“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
The key word there is "covered." Paul is talking about the Old Covenant where the blood of bulls and goats COVERS sin, while they remain, of those under the Ten Commandments - the Law of Moses, and the Old Covenant, and also all those before the Law, like Abraham. He trusted God, and obeyed Him, and it was counted unto him as righteousness.
The New Covenant is where Jesus TAKES AWAY our sin; it is not merely COVERED. Also it is only our PAST sins that are taken away. 2 Peter 1:9. Why, because when total repentance is accomplished, Jesus gives us grace - the power of God's sinless Spirit, that gives us a new nature that has lost the desire to sin. 2 Peter 1:2-4. Our conscience becomes super-sensitive by the Holy Spirit, and it is too hard to go against your new nature of righteousness. Instead, you follow your Spirit-filled conscience. 1 John 3:21.
Romans 4 is still talking about the Law of the Old Covenant. In the New Covenant righteousness is no longer just imputed as to an Old Testament saint.
1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness IS righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.
Jesus in us is the huge difference between Romans 4 vs. Romans 6 and 8.
Also, the word "impute." This is only with regards to Old Testament Jews. In Romans 4, Paul is teaching on the Law which is going away, and introducing grace in chapter 5. But grace doesn't mean what you think it means. The word "imputed" is only found in these two chapters, but they MUST be understood in context of the following chapter 6, and the concluding chapter 8 - THE SPIRIT. To base a whole doctrine on set-up chapters like 4 and 5, where the law is abolished, leaves one believing there is no law, you can sin with no consequences. That is exactly what you've done, but not you alone. How many on the forum believe that Jesus came to take away the consequences of sin? That makes God the author of licentiousness. God forbid! Romans 6:1-2 and 15. The New Covenant has new laws - laws of the Spirit, where the eternal law of God is written on our hearts (conscience).
GRACE:
2 Peter 1:2-4
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
The grace of God FREES US FROM SIN. Not the consequences. The wages of sin is still death. But once you start following your conscience, and never going against it, you have assurance before God. It is easy. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. The Spirit is doing ALL the heavy lifting.
Romans 6:
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?