Section 9
we are, and we are short of God's glory. This is our situation, our condition.
RIGHTEOUSNESS RECKONED TO US
How can God make sons out of such sin ners? He can do it only by three things—by His righteousness, holiness, and glory. In Romans Paul tells us that God has put His righteousness upon us and that He has reckoned His righteous ness to be ours (4:22-24). This means that God has given us His righteousness. Because we are clothed with God's righteousness, we can say, "I am righteous because I am in God's righteous ness. I have been completely covered with His righteousness." How is this accomplished? How can God's righteousness be accounted as ours? It is through the redeeming death of Christ. Since God's righteousness has been reckoned to us through the death of Christ, our sinful deeds have been erased from the account, and God's righteousness covers our whole being. This is God's righteousness given to us as our covering through the redeeming death of Christ. Christ died on the cross that we might obtain the righteousness of God. God has put His right eousness upon us just as the father put the best robe on the prodigal son who returned. In that