the presence of Christ, and union with Christ in faith, is central to Luther’s theology from the very beginning. In a favorite metaphor, he refers to Christian existence as a marriage with Christ (drawing on Ephesians 5 and the Song of Songs): in this union, of which faith is “the wedding ring,” all that is Christ’s belongs to the believer and all that is the believer’s is taken by Christ. Through this “happy exchange,” the believer already possesses the righteousness, holiness, and goodness of Christ (who takes the believers sin, guilt and impurity) — “possesses” but does not “own,” since these gifts remain Christ’s own and are not “infused” into the believer. For this reason, Luther can insist that Christ’s righteousness remains <>alienus<>, extrinsic to ourselves (extra nos); at the same time, it is truly “ours” inasmuch as we are united to Christ by faith.—J. M. G. Barclay, Paul and the Gift, 107

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I would argue that it is also imparted, not just imputed...
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