Imputed, Not Earned

In Romans, Paul writes about Abraham as his example of "saved by faith" (Rom 4:1-5). He spends the entire chapter on the topic and focuses on one key concept: his faith was "counted to him as righteousness" (Rom 4:22). It's called "forensic justification" whereby God performs a "legal act" and declares a person righteous (as opposed to a person actually being righteous). It's not the same as a judicial "not guilty" finding. No, this is premised on "guilty" followed by "but faith is counted as righteousness." The Roman Catholics took offense at this concept and argued you had to actually be righteous (which is why they have all that "penance" and "Purgatory" and all that). But Paul argued that "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness" (Rom 4:3). Righteousness was imputed on the basis of faith. Paul prefers the "forensic justification" version to the Roman Catholic version.

Then notice that it's possible because Jesus "was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification" (Rom 4:25) (thus, the importance of Substitutionary Atonement). But I noticed this. Romans 4:25 is followed by Romans 5:1, and our normal reading tends to make us miss this.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. (Rom 5:1-2)

That is, the "therefore" is very important. On the basis of the claim that Jesus "was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification," we have peace with God. Based on Christ paying for our sin and rising again, we have peace with God. Without Him being delivered for our sin and rising again for our justification, we would have no peace with God. Suddenly that whole "imputed righteousness" becomes critically important and it is because Christ died on our behalf that it's even a possibility.