That is your assumption. You (like Episkopos) are assuming that anyone who holds to a doctrine of imputed righteousness must by definition be ignoring the believer's responsibility under the new covenant, but that is not the case.
That is not so. What is being peddled as doctrine is the idea that God imputed HIS OWN righteousness onto Abraham...rather than Abraham's. We are justified by God by faith and works. But no one is to claim that justification for oneself. When justification is used by the uncrucified person...it becomes filthy rags...because it is soiled by the part of us that is meant to be crucified...not lifted up. Can you see the distinction?
And assuming that this doctrine therefore must be the cause of it. But remember in the parable of the talents, that one servant who was given one talent to invest.....he truly was given a talent but the fault was on him for not investing it. It wasn't the fault of the talent. It's on us what we do or don't do with the gift we have been given, and the attitude we hold to. Whether we are working out our salvation with fear and trembling and being humble and grateful for the gift or whether we are just sitting on our laurels, being smug and taking salvation for granted.
Or...by not going to God to have the talent bear fruit. An eternal fruit is only possible by a heavenly empowerment. Many will claim that a sample of grace is enough to do this. But the sample is only meant to motivate us to SEEK GOD...for an intimate union with Him. Those who reject that further seeking, asking, and knocking, try to produce an eternal fruit on their own...mistaking a human righteousness attempt for sanctification. It's an error of scale.
I believe it simply boils down to this: the Shepherd of our souls is leading us. We need to be following Him where/how He is leading and where/how He is leading us is to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We are to obey His leading and say not my will but thine be done, without violating His righteousness when He leads us through various trials and temptations. We are HIS workmanship, but only if we are allowing Him and obeying Him as He works or attempts to work on us. Many are not following Him, the cloud and pillar of fire, but they are remaining camped out basking on the shore of the Red Sea instead pulling up stakes and moving on and following...going on to perfection.
Being led of the Spirit is a good thing. But we are called to a higher place than that...who have been truly born of the Spirit. We are called to go to the throne of grace. That takes REAL faith. So that's why people will rail against it.
So that is how I see this and I believe I'm in company with others here who see it much the same. So I would ask that you all please stop making assumptions about those who defend the doctrine of imputed righteousness.
Again this is not about imputing righteousness where it is deserving...according to the truth..according to God. This is about the error of self-imputation for one's beliefs by esteeming that their own faith is anything like Abraham's.
Unfortunately that is not convenient for those who want to blame the doctrine for being the cause of people being like the Laodiceans, when really the cause is the neglect of all those other teachings that speak of our responsibilities, as well as their own hearts leading them astray. It's not the fault of the gift.
The fault of the Laodiceans was in their
false imputation of the riches in Christ on themselves. We see happening in our time in a major way. Hence the reason for the warning of Jesus...to THIS generation. But few are listening.
The wise will respond to the Lord saying... Lord, is it I?