How do we become righteous before a holy God?

Answers to Bible Questions
Scriptures are from the King James Bible

(Q)  How do we become righteous before a Holy God?

(A)  We live in a special dispensation, or a time of salvation by grace alone. The Apostle Paul tells us how this is accomplished.

“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is manifested …. ” To Paul was given the ministry of explaining for the first time how a holy God could count ungodly sinners righteous in His sight. Our passage in Romans 3:21-22 tells us how to become right with God, and it is not something that we do. It is not a righteousness of man or from man, but the righteousness of God. It is from Him. “It is God who justifies”

Romans 8:33. He is “the God who justifies the ungodly” Romans 4:5, and we thank Him for it because we could never have justified ourselves before a holy God and righteous Judge; but now, we don’t have to!

How does God declare the ungodly to be “justified”? Paul tells us it is “apart from the law.” It has nothing to do with keeping the law, or the Ten Commandments, following our conscience, or “trying our best” but by the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus Christ who willingly took the blame for our sins and paid their penalty in full on the cross; so that today, all who simply believe in Him are “justified by faith” Romans 5:1.

Forgiveness is wonderful. We read and rejoice that in Christ we have been forgiven for all our sins, Colossians 2:13, and made righteous. The “righteousness of God” means being counted by grace as having done all that God demanded, required, and expected of us; so that He, not only has nothing against us, but is in every way for us and able to extravagantly bless us.

Quit trying to do it for yourself;  just believe and let God do the rest.

John

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