By grace alone we have been made righteous. We tend to think of righteousness as having become acceptable to God. But righteousness is much more than merely being acceptable. Rather, it is rooted in the fact that Christ is now in us, and we in Him.(Colossians 2:27)

The promise of the Gospel is a gift. Our righteousness can never be earned by working toward it. The truth is, redemption means that we have actually become the righteousness of God Himself.(2 Corinthians 5:21) In Christ Jesus we have been granted an almost unbelievable status with God. But believe it we must, since by faith we have been reconciled to God and consequently have been made righteous.