Receive righteousness as God's gift to us. Upon trusting in Christ, believers are accounted righteous through our Savior and Lord. It's known as imputed righteousness. Through faith in Christ, we are accounted righteous before God. It is never self-righteousness, but the righteousness of God in Christ.
Receive righteousness by faith in the gospel of Christ. The apostle Paul speaks of the righteousness of Christ imputed to believers in 2 Corinthians 5:21. "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Martin Luther called it the great exchange. Christ takes away our sin and gives us his righteousness.
Receive righteousness by faith in Christ alone. The Christian life can never be based upon our self-righteousness, which is as filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6). To the contrary, we give up our self-righteousness, and become righteous before God in Christ alone. Christ gives us perfect righteousness before God. Simply stated, you become righteous in Christ alone.
All true believers are accounted righteous in Christ alone. Our sins are imputed to Christ as our sacrifice for sin at the cross. His righteousness is credited to us by faith alone. There is only one way you can be righteous with God. We are righteous by faith in Christ alone.
