Question 62: Why can't we be justified before God through good works, and why are they of no help at all?

Question 62: Why can't we be justified before God through good works, and why are they of no help at all?

Answer: Righteousness that can stand before God's judgment must be absolutely perfect and conform to God's law in every way. However, no matter how hard we try, our righteousness is imperfect and still defiled by sin.

The way to obtain God's righteousness is to die on the cross with Jesus Christ and believe that you were resurrected with the resurrected Jesus.

First, because death, through union with Christ on the cross, fulfills the law. Therefore, God does not hold the dead accountable for their sins according to the law. Because Jesus Christ died on the cross, He became the righteousness of God, and so those who are united with Him also become the righteousness of God.

Second, because the saints who died on the cross are united with God and become the righteousness of God, God resurrects them as new creations through the baptism of the Holy Spirit and makes them holy.

1 Peter 1:16, "For it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'" You might ask, "If God is holy, how can humans become holy?" Holiness is a life offered to God. It is through uniting with Jesus Christ and dying on the cross.


 Then, God recognizes us as holy. Therefore, the holy are dead to the world and distinct from it. Humans do not become holy on their own, but through God.

Holiness is not something achieved through human effort. Those who receive resurrection life become holy. Many believers think of holiness as the nature of God, but holiness is something that only those who become one with God in Christ can achieve. Becoming one with God means that the Father and the saints are united through the Holy Spirit in Christ. Those who are united through Christ's death on the cross and resurrection become one with the Father.


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