Declared Right with God

The Apostle Paul describes this personal relationship with Jesus Christ as an undeserved gift which resulted in him being declared righteous. And experiencing a declared righteousness!

Paul wrote, I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:9 NLT

Another way of defining the word “righteousness” is "to be made right with God." If a person is righteous then that person is in a right relationship with God, which means that they will spend eternity with God in heaven after death. For Paul, the first part of his life he wore himself out trying to do enough good things to try to earn his way into a relationship with God and hope of heaven, but he like so many of us learned that trying to be good enough to earn salvation is a futile effort.

But in a relationship with Jesus Christ, Paul learned that the believer is declared right with God not because of our righteous acts, but because God makes us right with Him through Christ. Paul learned that the difference between a life of religion and a relationship is the difference between the words … DO and DONE! The Christian is declared right with God not based on what he or she tries to “DO,” but based on what Jesus Christ has “DONE” for each and every one of us!