This is the good news of the Gospel – the believer did nothing to be saved.

Romans 4 ” ⁴ Now to him who works, the reward is not counted as grace, but as something owed. ⁵ But to him who doesn’t work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. ⁶ Even as David also pronounces blessing on the man to whom God counts righteousness apart from works, ⁷ “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,  whose sins are covered. ⁸ Blessed is the man whom the Lord will by no means charge with sin.”

We were sinners who did nothing but believe in Jesus to receive the free gift of God’s righteousness.

We are declared righteous without our works but only simply by faith.

To believe in Jesus means to trust in Him and not even rely on a single work of ours!

We don’t even have to lift a finger to be saved.

God has forgiven all our sins and will never judge us again for sin!

Why is this?

Romans 4 “to whom it will be accounted, who believe in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead, ²⁵ who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification.”

It is because Jesus Christ died for our sins.

We are forgiven of sins because Jesus died on the cross.

We are not forgiven by our confessions, apologies, dedications, re-dedications, commitment, resolutions, repentance from bad deeds, etc because those things are imperfect.

We are perfectly forgiven only by the death of Jesus Christ – that was the only payment that could take away our sins once and for all.

But we are not only forgiven – we are also righteous and perfect like God Himself because Jesus rose from the dead.

We died with Jesus Christ on the cross with our sins forgiven. We rose from the dead with Christ given His righteousness freely by grace!

Ephesians 2 “⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus; ⁸ for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, that no one would boast.”

So you see dear friends, that you had nothing to do with being forgiven and made righteous – it was fully accomplished by the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus did all the work and we received all the benefit by trusting in Him and not relying on our works or efforts.

To believe in Christ means that we fully rely on Him and not even a single work of ours.

Praise the LORD Jesus. Hallelujah!