God has provided mankind a rational plan of salvation that anyone can understand and follow.

By following this plan (i.e. the com-mand requirements of the New Testament) forgiveness has now been provided to the believer.

Forgiveness is provided to the believer by his own cooperation and obedience to God's N.T. command requirements.

For example, if the believer will obey God's 5 step plan of salvation (hear, believe, repent, confess and be baptized), he can now be saved, providing he continues to live and worship in accordance to what is required in the New Testament.

Man has the moral power and ability within his own humanity to live in obedience to all the commands that God requires.

When man chooses to cooperate and live in obedience to them, he can now be saved.

The righteousness that God provides is a gift and its substance is both the perfect life of Jesus Christ and his atoning, sacrificial death.

This righteousness that is applied to us both cleanses our sin and also provides the perfect righteousness we need.

This righteousness is applied to us through our faith in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

(Author's note: Certainly the right-eousness that God provides will also bring with it the added benefit of a holy life in that of the believer. But it is the rightousness of Jesus Christ applied to us by faith that makes us holy before God, without blemish and free from accusation.)

Because of the fall of Adam, man lost the moral power and ability to be saved by the principle of keeping commands and laws.

Therefore, according to God's set purpose and foreknowledge, He has provided perfect righteousness through faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

Author's Note:

Perhaps this will explain why many of us in the traditional Churches of Christ have had such an unhealthy interest in methodology and procedural matters of the church (instrumental music, the celebration of Christmas or Easter, one cup or two, etc).

Because if our righteousness is dependant upon our own ability to respond positively to the commands given to us in the New Testament, then it is imperative that we are then completely obedient in every possible way in order to receive it.

The idea that God imputes, credits or applies the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ to us by faith and trust is completely foreign to those in the traditional Churches of Christ; here we are often trying to be made righteous by what we do (a "by works" righteousness) rather than trusting God who makes people righteous (a "by faith" righteousness).

Philippians 3:9 says "…not having a righteousness of my own that come from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ -the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."