Summary
When we get born again, God immediately declares us righteous because of our belief in Jesus. This is our stance in Christ, independent of our actions. However, we can get confused without a clear understanding of the link between faith and works. Our behavior certainly does matter, but our actions must come out of our faith in God’s grace; otherwise, they’re empty works. Our salvation comes as a gift from God, but we receive it through faith. We could never earn our righteousness or our salvation; we received them as gifts because we believed. Just like Abraham, God sees us as righteous when trust in Him—not in ourselves—is our motivation for the things we do.
