Q&A 59 What good does it do you, however, to believe all this?

In Christ I am right with God

and heir to life everlasting.¹

 

¹ John 3:36; Rom. 1:17 (Hab. 2:4); Rom. 5:1-2

Q&A 60 How are you right with God?

Only by true faith in Jesus Christ.¹

 

Even though my conscience accuses me

of having grievously sinned against all God's commandments

and of never having kept any of them,²

and even though I am still inclined toward all evil,³

nevertheless,

without my deserving it at all,⁴

out of sheer grace,⁵

God grants and credits to me

the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ,⁶

as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner,

as if I had been as perfectly obedient

as Christ was obedient for me.⁷

 

All I need to do

is to accept this gift of God with a believing heart.⁸

 

¹ Rom. 3:21-28; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil 3:8-11

² Rom. 3:9-10

³ Rom. 7:23

⁴ Tit. 3:4-5

⁵ Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:8

⁶ Rom. 4:3-5 (Gen. 15:6); 2 Cor. 5:17-19; 1 John 2:1-2

⁷ Rom. 4:24-25; 2 Cor. 5:21

⁸ John 3:18; Acts 16:30-31

Q&A 61 Why do you say that by faith alone you are right with God?

It is not because of any value my faith has

that God is pleased with me.

Only Christ's satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness

make me right with God.¹

And I can receive this righteousness and make it mine

in no other way than

by faith alone.²

 

¹ 1 Cor. 1:30-31

² Rom. 10:10; 1 John 5:10-12

 

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